Deck 55: Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Question 1

Populations that occupy ____ inevitably experience low carrying capacities. ​

A)ecotones
B)endangered habitats ​
C)small habitat patches ​
D)large habitat patches ​
E)small ecological niches ​

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When subtropical forest is cleared, which biome is most likely to replace it? ​

A)grassland suitable for grazing
B)cropland ideal for agriculture ​
C)young forest with the same species ​
D)desert with poor, eroded soil ​
E)chaparral with grass and low bushes ​

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Forest burning contributes nearly ____ % of all greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. ​

A)5
B)10 ​
C)20 ​
D)30 ​
E)50 ​

Answer 3

C

Question 4

How does reduced river connectivity affect aquatic species? ​

A)It helps nonnative species establish in certain ecosystems.
B)It prevents species from migrating freely. ​
C)It reduces water temperature. ​
D)It increases river volume. ​
E)It assists species in long migrations. ​

Question 5

What is the significance of genetic variation? ​

A)It influences population interactions.
B)It interacts within the biosphere. ​
C)It is the raw material for sexual reproduction. ​
D)It is the most fundamental level of species classification. ​
E)It is the raw material for adaptation, speciation, and evolution. ​

Question 6

How does habitat fragmentation affect biodiversity? ​

A)As long as the fragments are of good quality habitat, biodiversity will not be affected.
B)Habitat fragmentation increases biodiversity because it reduces entry of exotic species.
C)Habitat fragmentation is a threat to biodiversity because small habitat patches sustain only small populations. ​
D)Habitat fragmentation increases biodiversity because adaptation to local conditions stimulates evolution. ​
E)Habitat fragmentation connects terrestrial and aquatic habitats. ​

Question 7

Why has Atlantic cod evolved to mature at a younger age and smaller size? ​

A)DNA damage from radiation released accidentally from nuclear power plants
B)unknown causes ​
C)food competition from other predatory fish ​
D)intraspecies competition ​
E)overexploitation by fishing ​

Question 8

Which area of the United States experiences rainfall with the lowest pH? ​

A)southwest
B)southeast ​
C)northeast ​
D)Midwest ​
E)northwest ​

Question 9

Where in the world does most deforestation occur? ​

A)the taiga in Siberia
B)the boreal forest in Canada
C)the tropical rainforest in Africa
D)the tropical rainforest in South America
E)the temperate rainforest in North America

Question 10

Overexploitation occurs as a result of ____. ​

A)harvesting of predators
B)transformation of an ecosystem to a desert ​
C)soil nutrient loss ​
D)the combined outcome of desertification and global warming ​
E)excessive harvesting of an animal or plant species ​

Question 11

Which term refers to the concentration of salts in soil? ​

A)salinization
B)desertification ​
C)erosion ​
D)deforestation ​
E)overexploitation ​

Question 12

Why have so few primates gone extinct compared to other species, such as mussels or birds? ​

A)Primates have large brains.
B)Primates are not killed for food or other human uses. ​
C)Primates live in stable environments. ​
D)Primates are among the most closely monitored and protected species. ​
E)Primates are highly mobile. ​

Question 13

Which molecule dissolves in water vapor and falls as acid precipitation? ​

A)sulfuric acid
B)ozone ​
C)mercury ​
D)sulfur dioxide ​
E)carbonic acid ​

Question 14

What were the conclusions of Gibson's experiments with small mammal populations? ​

A)Fragmentation increases biodiversity.
B)Fragmentation leads to extinction of native populations. ​
C)Fragmentation does not affect small mammal populations. ​
D)Fragmentation has the same effect on large and small mammal populations. ​
E)Fragmentation has more impact in aquatic than in terrestrial habitats. ​

Question 15

Disturbance and exposure at borders of habitat fragments are collectively termed ____. ​

A)edge effects
B)fragmentation effects ​
C)anthropogenic disturbances ​
D)reduced perimeter diversity ​
E)boundary decline ​

Question 16

Biologists have recently been interested in Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey ( Procolobus badius )because it is ____. ​

A)increasing in numbers
B)a pest to farmers ​
C)thought to be extinct ​
D)capable of carrying HIV ​
E)capable of carrying the Ebola virus ​

Question 17

In Gibson's experiment with small mammal populations in the tropical forest, ____. ​

A)most species disappeared from small islands within the first 5-7 years after fragmentation
B)all species disappeared from small islands within the first 5-7 years after fragmentation ​
C)populations increased 25 years after fragmentation ​
D)most species disappeared from small islands, but quickly recolonized after 5-7 years ​
E)fragmentation had no affect on small mammal species ​

Question 18

The ____ and ____ of rivers are key determinants of their physical habitats. ​

A)flow rate; volume
B)size; shape ​
C)flow rate; temperature ​
D)location; volume ​
E)biodiversity; species richness

Question 19

Which human activity is an example of hydrologic alteration? ​

A)overfishing
B)small-scale diversion of water for agriculture ​
C)damming of rivers ​
D)digging wells ​
E)desalination ​

Question 20

Which factor disrupts the life histories of aquatic species? ​

A)increased sedimentation
B)reduced connectivity in river systems ​
C)introduction of nonnative species ​
D)disruption of river flow patterns ​
E)low river volume ​

Question 21

Which environment would be most likely to harbor a biodiversity hotspot? ​

A)tropical island
B)temperate grassland ​
C)temperate deciduous forest ​
D)desert ​
E)savanna ​

Question 22

Teosinte, a wild relative of corn, was crossed with domestic corn in an attempt to produce a ____ variety. ​

A)herbicide resistant
B)pest resistant
C)high lysine ​
D)perennial ​
E)higher yielding ​

Question 23

Scientists have found that the Bd infection ____. ​

A)affects amphibians and fish
B)enhances lymphocyte production ​
C)may travel from low elevation to high elevation habitats ​
D)may travel from high elevation to low elevation habitats ​
E)cannot infect amphibians that never enter standing water ​

Question 24

The communities established under pure stands of eastern hemlock will likely become extinct because of ____. ​

A)feeding on the trees by the wooly adelgid
B)the Bd infection of hemlock trees ​
C)pathogenic viruses attacking these populations ​
D)pathogenic fungi attacking hemlock trees ​
E)invasive species exploiting their niche ​

Question 25

The European starling and the kudzu vine are examples of ____. ​

A)native species
B)pollution ​
C)pathogenic viruses ​
D)fungi ​
E)invasive species ​

Question 26

Background extinction rates eliminate approximately ____ species ____. ​

A)7-8; per 100 years
B)7-8; per 1000 years ​
C)7-8; per year ​
D)100; per year ​
E)100; per 1000 years ​

Question 27

Photosynthetic organisms provide ____ to ecosystems. ​

A)provisioning services
B)regulating services ​
C)nutrient cycling ​
D)hybridization ​
E)support services ​

Question 28

What is an invasive species? ​

A)a nonnative species that often outcompetes native species, leading to their extinction
B)a native species that evolves a new trait and occupies more ecological niches ​
C)a nonnative species that enriches the species diversity of a new ecosystem ​
D)a nonnative species that often outcompetes native species, leading to evolution ​
E)a nonnative species that eventually becomes extinct ​

Question 29

Which benefit, derived from biodiversity, would be categorized as an ecosystem service? ​

A)the anticancer drug Taxol, derived from the yew tree
B)plants and fruits that are edible by humans ​
C)cotton and other useful plant-derived fibers ​
D)decomposition of wastes ​
E)wild organisms as a source of genes for genetic engineering ​

Question 30

The administration of the drug diclofenac to livestock inadvertently poisoned ____ and led to an increase in ____ cases. ​

A)cattle; hoof and mouth ​
B)vultures; rabies ​
C)children; epilepsy ​
D)coyotes; hemolytic E. coli ​
E)cattle egrets; avian flu ​

Question 31

Photosynthetic organisms are essential for limiting the damage done by global warming because they ____. ​

A)move carbon from the atmosphere to living organisms
B)move carbon from the soil to the atmosphere ​
C)move carbon from the atmosphere to the soil ​
D)produce oxygen ​
E)sequester carbon in geologic sediments ​

Question 32

Worldwide declines in the population size of frogs have recently been linked to ____. ​

A)overharvesting
B)a fungus ​
C)dams ​
D)decreases in global temperatures
E)increases in precipitation

Question 33

The oldest known Bd infections in the world dated to ____. ​

A)1894 in Brazil
B)1894 in Korea ​
C)1900 in Illinois ​
D)1911 in Korea ​
E)1900 in Brazil ​

Question 34

Which airborne pollutant contributes to global warming? ​

A)carbon dioxide
B)ozone ​
C)mercury ​
D)sulfur dioxide ​
E)carbonic acid ​

Question 35

Provisioning services ____. ​

A)are critical functions that preserve and recycle resources upon which ecosystems depend
B)transfer CO₂ to a nutrient compartment in the biosphere ​
C)enable populations to function within their food webs ​
D)describe the availability of plants, animals, and other materials useful to all organisms ​
E)involves planting crops for use by many organisms ​

Question 36

Biodiversity hotspots are defined as areas where biodiversity is both ____ and ____. ​

A)concentrated; endangered
B)researched; protected ​
C)low; increasing ​
D)overexploited; studied ​
E)low; declining ​

Question 37

Taxol, a drug treatment for breast and ovarian cancer, was isolated from ____. ​

A)frog skin
B)vascular cambium of a tree
C)roots of a tree
D)insects
E)primates

Question 38

The greatest rate of extinction of all time is/was probably caused by ____. ​

A)an ice age
B)unknown reasons ​
C)formation of Pangea ​
D)human activity ​
E)asteroid impact ​

Question 39

What is the main factor contributing to the current human-caused mass extinction? ​

A)increased population growth
B)burning of fossil fuels ​
C)the industrial revolution ​
D)global-warming ​
E)decreased population growth ​

Question 40

Fungi and soil microorganisms provide ____ to ecosystems. ​

A)provisioning services
B)regulating services ​
C)carbon sequestration ​
D)hybridization ​
E)support services ​

Question 41

Which field of ecology analyzes how large-scale ecological factors influence local populations and communities? ​

A)conservation ecology
B)mixed-use conservation ​
C)alpha-diversity ​
D)landscape ecology ​
E)community ecology ​

Question 42

Biologists believe that whooping cranes suffer from a high rate of developmental deformities of the spine and trachea because of ____. ​

A)biological magnification of DDT
B)exposure to hormone-mimicking pollutants from plastics ​
C)a population bottleneck and loss of genetic variability ​
D)conservation biologists saving chicks that would have died at hatching ​
E)exposure to PCBs used as insulators in electronics ​

Question 43

The number of species a patch will support depends on its ____ and ____. ​

A)size; species richness
B)size; habitat ​
C)area; species richness ​
D)size; proximity to larger patches ​
E)habitat; proximity to larger patches ​

Question 44

Scientists at the Natural History Museum in London estimate that more than ____ percent of living species have not yet been discovered. ​

A)11
B)27 ​
C)32 ​
D)56 ​
E)98

Question 45

Scientists have found that extinction rates among ____ are accelerating rapidly. ​

A)endangered species
B)trigger species ​
C)bird species ​
D)amphibian species ​
E)plant species ​

Question 46

Sea otter populations were reduced by overhunting, allowing an overgrowth of one of their prey animals, the ____, which subsequently consumed and decimated ____.populations. ​

A)crabs; shrimp
B)abalone; algae ​
C)sea urchin; kelp ​
D)harbor seals; fish ​
E)crab; kelp ​

Question 47

Which data were used in the population viability analysis conducted for the yellow-bellied glider? ​

A)age distributions and survival probabilities
B)litter sizes and sex ratios ​
C)home ranges and litter sizes ​
D)sex ratios, age distributions, and litter sizes ​
E)litter sizes, sex ratios, lifespan, home range sizes, survival probabilities, and age distributions ​

Question 48

A DNA barcode is being developed for use in conservation biology based on ____. ​

A)mitochondrial genes in plants
B)chloroplast genes in plants ​
C)nuclear genes in animals ​
D)mitochondrial genes in animals ​
E)bacterial genes ​

Question 49

The smallest population that fits specifications of a conservation plan is a(n)____. ​

A)target population
B)endangered population ​
C)minimum viable population size ​
D)an entire ecosystem ​
E)threatened species ​

Question 50

Which statement best summarizes the results of the experiment by Damschen and her colleagues on the effect of landscape corridors on species richness? ​

A)Habitat patches with landscape corridors are at higher risk of encroachment by exotic species than are isolated habitat patches.
B)Over time, the number of native species harbored by habitat patches with landscape corridors was increasingly greater than in isolated habitat patches. ​
C)The number of both native and exotic species increased over time in habitat patches that were connected by landscape corridors. ​
D)The number of native species increased over time in isolated habitat patches but not in those connected by corridors. ​
E)The number of exotic and native species decreased in patches connected by landscape corridors.

Question 51

According to Myers, a biodiversity hot spot must harbor at least ____. ​

A)20 predator species
B)100 endemic plant species ​
C)15 extinct species ​
D)1500 endemic plant species ​
E)100 endangered species ​

Question 52

Which habitat patch sustains more species? ​

A)small
B)large ​
C)intact ​
D)separated ​
E)threatened

Question 53

Why is the COI gene sequence unsuitable as a DNA barcode for plants? ​

A)The gene has a much faster evolution rate in plants.
B)The gene has a much slower evolution rate in plants. ​
C)There are too many plant species. ​
D)There are not enough plant species. ​
E)It is too difficult to extract plant DNA. ​

Question 54

When Terry Irwin collected beetles from a tree to catalog the species, he found that ____ of the individual beetles he collected belonged to species not yet described. ​

A)less than 10%
B)25% ​
C)50% ​
D)75% ​
E)more than 90% ​

Question 55

A group of neighboring populations that exchange individuals is defined as a ____. ​

A)metapopulation
B)megapopulation ​
C)community ​
D)source population ​
E)sink population ​

Question 56

Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary science that focuses on ____. ​

A)saving endangered species ​
B)sequencing the DNA of all species on Earth ​
C)cataloging endemic plant species ​
D)researching trigger species ​
E)maintenance and preservation of biodiversity ​

Question 57

Which group includes the highest proportion of critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable species? ​

A)cone snails
B)conifers
C)freshwater shrimps ​
D)reef-forming corals ​
E)cycads ​

Question 58

More than 40% of the 595 sites of imminent extinction are ____. ​

A)completely protected
B)already developed ​
C)unprotected ​
D)of large size ​
E)of small size ​

Question 59

Conservation biologists conduct population viability analyses to determine ____. ​

A)whether an environment is too badly degraded to support a species
B)how large a population must be to ensure its long-term survival ​
C)likely source populations ​
D)likely sink populations ​
E)the annual reproduction rate of a population ​

Question 60

Conservation efforts using ____ are being used to protect the critically endangered Florida panther by allowing the animals to move safely between fragmented conservation areas. ​

A)landscape corridors
B)ecotourism ​
C)beta-diversity ​
D)population viability analyses
E)introduction of nonnative prey species

Question 61

Why did local residents in the Pacific Northwest remain hostile to conservation efforts? ​

A)When the northern spotted owl was listed as endangered, logging workers lost jobs.
B)The northern spotted owl has not been listed as endangered. ​
C)When the northern spotted owl was listed as endangered, the logging industry experienced a boom. ​
D)Conservation efforts to protect trees from logging have been unsuccessful. ​
E)Conservation efforts focus on the local population and take their jobs into consideration. ​

Question 63

An alternative to species-based conservation focuses on the preservation of ____. ​

A)small species
B)large species ​
C)plant species only ​
D)insect species only ​
E)intact habitats ​

Question 66

Which event accounts for 20% of the greenhouse gases recorded annually? ​

A)deforestation of dry tropical forests
B)deforestation of moist tropical forests ​
C)burning of fossil fuels ​
D)burning of coal ​
E)urbanization ​

Question 67

The success of Chitwan National Park in Nepal is attributed primarily to ____. ​

A)ecotourism
B)exclusion of local residents ​
C)ecosystem valuation ​
D)benefits provided to local residents ​
E)income derived through hunting ​

Question 68

Conservation biology is a ____. ​

A)mature science
B)young science ​
C)science that addresses speciation rates ​
D)science practiced by environmentalists ​
E)declining science ​

Question 71

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is an example of ____. ​

A)conservation through preservation, with people completely excluded
B)conservation through preservation, with people allowed only as temporary visitors ​
C)mixed use conservation, with some human residents and livestock grazing ​
D)mixed use conservation, with no human residents and limited livestock grazing ​
E)conservation through restoration, with efforts to remove contaminants underway ​

Question 74

Conservation through restoration involves ____. ​

A)completely excluding people
B)people allowed only as temporary visitors ​
C)some human residents and livestock grazing ​
D)limited livestock grazing ​
E)efforts to remove contaminants and other unnatural obstructions ​

Question 76

In ____, visitors pay a fee to visit a natural preserve. ​

A)ecotourism
B)mixed-use conservation ​
C)ecosystem valuation ​
D)restoration ​
E)preservation ​

Question 78

By one estimation, the gross global ecosystem valuation is ____. ​

A)equivalent to the total carbon dioxide processed by all ecosystems
B)equivalent to the total amount of carbon fixed ​
C)equivalent to the value of all goods produced on Earth ​
D)greater than the value of all goods produced on Earth ​
E)less than the value of all goods produced on Earth ​

Question 80

Which concept reflects the increasing numbers of species present in an area that includes a wide variety of habitats, vegetation types, and small-scale environments? ​

A)landscape ecology
B)the species-area relationship ​
C)conservation biology ​
D)alpha-diversity ​
E)beta-diversity