Deck 19: Conservation Biology

Question 1

Why is it so difficult to estimate the current extinction rate?

A) There are 100 million named species.
B) Beetles go extinct more rapidly than other species.
C) Nematodes are so abundant.
D) The fungi bias our samples.
E) none of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Hotspots of species diversity

A) are found at high latitude.
B) contain many endemics.
C) occur where beetle diversity is high.
D) are well protected from human impacts.
E) none of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

If a population conforms to the equation dN/dt = rN(K-N)/K,

A) density dependent factors can protect a population from extinction.
B) extinction occurs at an exponential rate.
C) the growth rate is positive if N>K.
D) extinction risk is measured by the variable K.
E) none of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The effect of environmental stochasticity

A) is greater in small populations.
B) is due to density-dependent effects.
C) does not explain the rarity of the spotted owl.
D) is measured by λ.
E) none of the above

Question 5

Which of the following is not affected by demographic stochasticity?

A) sex ratio
B) λ
C) b_x
D) R₀
E) none of the above

Question 6

The Allee Effect

A) is due to variation in K.
B) is the result of random changes in λ.
C) occurs when the growth rate declines at low density.
D) protects species from extinction.
E) none of the above

Question 7

Alleles that are identical by descent

A) are heterozygous.
B) are more common in relatives.
C) decrease fitness by the factor F.
D) lead to lower levels of homozygosity.
E) none of the above

Question 8

Inbreeding

A) increases the frequency of heterozygotes by 2pqF.
B) decreases the frequency of homozygotes by pqF.
C) increases the chances of deleterious genes combining.
D) increases the total genetic variation of the population.
E) none of the above

Question 9

One reason grizzlies are at risk in the Rocky Mountains is that

A) their sex ratio is highly skewed.
B) N_e is greater than N.
C) homozygosity is declining.
D) heterozygosity is declining.
E) none of the above

Question 10

Which of the following is a mismatch?

A) pikas/require alpine talus slopes
B) spotted owl/require successional habitat
C) grizzlies/lower N_e
D) migratory birds/summer and winter habitat.
E) none of the above

Question 11

A relaxation fauna forms when

A) a new species diversity equilibrium develops.
B) the stresses of climate change are reduced.
C) the immigration rate exceeds the extinction rate.
D) the extinction rate exceeds the immigration rate.
E) none of the above

Question 12

Maximum sustainable harvest

A) is independent of the value of r.
B) is determined by the value of Q, the variance in the carrying capacity.
C) maintains the population at the highest value of N.
D) maintains the population at K/2.
E) none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is not a characteristic that increases the risk of extinction?

A) habitat specialization
B) high reproductive rate
C) large body size
D) core species in a core-satellite community
E) none of the above

Question 14

Ecosystem services include

A) flood control.
B) reducing the concentration of pollutants.
C) the aesthetic values.
D) sequestering carbon.
E) none of the above.

Question 15

The SLOSS debate focuses on the

A) financial value of ecosystem services.
B) ethics saving some species at the expense of others.
C) relative benefit of total habitat size vs edge effects.
D) relative importance of habitat size and shape.
E) none of the above.

Question 16

The study of myrtle by González-Varo et al. (2015) showed that Myrtle

A) shows a significant extinction debt from past disturbance.
B) occurrence is negatively associated with current patch size.
C) occurrence is positively associated with patch disturbance.
D) occurrence occurs in small, disturbed patches.
E) none of the above

Question 17

Which of the following is not an example of an ecosystem service?

A) pollination of crops
B) agricultural pest control
C) sequestering carbon
D) filtering pollutants from aquatic systems
E) none of the above

Question 18

Cowbirds are at risk due to edge effects.

Question 19

About 2 million species have been identified and named.

Question 20

Demographic stochasticity is the result of random changes in population parameters.

Question 21

The maximum rate of harvest occurs at the highest population density.

Question 22

Inbreeding depression is the result of increased homozygosity.

Question 23

The Allee Effect occurs when the growth rate of a population declines at high density.

Question 24

The extinction debt is the consequence of lost ecosystem services.

Question 25

The theory of island biogeography can be applied to fragmented habitats.

Question 26

The extinction vortex is a positive feedback system that increases the probability of extinction.

Question 27

The Minimum Viable Population (MVP) is the minimum population size that avoids inbreeding depression.

Question 28

How does the fitness Allee Effect differ from the Allee Effect?

Question 29

What is the difference between a fixed-effort harvest and a fixed-quota harvest?

Question 30

An __________ is a species that if protected, will protect many other species; an __________ is a species that require specific habitat conditions.

Question 31

The species on coral reefs are at risk of extinction due to __________.

Question 32

Why are some successional species at risk of extinction?

Question 33

What is the difference between demographic and environmental stochasticity?