Deck 12: Biodiversity- Palm Planet: Production of a Common Household Ingredient Is Wreaking Havoc on Wildlife Across the Globe

Question 1

Why do you think scientists know much more about the diversity of mammals than they do insects?

Answer 1

It is likely this discrepancy is due to the fact that insects are very small, have a high rate of reproduction, live in almost all environments on Earth, and can adapt to very specific niches (for example, a particular species of fly that lives in the deserts of Nevada is not likely going to resemble a fly that lives in a similar environment like the Sahara Desert). All of these characteristics lead to a large diversity of insect species. When looking at mammals, on the other hand, we tend to know more about this group because mammals are larger, are not able to live in as many habitats as insects, and can take a long time to reproduce (think of humans, for example, who biologically cannot reproduce until the age of 12 or 13 years). In short, we know more about mammals because they are less diverse than insects and we are better at finding and identifying them.

Question 2

Which groupings of organisms are ordered most diverse to least diverse?

A) plants > fungi > bacteria > insects > vertebrates
B) insects > plants > fungi > vertebrates > bacteria
C) fungi > insects > bacteria > vertebrates > plants
D) insects > vertebrates > plants > fungi > bacteria
E) bacteria > insects > plants > fungi > vertebrates

Answer 2

insects > plants > fungi > vertebrates > bacteria

Question 3

Which population would be the most likely to survive a disturbance in their ecosystem?

A) one with high genetic diversity
B) one with low genetic diversity
C) one with no genetic diversity

Answer 3

one with high genetic diversity

Question 4

What is NOT an example of an ecosystem service?

A) fuel made from forest materials
B) water purification
C) decomposition of organic material
D) camping
E) All of the above are examples of ecosystem services.

Question 5

Of the following ecosystems, which likely has the most biodiversity?

A) desert
B) lake
C) temperate forest
D) frozen tundra
E) tropical rain forest

Question 6

How could the effects of global warming diminish ecosystem services? Use genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity in your answer.

Question 7

Biodiversity has many benefits, which includes:

A) the regulation of ecosystems.
B) the selection of particular species to survive.
C) the ability to predict which species will go extinct in an ecosystem.
D) the propagation of disease-carrying organisms.
E) none of the above.

Question 8

It is common for fast food restaurants to use a particular species of potato to make their French fries. This species has a characteristic shape and size that fits nicely in the potato cutting machines. They also have the desired taste and color the fast food restaurants, and their patrons, prefer. You can image that potato farming for fast food restaurants is a lucrative business. Given what you know about the Irish Potato Famine, how are fast food restaurants endangering potato crops and farming?

Question 9

What is biodiversity?

A) the measurement of individuals in a particular population
B) diversity that only refers to coloration of fur, feathers, and skin
C) the variety of all living and nonliving things on Earth
D) the variety of all living things on Earth
E) a field of study that focuses on humans and their interactions with the environment

Question 10

Take what you know about biodiversity and climate change. Which ecosystem do you think would be more resistant to the effects of climate change (to a point): one with a high level of biodiversity or one with a low level of biodiversity? Explain your answer.

Question 11

What are ecosystem services?

A) a system of trade for nature products
B) nonessential processes of nature
C) life-supporting ecological processes
D) services that are only valuable to humans
E) all life-supporting processes that do not garner a monetary benefit for humans

Question 12

T High ecological diversity typically means high biodiversity.

Question 13

What is the most likely location of a biodiversity hotspot?

A) prairie
B) island
C) ocean
D) expansive forest
E) Sahara Desert

Question 14

An ecosystem with high species richness but low evenness would have:

A) many different species, with each population having similar amounts of individuals in the ecosystem.
B) few species, with one population being overrepresented in the ecosystem.
C) many different species, with one population being overrepresented in the ecosystem.
D) few species, with each population having similar amounts of individuals in the ecosystem.
E) none of the above.

Question 15

There are currently around 1.9 million species that have been identified. What is the total number of species predicted to live on Earth?

A) between 1 million and 2 million
B) between 2 million and 3 million
C) between 3 million and 11 million
D) between 11 million and 19 million
E) over 1 billion

Question 16

The population of "fast food potatoes" would lack what kind of diversity: genetic, species, or ecological? Please explain your answer.

Question 17

Endemic species are ________ susceptible to extinction due to habitat loss.

A) more
B) less

Question 18

There are more categorized than uncategorized species on Earth.

Question 19

Not killing a spider because it scares you is an example of what kind of value?

A) instrumental value
B) intrinsic value

Question 20

Why do tropical areas typically have more biodiversity than a colder or drier climate?

Question 21

What is the largest human-caused threat to biodiversity?

A) pollution
B) introduction of invasive species
C) illegal trade of animal body parts
D) habitat destruction
E) fair trade practices

Question 22

What is the connection between endemic species and endangered species?

Question 23

What is NOT a cause of habitat destruction?

A) consumer need/want
B) water dams
C) coal mining
D) expansion of cities
E) conversion to sustainable farming

Question 24

Why must certified sustainable palm oil plantations be required to minimize their use of fire and pesticides?

A) Fire and pesticides decrease the genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity of the local ecosystem.
B) Fire and pesticides will kill the palm trees, causing the farmers to replant the trees every year.
C) Fire and pesticides make the palm oil taste bad.
D) Fire and pesticides may cause harm to plantation workers.
E) Certified sustainable palm oil plantations are not restricted in their use of fire and pesticides.

Question 25

Which event would NOT lead to possible endemic species lost on a remote island?

A) hurricane
B) fire
C) deforestation
D) introduction of invasive species
E) All could lead to possible endemic species lost.

Question 26

If islands make up a tiny percentage of the landmass of Earth, why have they accounted for around half of all species extinctions in the last 400 years?

Question 27

Endemic species have more genetic diversity than species found in several habitats.

Question 28

Why is palm oil a good alternative to other edible oils?

A) Palm oil plantations produce more oil per acre than other oil crops.
B) Palm oil is cheaper.
C) Palm oil is healthier than other edible oils containing trans fats.
D) Palm oil can be sustainably farmed.
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 29

If an extirpated species is only extinct in one particular location, is this important or does the fact that it still exists in other places make the extinction not a big deal?

Question 30

Habitat fragmentation can be detrimental to species because:

A) populations of the same species may be separated and would no longer be able to mate.
B) there are no livable habitats left after fragmentation.
C) it increases the chance that species will breed with other species out of necessity.
D) it decreases the isolation of particular populations.
E) it encourages genetic diversity, which leads to species diversity.

Question 31

Why is increased genetic diversity tied to an increased chance of survival for populations?

Question 32

Why might a species become endangered?

A) habitat loss
B) low genetic diversity
C) human involvement (for example, hunting, destruction of habitat, etc.)
D) A and C
E) A, B, and C

Question 33

Habitat destruction only affects the species that live in that habitat.

Question 34

If new ecosystems can replace collapsed ecosystems, why are people still concerned with ecosystem destruction?

A) They are not concerned.
B) New ecosystems typically do not form fast enough to prevent ecosystem services loss.
C) The new ecosystem will be just like the old and will collapse again.
D) The same species will not repopulate the new ecosystem.
E) It costs a lot of money to replace ecosystems.

Question 35

If a species is extirpated, this means that:

A) it does not exist in any ecosystem-it is extinct.
B) its close relatives, but not the same species, will continue to exist.
C) it is extinct in one ecosystem but still exists in others.
D) it has grown in numbers and disrupts the evenness of the species diversity for that ecosystem.
E) None of the above are correct.

Question 36

Habitat fragmentation can lead to the same loss of biodiversity as habitat destruction.

Question 37

Why are biodiversity hotspots important?

Question 38

What is one major motivation for companies to source sustainably grown palm oil?

A) The palm oil is cheaper.
B) The palm oil tastes better.
C) Their customers demand sustainably grown palm oil.
D) Their customers demand cheaper prices on palm oil products.
E) The government requires them to.

Question 39

The number of unique species _________ with isolation.

A) increases
B) decreases

Question 40

Compare and contrast habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation.

Question 41

What are some ways that you can protect biodiversity?

Question 42

How do palm oil plantations, a lucrative business, still decrease ecosystem services of the local ecosystems?

Question 43

In an effort to repair damage to the ecosystem, some lumber companies plant trees after they have cleared the forest for timber. Can you think of any scenarios where this would be a BAD thing for the ecosystem?

Question 44

What personal choice would NOT protect Earth's biodiversity?

A) buying captive-bred birds
B) planting a rain garden in a ditch by the road
C) limiting the use of weed killer on your lawn
D) always buying the cheapest product, no matter how it was farmed
E) joining a local wildlife monitoring group