Question 1

Which does NOT represent a human-caused threat to biodiversity?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which does NOT represent a human-caused threat...

Question 2

The intentional breeding for certain traits, or combination of traits, is ________.

Accepted Answer

Intentional breeding for certain traits is called artificial selection.

Question 3

Which of the following are human activities that could cause an increase in extinction rates?

Accepted Answer

Habitat destruction, pollution, and anthropogenic climate change are all human activities that have been shown to contribute to the increase in extinction rates.

Question 4

The slow extinction of species is always occurring on Earth. Five periods of mass extinction have also happened. Many scientists feel that humans are responsible for causing another era of mass extinction. Which of the following human factors might contribute to this mass extinction?

Accepted Answer

All of the listed human factors can contribute to the current mass extinction. Overpopulation leads to increased demand for resources and land, leading to habitat loss and fragmentation. Pollution can directly harm animals and the environment, leading to decreased reproductive success and increased mortality rates. Man-made contributions to global climate change can alter weather patterns, leading to droughts or floods that disrupt ecosystems. Encroachment on animal habitat can lead to the destruction of ecosystems and displacement or extinction of species. All of these factors are interconnected and exacerbate each other, leading to a greater impact on biodiversity.

Question 5

One major problem with human stress on ecosystems is that ______.

Accepted Answer

Human-caused threats to ecosystems are often very rapid, such as deforestation, overfishing or pollution. Natural selection is a relatively slow process, and so it cannot keep up with the speed of human-caused threats. As a result, many species are unable to adapt quickly enough and can become endangered or extinct.

Question 6

Compared with the background rate of extinction, currently ___________.

Accepted Answer

The current rate of extinction is significantly higher than the background rate due to human activities, making all the statements correct.

Question 7

Protecting biodiversity is a difficult task because ________.

Accepted Answer

All of the above answers are correct. Protecting biodiversity is a multifaceted issue that involves challenges such as the growing human population, the prioritization of human development over conservation efforts, the unknown species that may exist, and the lack of success in rebounding threatened or endangered species. All of these factors make protecting biodiversity a complex and difficult task.

Question 8

Which of the following human activities has the potential to influence selection and affect evolution?

Accepted Answer

All of the listed activities have the potential to influence selection and affect evolution. The use of pesticides and herbicides can select for individuals with resistance, leading to evolution of resistant populations. Similarly, the use of antibiotics can select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, leading to evolution of resistant bacterial strains. These activities are examples of human-induced selection pressures that can lead to evolutionary change.

Question 9

_______ is the complete loss of a species from the Earth.

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the complete loss of a species from the Earth. Endangering and threatening refer to the level of risk a species may face, while extirpation refers to the loss of a species from a certain geographic area but not the entire planet. Endemic refers to a species that is native to a specific geographic area.

Question 10

Why is artificial selection likely bad for the ultimate survival of a species?

Accepted Answer

Artificial selection often results in the intentional breeding of specific traits, which can reduce the genetic diversity of a population. This reduction in genetic diversity makes the population more susceptible to disruptions such as disease outbreaks, environmental changes, or other unexpected events that could threaten the survival of the species. In contrast, natural selection allows for a range of genetic variants to be present in a population, which increases the likelihood that some individuals will survive and reproduce in changing conditions.

Question 11

Information obtained from the fossil record sets the background rate of extinction per year at _____ species out of every million species.

Accepted Answer

The background rate of extinction, as determined from the fossil record, is estimated to be about 1 species out of every million species per year. This rate serves as a baseline to compare current extinction rates and assess the impact of human activities on biodiversity.

Question 12

It is estimated that _____ of all species that have ever lived on this planet have gone extinct.

Accepted Answer

The current estimate is that more than 99% of all species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. The natural rate of extinction is one to five species per year which means that there have been several mass extinctions in Earth's history that drastically increased this rate.

Question 13

The most famous major extinction event that occurred on Earth was the _________, which resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Accepted Answer

The K-T boundary mass extinction, also known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, occurred approximately 66 million years ago and resulted in the extinction of approximately 75% of all plant and animal species on Earth, including the dinosaurs. The other options listed are also major extinction events, but they did not result in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Question 14

What are the main activities that humans are doing to greatly accelerate the rate of extinction above background levels?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the main activities that humans...

Question 15

The background rate of extinction describes ___________.

Accepted Answer

The background rate of extinction refers to the average rate of extinction that occurs between mass extinction events. It is the natural rate of extinction before human impact on the environment.

Question 16

In Earth's history there has(have) been ____ major extinction event(s) leading to the loss of 50% or more of the species present.

Accepted Answer

Scientists have identified five major extinction events in Earth's history, known as the "Big Five." These events include the Ordovician-Silurian extinction (440 million years ago), the Late Devonian extinction (365 million years ago), the Permian-Triassic extinction (252 million years ago), the Triassic-Jurassic extinction (201 million years ago), and the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction (66 million years ago). Each of these events led to the loss of over 50% of the species present at the time.

Question 17

Why is the sixth mass extinction event different from previous mass extinction events, and why is it so important?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is the sixth mass extinction event...

Question 18

A species is considered _______ to an area if it is not found anywhere else on Earth.

Accepted Answer

Endemic refers to a species that is unique to a particular geographic area and is not found naturally anywhere else in the world. Extinct refers to a species that no longer exists on Earth. Extirpated refers to a species that is locally extinct in a particular area but still exists elsewhere. Exiled and elected do not apply to the context and are not relevant.

Question 19

A genetic trait causes double muscling in cattle. Breeders mate together individuals with this trait to increase muscle mass in their herd. This is an example of ____________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of artificial selection, as humans are intentionally selecting specific individuals with a desirable trait to reproduce and improve the characteristics of the herd.

Question 20

Some people insist that human activity is not affecting extinction rates. Many people point out that in the history of Earth there have been several periods of mass extinction before humans were around. As a scientist, what could you do to change their views?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some people insist that human activity is...

Quiz 11: Evolution- a Tropical Murder Mystery: Finding the Missing Birds of Guam