Chapter 16.1

Question 1

a law passed in 1973 to protect and encourage the population growth of threatened and endangered species.

Answer 1

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Question 2

defined as the complete loss of a species or subspecies, and threatened organisms are at high risk of becoming endangered.

Answer 2

extinction

Question 3

the entire variety of living organisms

Answer 3

biodiversity

Question 4

How many mass extinctions have there been?

Answer 4

5

Question 5

species losses that are global in scale, affect large numbers of species, and are dramatic in impact.

Answer 5

mass extinctions

Question 6

the rate at which species are lost through the normal evolutionary process

Answer 6

background extinction rate

Question 7

The place where they obtain their food, water, shelter, and space.

Answer 7

habitat

Question 8

The relationship between the size of a natural area and the number of species that it can support follows a general pattern called a

Answer 8

species-area curve

Question 9

occurs when pairs or groups of species adapt to each other via natural selection

Answer 9

coevolution

Question 10

when the rate of human use of a species outpaces its reproduction, the species experiences what?

Answer 10

overexploitation

Question 11

The release of poisons, excess nutrients, and other wastes into the environment is known as

Answer 11

pollution

Question 12

Oxygen-depleting eutrophication results in large fish kills.

Answer 12

true

Question 13

Eutrophication threatens animals in hundreds of waterways all over the United States.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

Earth appears to be on the brink of a sixth mass extinction of biodiversity– and the massive global change responsible is _____ ______.

Answer 14

human activity

Question 15

A _____ _______ typically runs from the sun to producers.

Answer 15

food chain

Question 16

Photosynthetic organisms

Answer 16

producers

Question 17

primary consumers feed on ________.

Answer 17

producers

Question 18

predators that feed on primary consumers ______ .

Answer 18

secondary consumers

Question 19

trophic level is a level of the food chain.

Answer 19

true

Question 20

The flow of energy along a food chain leads to the principle of the ______ _________.

Answer 20

Trophic Pyramid

Question 21

total weight

Answer 21

biomass

Question 22

Habitat destruction and ___________ cause the lower levels of the pyramid to shrink, depriving the top predators of adequate calories for survival.

Answer 22

fragmentation