Chapter 18: Conservation and Biodiversity

Question 1

____________________ is responsible for the greatest loss of tropical forests.

1. Urban sprawl
2. Mining
3. Acid rain
4. Ozone depletion
5. Agriculture

Answer 1

Agriculture

Question 2

A species’ chances of becoming extinct are increased when its geographic range is _____________, its local population size is _____________, and it habitat tolerance is _______________.

1. extensive; large; narrow
2. extensive; small; narrow
3. restricted; small; broad
4. extensive; small; broad
5. restricted; small; narrow

Answer 2

restricted; small; narrow

Question 3

When preserving areas to act as reservoirs for biodiversity, corridors are important because:

1. they decrease the rates of colonization.
2. they increase interactions at the edges of ecosystems, thus increasing species diversity.
3. they increase the rates of local extinctions.
4. they decrease the rates of local extinctions.
5. they increase gene flow between the areas they connect.

Answer 3

they increase gene flow between the areas they connect

Question 4

Though still important, which of the following is NOT one of the leading causes of extinction?

1. overexploitation
2. habitat degradation
3. introduced species
4. habitat fragmentation
5. greenhouse gas accumulation

Answer 4

greenhouse gas accumulation

Question 5

Based on what you know about preserving biodiversity, when might a conservation biologist want to introduce a species to an area?

1. When the natural population of that species has migrated due to seasonal changes.
2. When the natural population of that species has been destroyed by human behavior.
3. Conservation biologists never introduce species to an area.
4. When they want to harvest the species for food.
5. When they want to cultivate that species for tourism purposes.

Answer 5

When the natural population of that species has been destroyed by human behavior

Question 6

The background extinction rate has tended to:

1. have remained constant over the past 500 million years.
2. vary slightly over 10–40 million year periods but have generally increased over the past 500 million years.
3. have sharp peaks every 500 million years.
4. have decreased over the past 500 million years.
5. have increased over the past 500 million years.

Answer 6

have decreased over the past 500 million years

Question 7

The number of species on an island represents a balance between:

1. the rate of immigration to the island by new species and the distance of the island to the mainland.
2. the rate of immigration to the island by new species and the rate of extinction of species on the island.
3. the rate of immigration to the island by new species and the rate of emigration of species from the island.
4. the rate of emigration from the island by new species and the rate of extinction of species on the island.
5. the rate of speciation on the island and the rate of extinction of species on the island.

Answer 7

the rate of immigration to the island by new species and the rate of extinction of species on the island

Question 8

By fumigating several islands in the Florida Keys with methyl bromide, scientists demonstrated that:

1. insects are better colonizers than plants are.
2. the rate of immigration of new species and extinction of species on an island is a function of island size and distance from the mainland.
3. the number of species on an island is completely dependent on the area of the island.
4. colonization of an island by new species can no longer occur once the island is “full.”
5. species turnover rates are highest on small islands that are far from the mainland.

Answer 8

the rate of immigration of new species and extinction of species on an island is a function of island size and distance from the mainland

Question 9

Island biogeography predicts that extinction rates are highest:

1. on large islands that are far from the mainland.
2. on medium-sized islands that are far from the mainland.
3. on islands far from the mainland; size does not impact extinction rates.
4. on small islands that are close to the mainland.
5. on small islands; distance does not impact extinction rates.

Answer 9

on small islands; distance does not impact extinction rates

Question 10

An urban planner wants to build some new homes in a woodland area but wants to do so in a manner that is the least disruptive to its natural biodiversity levels. Which of the following choices is her best mode of action?

1. To situate the homes scattered throughout the forest so that the remaining woodlands are sectored off from one another.
2. To cut down all the forest at once because there is no way to maintain the biodiversity levels of the forest.
3. To build all the homes on one side of the forest, leaving the majority of the forest intact and grouped together.
4. To build the homes through the middle of the forest, cutting the forest into two equal parts.
5. All of the above will affect the biodiversity levels of the forest equally.

Answer 10

To build all the homes on one side of the forest, leaving the majority of the forest intact and grouped together

Question 11

When a hydrocarbon containing nitrogen combusts, its IMMEDIATE product is:

1. atmospheric nitrogen (N2).
2. nitric acid (HNO4).
3. nitric acid (HNO3).
4. nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
5. There are no hydrocarbons that contain nitrogen.

Answer 11

nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

Question 12

In conservation biology, the concept of area effect states that:

a. there is a direct correlation between the area of a habitat and the number of species present on that habitat.

b. the larger the island, the smaller the number of species that will be present on that island.

c. the smaller the habitat, the smaller the number of species found within that habitat.

d. Both a) and b) are correct.

e. Both a) and c) are correct.

Answer 12

Both a) and c) are correct

Question 13

Biodiversity hotspots are defined by which two criteria?

1. species richness and ecosystem integrity
2. the number of indigenous species and the degree of threat
3. species richness and size
4. ecological diversity and species diversity
5. the size and distance from the nearest alternative hotspot

Answer 13

the number of indigenous species and the degree of threat

Question 14

Conservation biology draws from all but which of the following disciplines?

1. physical sciences
2. economics
3. social sciences
4. biological sciences
5. All of the above are correct.

Answer 14

All of the above are correct

Question 15

Ozone depletion is a cause for concern because:

1. reduced levels of ozone can increase the rate of respiratory problems in humans, particularly children.
2. without the protection against solar radiation provided by ozone, rates of skin cancer are likely to increase.
3. without ozone, solar radiation can irradiate the Antarctic ice shelf, causing unsafe levels of radioactive isotopes.
4. without ozone, fossil fuels are more likely to react with water vapor in the atmosphere, increasing levels of precipitation throughout the world.
5. without ozone in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases can escape earth’s atmosphere, leading to global warming.

Answer 15

without the protection against solar radiation provided by ozone, rates of skin cancer are likely to increase

Question 16

Ozone is a molecule with the chemical formula:

1. HO2.
2. O4.
3. HO.
4. O2.
5. O3.

Answer 16

O3

Question 17

According to island biogeography theory, the highest numbers of species would be found on islands that:

1. have an intermediate amount of disturbance.
2. are small in size and far from continents.
3. are large in size and near to continents.
4. are large in size and far from continents.
5. are small in size and near to continents.

Answer 17

are large in size and near to continents

Question 18

These time-sequence photographs depict:

1. the spread of acid rain over the surface of the earth.
2. the spread of swine flu in 2009.
3. the spread of tropical deforestation over the surface of the earth.
4. the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer.
5. the increase of the greenhouse effect over the surface of the earth.
   Colored globe

Answer 18

the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer

Question 19

What bird, once the most abundant in North America, was hunted to extinction by means of shooting and trapping during the most of the 1800s?

1. passenger pigeon
2. American robin
3. Eurasian house sparrow
4. European starling
5. mourning dove

Answer 19

passenger pigeon

Question 20

In the United States, acid rain is most prevalent in:

1. the Northeast.
2. the Southwest.
3. the Northwest.
4. the Northeast and the Southwest.
5. the Southeast.

Answer 20

the Northeast