Chapter 7: Biodiversity and Conservation

Question 1

What is the correct hierarchy of taxonomic groups, from largest to smallest?

A.	family, genus, species, subspecies
B.	genus, family, subspecies, species
C.	family, genus, subspecies, species
D.	genus, family, species, subspecies

Answer 1

A. family, genus, species, subspecies

Question 2

Tigers living in warm climates have thinner coats of fur than tigers living in cool climates. This is a result of
A. genetic diversity.
B. species diversity.
C. ecosystem diversity.
D. general diversity.

Answer 2

A. genetic diversity.

Question 3

The easiest component of biodiversity to measure is

A.	ecosystem diversity.
B.	species diversity.
C.	genetic diversity.
D.	ecosystem health.

Answer 3

B. species diversity.

Question 4

Which is the most direct way in which biodiversity can provide a source of income?

A.	medicines
B.	ecotourism
C.	research
D.	agriculture

Answer 4

B. ecotourism

Question 5

If current trends continue, the modern geologic era, known as the Quaternary period, may see the extinction of

A.	almost 20 percent of all species.
B.	more than half of all species.
C.	all species on Earth.
D.	one or two species per century.

Answer 5

B. more than half of all species.

Question 6

The Sikhote-Alin Mountains, and the Siberian tigers living on them, are separated from other mountain regions in which the tigers could live. The mountains are an example of a(n)

A.	mass extirpation.
B.	invasive species.
C.	mass extinction.
D.	habitat fragment.

Answer 6

D. habitat fragment.

Question 7

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity are examples of

A.	organizations that promote poaching.
B.	polls measuring American opinion about biodiversity.
C.	treaties to protect biodiversity.
D.	laws to increase the number of species.

Answer 7

C. treaties to protect biodiversity.

Question 8

To manage, protect, and reintroduce threatened and endangered species are the goals of

A.	wildlife corridors.
B.	conservation concessions.
C.	Species Survival Plans.
D.	biodiversity hotspots.

Answer 8

C. Species Survival Plans.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of a method for managing whole ecosystems and habitats?

A.	captive breeding
B.	cloning
C.	Species Survival Plans (SSPs)
D.	mapping biodiversity hotspots

Answer 9

D. mapping biodiversity hotspots

Question 10

Relieving a nation from repaying some of the money it owes other nations in exchange for protecting its biodiversity is called a

A.	debt-for-nature swap.
B.	conservation concession.
C.	Species Survival Plan.
D.	wildlife corridor.

Answer 10

A. debt-for-nature swap.

Question 11

Taxonomists are the scientists who classify species.

True
False

Answer 11

True

Question 12

Species richness generally increases toward the poles.

True
False

Answer 12

False

Question 13

An ecosystem is considered stable if it is both resistant and resilient.

True
False

Answer 13

True

Question 14

At the international level, the United Nations has facilitated several treaties to promote biodiversity.

True
False

Answer 14

True

Question 15

Most scientists agree that cloning provides much help to prevent biodiversity loss.

True
False

Answer 15

False

Question 16

A region that includes tigers, eagles, lizards, fish, rabbits, and many other types of organisms would be described as having a high level of

A.	taxonomic diversity.
B.	genetic diversity.
C.	ecosystem diversity.
D.	species diversity.

Answer 16

D. species diversity.

Question 17

Which is the highest level of biodiversity?

A.	general diversity
B.	ecosystem diversity
C.	species diversity
D.	genetic diversity

Answer 17

B. ecosystem diversity

Question 18

The latitudinal gradient is a natural pattern in which species diversity generally

A.	increases toward the equator.
B.	decreases toward the prime meridian.
C.	decreases in warmer climates.
D.	increases toward the poles.

Answer 18

A. increases toward the equator.

Question 19

Which type of organism dwarfs all others in terms of species diversity?

A.	plants
B.	mammals
C.	insects
D.	protists

Answer 19

C. insects

Question 20

High levels of biodiversity tend to

A.	have little or no effect on ecosystems.
B.	decrease an ecosystem's resistance.
C.	make an ecosystem less resilient.
D.	increase the stability of an ecosystem.

Answer 20

D. increase the stability of an ecosystem.

Question 21

Which product is often derived from the natural environment?

A.	cooking oil
B.	medicines
C.	fuel
D.	all of the above

Answer 21

D. all of the above

Question 22

The disappearance of a particular population from a given area, but not of the entire species globally, is called

A.	extirpation.
B.	extinction.
C.	poaching.
D.	fragmentation.

Answer 22

A. extirpation.

Question 23

A species that is at serious risk of extinction is called a(n)

A.	threatened species.
B.	invasive species.
C.	endangered species.
D.	extirpated species.

Answer 23

C. endangered species.

Question 24

By far, the biggest cause of biodiversity loss today is

A.	climate change.
B.	over harvesting.
C.	habitat change and fragmentation.
D.	pollution.

Answer 24

C. habitat change and fragmentation.

Question 25

What global phenomenon has caused some organisms to move toward the poles or to higher altitudes?

A.	habitat fragmentation
B.	pollution
C.	invasive species
D.	warming temperatures

Answer 25

D. warming temperatures

Question 26

In the United States, what is the major law that protects biodiversity?

A.	Convention on Biological Diversity
B.	Endangered Species Act
C.	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
D.	Species Survival Plan

Answer 26

B. Endangered Species Act

Question 27

A treaty is a(n)

A.	state law to protect wildlife.
B.	agreement under international law.
C.	trade-off with landowners.
D.	biodiversity program run by zoos.

Answer 27

B. agreement under international law.

Question 28

One way that zoos and aquariums help increase wildlife populations is through

A.	captive breeding programs.
B.	international biodiversity treaties.
C.	conservation concessions.
D.	wildlife corridors.

Answer 28

A. captive breeding programs.

Question 29

Which of the following represents single-species approaches to protecting biodiversity?

A.	building wildlife corridors
B.	selling conservation concessions
C.	captive breeding and cloning
D.	mapping biodiversity hotspots

Answer 29

C. captive breeding and cloning

Question 30

There is a plan to establish an 8000-kilometer-long strip of land across eight southeast Asian countries to rejoin fragments of tiger habitat. This is an example of a

A.	wildlife corridor.
B.	worldwide biodiversity treaty.
C.	captive breeding program.
D.	conservation concession.

Answer 30

A. wildlife corridor.

Question 31

Populations with more genetic diversity are less able to cope with environmental change.

True
False

Answer 31

False

Question 32

Species are evenly distributed among taxonomic groups.

True
False

Answer 32

False

Question 33

In recent decades, extinction rates have been significantly lower than normal.

True
False

Answer 33

False

Question 34

Due in part to the Endangered Species Act, roughly 40 percent of once-declining populations in the United States are now stable.

True
False

Answer 34

True

Question 35

Clone breeding is the process of breeding and raising organisms in controlled conditions.

True
False

Answer 35

False