Chapter 8

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

variety of life across levels of biological organization (genes through ecosystems)

Question 2

Species

Answer 2

set of organisms with unique characteristics that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Question 3

Species diversity

Answer 3

number and variety of a species in a region

Question 4

Species richness

Answer 4

number of species

Question 5

Evenness/relationship abundance

Answer 5

how much species differ from each other in numbers of individuals

Question 6

Genetic diversity

Answer 6

differences in DNA composition among individuals (less susceptible to inbreeding depression/environmental to change)

Question 7

Ecosystem diversity

Answer 7

number and variety of ecosystems/communities/habitats

Question 8

What is the most diverse group of organisms?

Answer 8

insects

Question 9

How many species of plants, animals, and microorganisms have been identified?

Answer 9

1.8 million (estimates for total 3-100 million)

Question 10

Resilience

Answer 10

ability of an ecosystem to withstand disturbance/recover from stress/adapt to change, increased with biodiversity

Question 11

Keystone species

Answer 11

top predator, which, if lost, will cause consequences for the whole food chain

Question 12

Ecosystem engineer

Answer 12

species that alters the environment, which changes the structure of the ecosystem if lost

Question 13

Biophilia

Answer 13

instinctive love of human beings for nature and other living things, as proposed by Edward O. Norton

Question 14

Winners and losers

Answer 14

survivors (usually generalists, small and fast-reproducing) and those not so lucky (usually specialists) due to alteration of an ecosystem

Question 15

Living Planet Index

Answer 15

average population size of a species as compared with in 1970 (developed by the United Nations Environment Programme/UNEP)

Question 16

How much did the Living Planet Index fall from 1970 to 2012?

Answer 16

58%

Question 17

Extinction

Answer 17

last member of a species dies and the entire species ceases to exist

Question 18

Extirpation

Answer 18

loss of a species from one area (like black rhino from most of its historic range)

Question 19

Background extinction rate

Answer 19

pace at which organisms go extinct on their own (not directly due to humans)

Question 20

Mass extinction events

Answer 20

events that eliminate at least half of the species on Earth and one-fifth of life’s families

Question 21

How many times greater is the current extinction rate than the background extinction rate?

Answer 21

100-1000 times

Question 22

Red List

Answer 22

list of all species at high risk of extinction (maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature)

Question 23

What is the greatest threat to biodiversity?

Answer 23

habitat loss

Question 24

Habitat fragmentation

Answer 24

gradual degradation of habitats, making them smaller and preventing the movement of organisms between them

Question 25

Poaching

Answer 25

illegal killing of wildlife for meat or body parts, leading to steep population declines

Question 26

Conservation biology

Answer 26

study that seeks to understand loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity

Question 27

Minimum viable population size

Answer 27

how small a population can become/how much genetic variation it can lose before interbreeding depression

Question 28

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Answer 28

1973 act forbidding the U.S. government and citizens from taking actions that destroy endangered or threatened species

Question 29

Endangered

Answer 29

in danger of soon becoming extinct

Question 30

Threatened

Answer 30

likely to become endangered soon

Question 31

How many species were endangered and threatened in 2016?

Answer 31

1229 endangered, 367 threatened

Question 32

Shoot, shovel, and shut up

Answer 32

practice of concealing the presence of endangered species on private land

Question 33

Habitat conservation plans

Answer 33

allow landowners to harm some individuals of a species if the overall habitat is improved

Question 34

Safe harbor agreement

Answer 34

promise that the government will not pursue additional action if landowners act to assist species recovery

Question 35

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Answer 35

1973 convention banning international transport of body parts of rare species

Question 36

Convention on Biological Diversity

Answer 36

treaty providing funding and incentives for conservation in developing countries

Question 37

Captive breeding

Answer 37

endangered individuals are bred and raised with the intention of reintroducing their progeny to the wild (often in zoos in botanical gardens)

Question 38

How many plant and animal activities exist only in captivity?

Answer 38

65

Question 39

Umbrella species

Answer 39

protection helps protect many other species

Question 40

Flagship species

Answer 40

large charismatic vertebrates used by environmental organizations to promote conservation

Question 41

Biodiversity hotspots

Answer 41

regions that support many species not found anywhere else (at least 1500 endemic plant species and having already lost 70% of habitat area)

Question 42

Community-based conservation

Answer 42

gives local people authority over wildlife management to preserve biodiversity without displacing people