Ecosystems And Conservation

Question 1

The translocation of a species to a favourable habitat beyond its native range for the purpose of protecting the species from human-caused threats.

Answer 1

assisted migration

Question 2

A relatively small area with numerous endemic species and a large number of endangered and threatened species.

Answer 2

biodiversity hot spot

Question 3

Any of the various chemical cycles, which involve both biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems.

Answer 3

biogeochemical cycle

Question 4

An approach to restoration ecology that uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem.

Answer 4

biological augmentation

Question 5

A process in which retained substances become more concentrated at each higher trophic level in a food chain.

Answer 5

biological magnification

Question 6

The integrated study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics to sustain biological diversity at all levels.

Answer 6

conservation biology

Question 7

The amount of added nutrient, usually nitrogen or phosphorus, that can be absorbed by plants without damaging ecosystem integrity.

Answer 7

critical load

Question 8

A species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Answer 8

endangered species

Question 9

An estimate of the size of a population based on the numbers of females and males that successfully breed; generally smaller than the total population.

Answer 9

effective population size

Question 10

A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.

Answer 10

eutrophication

Question 11

A downward population spiral in which inbreeding and genetic drift combine to cause a small population to shrink and, unless the spiral is reversed, become extinct.

Answer 11

extinction vortex

Question 12

The principle of conservation of energy: Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

Answer 12

first law of thermodynamics

Question 13

The warming of Earth due to the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide and certain other gases, which absorb reflected infrared radiation and reradiate some of it back toward Earth.

Answer 13

greenhouse effect

Question 14

The total primary production of an ecosystem.

Answer 14

gross primary production (GPP)

Question 15

A physical law stating that matter can change form but cannot be created or destroyed. In a closed system, the mass of the system is constant.

Answer 15

law of conservation of mass

Question 16

The smallest population size at which a species is able to sustain its numbers and survive.

Answer 16

minimum viable population (MVP)

Question 17

The gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by all autotrophs and heterotrophs for respiration.

Answer 17

net ecosystem production (NEP)

Question 18

The gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by the producers for respiration.

Answer 18

net primary production (NPP)

Question 19

An herbivore; an organism that eats plants or other autotrophs.

Answer 19

primary consumer

Question 20

An autotroph, usually a photosynthetic organism. Collectively, autotrophs make up the trophic level of an ecosystem that ultimately supports all other levels.

Answer 20

primary producer

Question 21

The amount of light energy converted to chemical energy (organic compounds) by the autotrophs in an ecosystem during a given time period.

Answer 21

primary production

Question 22

The percentage of energy stored in assimilated food that is not used for respiration or eliminated as waste.

Answer 22

production efficiency

Question 23

The principle stating that every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe. Usable forms of energy are at least partly converted to heat.

Answer 23

second law of thermodynamics

Question 24

A carnivore that eats herbivores.

Answer 24

secondary consumer

Question 25

The amount of chemical energy in consumers’ food that is converted to their own new biomass during a given time period.

Answer 25

secondary production

Question 26

Development that meets the needs of people today without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Answer 26

sustainable development

Question 27

A carnivore that eats other carnivores.

Answer 27

tertiary consumer

Question 28

A species that is considered likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.

Answer 28

threatened species

Question 29

The percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next.

Answer 29

trophic efficiency

Question 30

The time required to replace the standing crop of a population or group of populations (for example, of phytoplankton), calculated as the ratio of standing crop to production.

Answer 30

turnover time

Question 31

Concept 16.1 Physical laws govern ___(a)___ flow and ___(b)___ cycling in ecosystems.

Answer 31

(a)energy
(b) chemical

Question 32

Concept 16.2 Energy and other limiting ___(a)___ control ___(b)___ production in ecosystems.

Answer 32

(a) factors
(b) primary

Question 33

Concept 16.3 Energy transfer between ___(a)___ levels is typically only ___(b)___ efficient.

Answer 33

(a) trophic
(b) 10 %

Question 34

Concept 16.4 Biological and geochemical processes cycle ___(a)___ and ___(b)___ in ecosystems.

Answer 34

(a) nutrients
(b) water

Question 35

Concept 16.5 ___(a)___ ecologists help return degraded ___(b)___ to a more natural state.

Answer 35

(a) Restoration
(b) ecosystem

Question 36

Concept 14.6 The human population is no longer growing ___(a)___ but is still growing ___(b)___.

Answer 36

(a) exponentially
(b) rapidly

Question 37

Concept 17.1 Human ___(a)___ threaten Earth’s ___(b)___.

Answer 37

(a) activities
(b) biodiversity

Question 38

Concept 17.2 Population conservation focuses on population size, ___(a)___ and ___(b)___.

Answer 38

(a) genetic diversity
(b) critical habitat

Question 39

Concept 17.3 ___(a)___ and ___(b)___ conservation help sustain biodiversity.

Answer 39

(a) Landscape
(b) regional

Question 40

Concept 17.4 Earth is ___(a)___ rapidly as a result of human ___(b)___.

Answer 40

(a) changing
(b) actions

Question 41

Concept 17.5 Sustainable ___(a)___ can improve human lives while ___(b)___ biodiversity.

Answer 41

(a) development
(b) conserving

Question 42

How are matter and energy used in ecosystems?
A. Matter is cycled through ecosystems; energy is not.
B. Energy is cycled through ecosystems; matter is not.
C. Energy can be converted into matter; matter cannot be converted into energy.
D. Matter can be converted into energy; energy cannot be converted into matter. E. Matter is used in ecosystems; energy is not.

Answer 42

A.

Question 43

A cow’s herbivorous diet indicates that it is a(n) A. primary consumer.
B. secondary consumer.
C. decomposer.
D. autotroph.
E. producer.

Answer 43

A.

Question 44

To recycle nutrients, the minimum an ecosystem must have is
A. producers.
B. producers and decomposers.
C. producers, primary consumers, and decomposers.
D. producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers.
E. producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, top carnivores, and
decomposers.

Answer 44

B.

Question 45

Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem?
A. All of the brook trout in a 500 hectare2 river drainage system.
B. The plants, animals, and decomposers that inhabit an alpine meadow.
C. A pond and all of the plant and animal species that live in it.
D. The intricate interactions of the various plant and animal species on a savannah
during a drought.
E. Interactions between all of the organisms and their physical environment in a
tropical rain forest.

Answer 45

E.

Question 46

Which of the following is true of detrivores?
A. They recycle chemical elements directly back to primary consumers.
B. They synthesize organic molecules that are used by primary producers.
C. They convert organic materials from all trophic levels to inorganic compounds
usable by primary producers.
D. They secrete enzymes that convert the organic molecules of detritus into CO2
and H2O.
E. Some species are autotrophic, while others are heterotrophic.

Answer 46

C.

Question 47

Subtraction of which of the following will convert gross primary productivity into net primary productivity?
A. the energy contained in the standing crop.
B. the energy used by heterotrophs in respiration.
C. the energy used by autotrophs in respiration.
D. the energy fixed by photosynthesis.
E. all solar energy.

Answer 47

C.

Question 48

Which of the following ecosystems would likely have a larger net primary productivity/hectare?
A. open ocean because of the total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs.
B. grassland because of the small standing crop biomass that results from
consumption by herbivores and rapid decomposition.
C. tropical rainforest because of the massive standing crop biomass and species diversity.
D. cave due to the lack of photosynthetic autotrophs.
E. tundra because of the incredibly rapid period of growth during the summer
season.

Answer 48

B.

Question 49

The difference between net and gross primary productivity would likely be greatest for
A. phytoplankton in the ocean.
B. corn plants in a farmer’s field.
C. prairie grasses.
D. an oak tree in a forest.
E. sphagnum moss in a bog.

Answer 49

D.

Question 50

The total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs present in an ecosystem is known as
A. gross primary productivity.
B. standing crop.
C. net primary productivity.
D. secondary productivity.
E. trophic efficiency.

Answer 50

B.

Question 51

How is it that satellites can detect differences in primary productivity on Earth?
A. Photosynthesizers absorb more visible light in the 350-750 wavelengths.
B. Satellite instruments can detect reflectance patterns of the photosynthesizers of
different ecosystems.
C. Sensitive satellite instruments can measure the amount of NADPH produced in
the summative light reactions of different ecosystems.
D. By comparing the wavelengths of light captured and reflected by
photosynthesizers to the amount of light reaching different ecosystems.
E. By measuring the amount of water vapour emitted by transpiring
photosynthesizers.

Answer 51

D.

Question 52

Trophic efficiency is
A. the ratio of net secondary production to assimilation of primary production.
B. the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next.
C. a measure of how nutrients are cycled from one trophic level to the next.
D. usually greater than production efficiencies.
E. about 90% in most ecosystems.

Answer 52

B.

Question 53

Which statement best describes what ultimately happens to the chemical energy that is not converted to new biomass in the process of energy transfer between trophic levels in an ecosystem?

A. It is undigested and winds up in the faeces and is not passed on to higher trophic levels.
B. It is used by organisms to maintain their life processes through cellular respiration reactions.
C. Heat produced by cellular respiration is used by heterotrophs to thermoregulate.
D. It is dissipated into space as heat in accordance with the second law of
thermodynamics.
E. It is recycled by decomposers to a form that is once again usable by primary
producers.

Answer 53

D.

Question 54

If you wanted to convert excess grain into the greatest amount of animal biomass, to which animal would you feed the grain?
A. chickens.
B. mice.
C. cattle.
D. carp (a type of fish).
E. mealworms (larval insects).

Answer 54

E.

Question 55

In terms of nutrient cycling, why does timber harvesting in a temperate forest cause less ecological devastation than timber harvesting in tropical rain forests?
A. Trees are generally smaller in temperate forests, so fewer nutrients will be removed from the temperate forest ecosystem during a harvest.
B. Temperate forest tree species require fewer nutrients to survive than their tropical counterpart species, so a harvest removes fewer nutrients from the temperate ecosystem.
C. The warmer temperatures in the tropics influence rain forest species to assimilate nutrients more slowly, so tropical reforestation is much slower than temperate reforestation.
D. There are far fewer decomposers in tropical rain forests so turning organic matter into usable nutrients is a slower process than in temperate forest ecosystems.
E. Typical harvests remove up to 75% of the nutrients in the woody trunks of tropical rain forest trees, leaving nutrient-impoverished soils behind.

Answer 55

E.

Question 56

Which of the following describes carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour re- reflecting infrared radiation back toward Earth?
A. depletion of atmospheric ozone.B. turnover.
C. biological magnification.
D. greenhouse effect.
E. eutrophication.

Answer 56

D.

Question 57

For most terrestrial ecosystems, pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy are essentially the same-they have a broad base and a narrow top. The primary reason for this pattern is that
A. secondary consumers and top carnivores require less energy than producers.
B. at each step, energy is lost from the system as a result of keeping the organisms
alive.
C. as matter passes through ecosystems, some of it is lost to the environment.
D. biomagnification of toxic materials limits the secondary consumers and top
carnivores.
E. top carnivores and secondary consumers have a more general diet than primary
producers.

Answer 57

B.

Question 58

How does phosphorus normally enter ecosystems?
A. cellular respiration.
B. photosynthesis.
C. rock weathering.
D. geological uplifting (subduction and vulcanism).
E. atmospheric phosphorous dust.

Answer 58

C.

Question 59

Which of the following is caused by excessive nutrient runoff into lakes?
A. depletion of atmospheric ozone.
B. turnover.
C. biological magnification.
D. greenhouse effect.
E. eutrophication.

Answer 59

E.

Question 60

Which of the following causes excessively high levels of toxic chemicals in fish-eating birds?
A. depletion of atmospheric ozone.
B. turnover.
C. biological magnification.
D. greenhouse effect.
E. eutrophication.

Answer 60

C.

Question 61

Agricultural lands frequently require nutritional supplementation because
A. nitrogen-fixing bacteria and detrivores do not cycle nutrients as effectively as
they do on wild lands.
B. the nutrients that enter the plants are not returned to the soil on lands where they
are harvested.
C. the prairies that comprise good agricultural land tend to be nutrient-poor.
D. grains raised for feed must be fortified, and thus require additional nutrients.
E. cultivation of agricultural lands inhibits the decomposition of organic matter.

Answer 61

B.

Question 62

The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is a good example of a(n)
A. predator that has negatively affected biodiversity in ecosystems where it has
been introduced.
B. endangered endemic species.
C. recently created protein source for the highly populated regions of Africa. D. threatened anadromous species in the Nile River watershed.
E. primary consumer and a secondary consumer.

Answer 62

A.

Question 63

Estimates of current rates of extinction
A. indicate that we have reached a state of stable equilibrium in which speciation
and extinction rates are approximately equal.
B. suggest that one-half of all animal and plant species may be gone by the year
2100.
C. indicate that rates may be greater than the mass extinctions at the close of the
Cretaceous period.
D. indicate that only 1% of all of the species that have ever lived on Earth are still
alive.
E. suggest that rates of extinction have decreased globally.

Answer 63

C.

Question 64

What is the term for a top predator that contributes to the maintenance of species diversity among its animal prey?
A. keystone species.
B. keystone mutualist.
C. landscape species.
D. primary consumer.
E. tertiary consumer.

Answer 64

A.

Question 65

What term did E.O. Wilson coin for our innate appreciation of wild environments and living organisms?
A. bioremediation.
B. bioethics.
C. biophilia.
D. biophobia.
E. landscape ecology.

Answer 65

C.

Question 66

Suppose you attend a town meeting at which some experts tell the audience that they have performed a cost-benefit analysis of a proposed transit system that would probably reduce overall air pollution and fossil fuel consumption. The analysis, however, reveals that ticket prices will not cover the cost of operating the system when fuel, wages, and equipment are taken into account. As a biologist, you know that if ecosystem services had been included in the analysis the experts might have arrived at a different answer. Why are ecosystem services rarely included in economic analyses?
A. Their cost is difficult to estimate and people take them for granted.
B. They are not worth much and are usually not considered.
C. There are no laws that require investigation of ecosystem services in
environmental planning.
D. There are many variables to ecosystem services making their calculation is
impossible.
E. Ecosystem services only take into account abiotic factors that affect local
environments.

Answer 66

A.

Question 67

According to most conservation biologists, the single greatest threat to global biodiversity is
A. chemical pollution of water and air.
B. stratospheric ozone depletion.
C. insufficient recycling programs for non-renewable resources.
D. alteration or destruction of the physical habitat.
E. global climate change resulting from a variety of human activities.

Answer 67

D.

Question 68

How is habitat fragmentation related to biodiversity loss?
A. Less carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants in fragmented habitats.
B. In fragmented habitats, more soil erosion takes place.
C. Populations of organisms in fragments are smaller and, thus, more susceptible to
extinction.
D. Animals are forced out of smaller habitat fragments.
E. Fragments generate silt that negatively affect sensitive river and stream
organisms.

Answer 68

C.

Question 69

Which of the following poses the greatest potential threat to biodiversity?
A. replanting after a clear cut, a monoculture of Douglas fir trees on land that
consisted of old growth Douglas fir, western cedar, and western hemlock.
B. allowing previously used farmland go fallow and begin to fill in with weeds and then shrubs and saplings.
C. trapping and relocating large predators, such as mountain lions, that pose a threat
as they move into areas of relatively dense human populations.
D. importing an Asian insect into the United States to control a weed that competes
with staple crops.
E. releasing sterilized rainbow trout to boost the sport fishing of a river system that
contains native brook trout.

Answer 69

D.

Question 70

Introduced species can have deleterious effects on biological communities by
A. preying on native species.
B. competing with native species for food or light.
C. displacing native species.
D. competing with native species for space or breeding/nesting habitat.
E. A, B, C, and D all are correct.

Answer 70

E.

Question 71

Overexploitation encourages extinction and is most likely to affect
A. animals that occupy a broad ecological niche.
B. large animals with low intrinsic reproductive rates.
C. most organisms that live in the oceans.
D. terrestrial organisms more than aquatic organisms.
E. edge-adapted species.

Answer 71

B.

Question 72

The greatest cause of the biodiversity crisis that includes all of the others is
A. pollution.
B. global warming.
C. habitat destruction.
D. introduced species.
E. overpopulation of humans.

Answer 72

E.

Question 73

Of the following, which ecosystem types are the ones that have been impacted by humans the most?
A. wetland and riparian.
B. open and benthic ocean.
C. desert and high alpine.
D. taiga and second growth forests.
E. tundra and arctic.

Answer 73

A.

Question 74

One chief area of concern among biologists who use small-population approach is
A. intraspecific competition.
B. sexual selection.
C. genetic diversity.
D. runaway selection.
E. both A and D.

Answer 74

C.

Question 75

If we say a species is endemic to a certain area, we mean that
A. it is found only in one particular area of the world.
B. it has been introduced to that area.
C. it is endangered in that area.
D. it is threatened in that area.
E. it used to live there but no longer does.

Answer 75

A.

Question 76

Which of the following would be research in which a conservation biologist would be involved?
A. re-establishing whooping cranes in their former breeding grounds in North Dakota.
B. studying species diversity and interaction in the Florida Everglades, past and present.
C. population ecology of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park.
D. the effects of hunting on white-tailed deer in Vermont.
E. the effect of protection programs on the recovery of the North Atlantic cod
fishery.

Answer 76

A.

Question 77

The term ʺbiotic boundaryʺ refers to the
A. area that an animal defends as its territory.
B. area needed to sustain a population.
C. home range of an animal.
D. distribution of an organism.
E. range where a species used to live, but no longer does.

Answer 77

B.

Question 78

Which of the following is a method of predicting the likelihood that a species will persist in a particular environment?
A. source-sink analysis.
B. population viability analysis.
C. minimum viable population size.
D. extinction vortex.
E. effective population size.

Answer 78

B.

Question 79

Which of the following statements is correct about landscape ecology?
A. It is the application of ecological principles to the design and construction of sustainable lawns and gardens.
B. It is the application of ecological principles to land-use planning.
C. It focuses primarily on human-altered ecological systems.
D. It deals primarily with ecosystems in urban settings.
E. It deals with the study of the home ranges of various animals.

Answer 79

B.

Question 80

Which of the following is true about ʺhot spotsʺ?
A. 1/3 of all species on Earth occupy less than 1.5% of the earth’s land area.
B. All of the plants and animals containing genes that may be useful to humankind
are located in the Earth’s hot spots.
C. 75% of all of the undiscovered species of organisms live in ecological hot spots.
D. As conservation measures improve over the next ten years, hot spots will likely
disappear.
E. The hot spots that are in direst need of remediation are located in the tundra.

Answer 80

A.

Question 81

After a disturbance, natural recovery of a biological community is most strongly influenced by
A. whether the disturbance has been caused by humans or by a natural agent.
B. the spatial scale of the disturbance.
C. whether the site is in a temperate or tropical area.
D. the availability of water nearby.
E. the season in which the disturbance occurred.

Answer 81

B.