Envir Science 6

Which of the following is most likely to result from destruction of wetlands surrounding a river?

An increased frequency of flooding of the river valley

Which of the following identifies the two factors thought to be the most harmful to biodiversity?

Destruction of habitat and invasion by nonnative species

Which of the following would likely reduce the threats posed by exotic species to native species? I. Increasing inspections of goods coming into a country II. Mandating that bilgewater from vessels be emptied in ports instead of in the open ocean III. Enforcing legislation that restricts imported materials such as untreated wooden packing crates

I and III only

The data in the graph reflect threats identified in species recovery plans. Local legislation was passed to protect animal species prone to extinction. The legislation included criminalizing poaching, setting limits on number of fish people can catch, and protecting habitats. Which of the following threats shown in the graph will most likely decrease the most as a result of the legislation?

Overharvesting

In general, which of the following is the best long-term method of preventing extinctions?

Protecting the habitats of endangered species

Which of the following hypotheses is best supported by the trends shown in this graph?

The number of acres burned and the number of wildfires have decreased since 1930 because of more large-scale fire suppression interventions such as prescribed burns.

Brown marmorated stink bugs are native to China and Japan. They were identified in Pennsylvania for the first time in 1998 and have since spread across North America, feeding on agricultural crops. Which of the following characteristics of the brown marmorated stink bug has led to them being an invasive species in North America?

They are tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions.

Why do introduced species often become pests?

They displace native species.

Which of the following best describes a supporting ecological service provided by wetlands?

Wetlands provide a habitat for a wide variety of organisms.

Two branches of a river have different sediment loads. Based on the diagram, which of the following most likely led to the differences in the amount of sediment in the two branches of the river?

Deforestation from clear-cutting

Reasons that the population size of an exotic species often grows rapidly when the species is introduced in a new environment include which of the following? I. The exotic species is resistant to pesticides. II. There is a large, underutilized food source in the new environment. III. The exotic species has few natural predators in the new environment.

II and III only

Directions: The following questions(s) refer to the graph below of bird and mammal extinctions over thee centuries Which of the following is the most likely reason that the greatest number of extinctions of bird species occurred in the period 1901-2000?

Increased environmental disturbances from human activities altered bird habitats.

The data in the graph reflect threats identified in species recovery plans. Based on the data in the graph, altering human activity in which of the following areas will most benefit plant species?

Introduction of invasive species

Industrial logging threatens many forested ecosystems. Which of the following environmental consequences will most likely result from clear-cutting deciduous forests for logging?

More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere and increase anthropogenic climate change.

A beach community was recently negatively affected by a hurricane. Community leaders are looking for a potential solution to prevent damage from future hurricanes. Below is a list of their concerns as well as how important each issue is to the community. Which of the following solutions would best address the issues of greatest concern in the community?

Planting mangrove forests

Which of the following practices would best help to protect against inland and coastal flooding in urban areas?

Preserving wetland and coastal mangrove habitats

Which of the following would be the best way to mitigate deforestation?

Replant and protect trees in areas that have been previously cleared. Replant and protect trees in areas that have been previously cleared.

Coal was surface mined from five sites, labeled 1 through 5, that had originally been covered by forest. Each site was planted with a mix of tree seedlings to reclaim the area to forest. Grass was also seeded over each site to prevent initial erosion and to provide forage. Ten years after planting, information was collected at the five sites and is given in the table below. Select the letter of the row that indicates the site with the most successful forest reclamation.

Row E

Which of the following would most likely have the greatest positive impact on the quality of the natural environment worldwide?

Stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population Stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population

The factor that likely poses the greatest threat of extinction of species worldwide is

increasing loss of habitat

Many organisms, such as honeybees and livestock, have been domesticated for economic reasons. Which of the following best describes an unintended consequence of this practice?

As humans tamed wild organisms to amplify desired traits, genetic diversity decreased in the organisms' populations. As humans tamed wild organisms to amplify desired traits, genetic diversity decreased in the organisms' populations.

Fragmentation of tropical forests due to human activities is leading to a significant loss of biodiversity in this area.

B

Which of the following is a commercially used method for harvesting trees and is most likely to lead to a fragmented landscape with serious impacts on biodiversity?

Clear-cutting

Characteristics that tend to increase the risk of a species becoming endangered include which of the following? I. Having a very limited distribution II. Being a specialist at the end of a long food chain III. Having a small population size

I, II, and III

Fragmenting one large park or preserve into many small parks with human habitation in between them is most likely to lead to which of the following?

Reduction in species diversity

Of the following, the greatest threat to populations of migratory North American songbirds is

clearing of tropical forests

Sustainable use of forests in the United States would likely be encouraged by

cutting small groups of medium- and large- sized trees in uneven-aged forests

Directions: The following questions(s) refer to the graph below of bird and mammal extinctions over thee centuries Approximately how many more mammal species become extinct in the period 1901-2000 than became extinct in the period 1801-1900?

90

Road construction, logging, and mining are banned in which of the following federal lands?

National wilderness preservation areas

Red pine trees are currently found growing in only the cool northernmost areas of the central and eastern United States. Climate change is expected to have an impact on the distribution of the species. Which of the following describes the most likely change to the distribution of red pine over the next 200 years?

Red pine distribution will shift northward into Canada.

Which of the following best achieves the goal of providing wood products for humans while preserving biodiversity?

Selective cutting of large areas of old-growth forest

Silver carp were introduced in the southeastern United States in the 1970s from their native habitat of China to control algal blooms that were occurring at aquaculture facilities and sewage lagoons. Silver carp escaped from captivity shortly after their introduction and are currently found as far north as North Dakota and Minnesota. Which of the following describes an unintended, negative consequence of the introduction of silver carp into the United States?

Silver carp became an invasive species in the United States because their numbers were not being controlled by natural predators.