Chapter 11: Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

The greatest threat to global biodiversity is __________.

Human alteration and destruction of habitats

Why are many species in the United States not listed under the Endangered Species Act, even if they qualify as endangered or threatened?

Politicians do not supply the funding for listing or recovery of the species.

K-selected species

Possess relatively stable populations and tend to produce relatively low numbers of offspring

Genetic diversity provides what for adaptation?

Provides the raw material for adaptation to local conditions.

In captive breeding programs, organisms are bred with the intent to _____.

Release them to the wild

Which of the following is NOT a reason we are still ignorant of the number of species that exist?

Scientific methods are not able to correctly categorize or count many specialized species

During the _____ period, close to 90% of all species are thought to have gone extinct.

Permian

Which of the following statements about the importance of organisms in an ecosystem is true?

"Ecosystem engineers" can be as important as keystone species for the survival of the ecosystem.

Pharmaceuticals produced from wild species produce up to $150 billion in sales and save many lives each year. This is an example of _____.

Ecosystem services

The three levels of biodiversity are __________.

Ecosystem, Species, and Genetic.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment calculated the current rate of extinction to be _____.

100 to 1,000 times greater than the background rate

We get 90% of our food from __________ crops and __________ livestock species.

15; 8

Earth has experienced how many mass extinction events? And, Paleontologists estimate that what percent of all species that have ever existed are now extinct.

5 mass extinction events. 99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct.

To prioritize regions for conservation, scientists have identified 25 biodiversity hotspots. What does an area have to contain?

A high number of endemic species and has lost a significant amount of habitat to human impact.

Which of the following will support the highest number of species?

A large, continuous ecosystem.

Genetic diversity

A measurement of the differences in DNA composition among individuals within a given species.

A biodiversity "hotspot" is _____.

A region where species diversity is high, but threatened by habitat loss.

Conservation biologists have developed guidelines for designing and maintaining preserves to maximize biodiversity. Which of these is not included in the guidelines?

A series of many small preserves is better than one big one.

An umbrella species is best defined as _____.

A species that, if protected, will result in the protection of a large number of species that require the same habitat

In assessing whether a bird species is endangered, biologists might look at __________.

All of the answers are correct. (Habitat loss, Population size, Population fragmentation, and Reproductive rate).

At the 1992 Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity was drafted and ratified but was not in force. What are the "Biodiversity Treaty's" objectives?

All of these are objectives of the Biodiversity Treaty. (Conservation of biodiversity, Equitable sharing of genetic resources found in a country, Sustainable use of biodiversity resources, and Promote biodiversity education and awareness).

Which of the following traits will increase the likelihood of a species going extinct?

All of these traits increase the likelihood of a species going extinct. (They are long-lived, They are large, They have high parental care of offspring, and They reproduce later in life).

Biodiversity hotspot

An area that supports an especially great diversity of species, particularly species that are endemic to the area.

When an ecosystem provides a benefit to humans free of charge, it is called __________.

An ecosystem service

Imagine that you have been given the job of setting aside habitat to preserve the diversity of birds in a swath of lowland rainforest. Three plans have been proposed, each of them totaling 200 km2. Plan A consists of 20 small, scattered reserves. Plan B is one large reserve. Plan C is five medium-sized reserves connected by corridors. Which of the following do you think ranks the reserves in order of potential biodiversity, highest to lowest?

B C A

Why are populations with little genetic diversity vulnerable to environmental change?

Because they lack genetic variants to help them adapt to novel conditions

Which statement about biodiversity is true?

Biodiversity can be measured at different levels including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

__________ is an important reason to preserve biodiversity. One example is the $100

Ecosystem goods and services

All of the following are ways that humans reduce biodiversity in ecosystems except _____.

Captive breeding programs

What is the scientific discipline that is devoted to understanding the factors, forces, and processes that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity named?

Conservation biology

__________ is an important reason to preserve biodiversity. One example is when 2 million people visited Costa Rica in 2010 to see its stunning national rainforests and national parks.

Ecotourism

The main legislation for protecting biodiversity in the United States is the _____.

Endangered Species Act

Why can many different species coexist and thrive in areas close to the equator?

Equatorial climatic conditions discourage any one species from dominating the ecosystem and encourage biodiversity.

By what process do species disappear?

Extinction

Global biodiversity exists in a number of patterns. The largest and most obvious of these is that biodiversity is _____.

Greatest at the equator and drops as you move farther north or south

What are the primary causes of biodiversity loss?

Habitat alteration, Pollution, Overharvesting, Invasive species, and Climate change.

Which of the following is an example of the single greatest cause of species extinction?

Habitat fragmentation caused by building a road through a forest

What are the several major causes of biodiversity loss that stand out?

Habitat loss, Pollution, Overharvesting, Invasive species, and Climate change.

How is community-based conservation different from more traditional approaches to conservation?

In community-based conservation, local people are involved with protecting the habitat, allowing them to still gain benefit from its resources.

Endangered species

In danger of becoming extinct in the near future

Which group of organisms is the most important in terms of contributing the most species to global biodiversity?

Insects

__________ is an important reason to preserve biodiversity. One example is in the United Nation's Charter for Nature, which states that every form of life is unique and warrants respect, regardless of its worth to man.

Intrinsic value

What does the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) do regarding biodiversity?

It aims to ensure that international trade in wild animals does not threaten their survival.

What does "Red List" do regarding endangered species?

It evaluates the risk of extinction for species around the world.

Conservation biology is different from other fields of science discussed in the book because _______.

It is an applied and goal-oriented science, with implicit values and ethical standards

How is climate change going to affect biodiversity?

It is going to decrease biodiversity.

Islands such as Madagascar are known for their __________.

Large number of endemic species

Threatened species

Likely to become endangered soon.

In an effort to save an endangered population, wildlife managers might try to enhance __________ to help reduce __________.

Movement (migration) corridors; population fragmentation

Which of the following activities is allowed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act?

None of these are allowed. (Shooting a threatened, but not endangered bird, Capturing a listed species to keep as a pet, Cutting down trees that are located in the habitat of an endangered species, and Trapping a listed species for its fur).

When a species declines in number, it also _____.

Occupies less area than it once did

By what process do species form?

Speciation

Which of the following can increase species richness globally?

Speciation

When a scientist counts the number of species in an area, he or she is determining the area's __________.

Species richness

Which of the following is a true statement regarding species richness?

Species richness typically increases as one moves towards the equator.

How have humans influenced the rate of extinction?

The current rate of extinction is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the historical background rate.

Extirpation

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

Extinction

The disappearance of an entire species from Earth

Poaching

The illegal killing of wildlife, usually for meat or body parts.

A conservation group is trying to save Puerto Rico's endemic species. "Endemic" means __________.

The species live nowhere else

Species richness generally increases as one approaches the equator. What is this pattern of variation with latitude called?

The latitudinal gradient in species richness

What does species richness describe?

The number of species

Habitat fragmentation

The process by which an expanse of natural habitat becomes broken up into discontinuous fragments, often as a result of farming, logging, road building, and other types of human development and land use.

Why do conservation biologists often focus their attention on saving "umbrella species" from extinction?

Their ecological requirements are highly correlated with the needs of many other species.

The species diversity of Earth's biomes increases as one goes toward the equator so that tropical rainforests have more species than boreal forests. Which of the following is not a reason for this increased diversity at the equator?

These are all reasons for increased diversity at Earth's equator. (Equatorial regions have more habitat specialists, The equator has greater amounts of solar energy and heat, Glaciation events forced organisms toward tropical latitudes, and Equatorial regions have relatively stable climates).

T/F: We are setting the sixth mass extinction in motion.

True

Invasive species __________.

Usually reduce biodiversity.

It is difficult to estimate the current rate of species loss, mainly because __________.

We don't know how many species exist

According to the text, which of the following types of species would be most vulnerable to hunting by people?

Whales

Keystone species

a species that has an especially far-reaching effect on a community

Red list

an updated list of species facing unusually high risks of extinction. The list is maintained by the World Conservation Union.

The sixth mass extinction event __________.

is ongoing and has been caused by human disturbance