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Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 3e (Withgott)
Chapter 11 Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
11.1 Graph and Figure Interpretation Questions
Use Figure 11.1 to answer the following questions.
1) There are four islands Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Alpha is closest to the mainland,
Beta is next, Gamma is farther away, and Delta is the farthest from shore. Which statement is
true?
A) If they are all about the same size, then Beta will have more biodiversity than Alpha
but less than Gamma.
B) If they are all about the same size, then Gamma will have less biodiversity than Delta.
C) If they are all about the same size, then Alpha will have the least biodiversity.
D) If they are all about the same size, then Delta will have the least biodiversity.
E) You cannot tell by distance which island will have the most biodiversity.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.7 Island biogeography theory
2) Regarding the same four islands in the previous question Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and
Delta it is true that ________.
A) the rate of immigration is highest on Delta
B) the rate of extinction is highest on Gamma
C) the rate of emigration is highest on Beta
D) the rate of immigration is highest on Alpha
E) the rate of extinction is lowest on Beta
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.7 Island biogeography theory
1
3) Consider four islands Kappa, Lambda, Mu, and Nu all about equidistant from the
mainland. Kappa is the largest of the four, Lambda is next, Mu is third, and Nu is the
smallest. Which of the following statements is true?
A) The extinction rate is highest on Kappa.
B) The immigration rate is highest on Nu.
C) The extinction rate is lowest on Kappa.
D) There is less biodiversity on the two intermediate islands, Lambda and Mu, than on
either Kappa or Nu.
E) There is more biodiversity on the two intermediate islands, Lambda and Mu, than on
either Kappa or Nu.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
Objective: 11.7 Island biogeography theory
11.2 Matching Questions
Match the following.
1) The loss of species from the
planet
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
2) Differences in DNA
composition among
individuals within a given
species
Diff: 1
A) alleles
B) hotspot
C) genetic diversity
D) ecocentricity
E) extirpation
F) major species
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
3) A population differentiating,
over time, into a new species
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
4) Protected animals, such as
tigers, that need large
amounts of land
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and
innovative biodiversity
conservation
G) community
H) extinction
I) biophilia
J) umbrella species
K) speciation
5) The connections that human
beings subconsciously seek
with the rest of life
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
6) An area that supports an
especially great diversity of
endemic species
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and
innovative biodiversity
conservation
2
1) H
2) C
3) K
4) J
5) I
6) B
11.3 Short Answer Questions
1) What lesson can be learned from the case of the Siberian tiger in Russia?
Answer: Tigers were originally part of the cultural fabric of the indigenous people and were
seldom killed. When the Russians invaded, they had no cultural traditions and hunted
tigers to near extinction. The involvement of conservation groups may alter the
population dynamics of the tiger. The lesson is that humans must value biodiversity,
or it will be lost.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
2) What is the definition of biodiversity?
Answer: The sum total of all organisms in an area, taking into account the diversity of species,
their genes, their populations, and their communities
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
3) What is inbreeding, and why is it a problem?
Answer: Inbreeding occurs when parents that are too genetically similar mate and produce
offspring. The offspring are often weak or defective; and, if all individuals in
populations are too closely related, the species' fitness declines and may become
extinct.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
4) Provide several reasons why our estimates of species numbers are incomplete.
Answer: One reason is that some areas of Earth remain mostly unexplored, such as the ocean
depths, hydrothermal vents, and the tree canopies and soils of tropical forests.
Another reason is that many species are tiny and easily overlooked; these
inconspicuous organisms include species of bacteria, nematodes (roundworms), fungi,
protists, and soil-dwelling arthropods. In addition, many organisms are so difficult to
identify that a population thought to be a single species turns out to be two or more
species on close investigation. The opposite could also be true, where two populations
considered as separate species are, on close investigation, actually the same species.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
5) What is the cause of the sixth mass extinction event, and why is it of particular concern?
Answer: The sixth mass extinction event has been caused by human alterations to landscapes.
It is of particular concern because the current global extinction rate is 1,000 times
greater than it would have been without human destruction of habitat.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
6) Increases in species diversity result from the process of ________ and decreases through the
process of ________.
Answer: speciation; extinction
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
3
7) Most extinctions preceding the appearance of humans have occurred one by one, at a rate
that paleontologists refer to as the ________.
Answer: background rate of extinction
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
8) All of the valuable processes that intact ecosystems provide for us free of charge are known
as ________.
Answer: ecosystem services
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
11.4 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) According to E. O. Wilson, biodiversity refers to all of the following except ________.
A) genetic variants of a single species
B) individual species
C) communities of organisms
D) ecosystems
E) net biomass
Answer: E
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
2) A population of birds is found on a remote island. Which of the following information is
most important in deciding if the birds all belong to a single species?
A) They share many physical characteristics.
B) They can breed with one another.
C) The males all sing very similar songs.
D) The offspring of some matings are sterile.
E) All the birds appear to eat the same range of food.
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
3) Which scientists classify species using an organism's physical appearance and genetic
makeup?
A) ecologists
B) taxonomists
C) geneticists
D) environmentalists
E) agronomists
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
4
4) The greatest diversity (numbers of different species) of organisms can be found in ________.
A) flowering plants
B) fish
C) insects
D) birds
E) mammals
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
5) The extinction of a particular population from a given area (but not the entire species
globally) is called ________.
A) extinction
B) extirpation
C) emigration
D) evolution
E) adaptation
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
6) The IUCN's Red List is ________.
A) an updated list of species facing unusually high risk of extinction
B) a list of unidentified species
C) a list of ecologically damaged ecosystems
D) an identification list of known species
E) a scorecard of international failures at conservation
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
7) Changes in habitat have tremendous effects on the organisms that depend on them. These
effects are ________.
A) generally negative; organisms are already adapted to the habitats in which they occur
and any change is likely to render the habitat less suitable
B) generally positive; organisms are already adapted to the habitats in which they occur
and any change is likely to render the habitat more suitable
C) generally positive; the changes increase the habitat that is available for species to
colonize
D) generally negative; the changes usually cause rapid extinction of most species
E) generally neutral; the variations within each species allow them to adapt very quickly
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
5
8) A species of lizard has gone extinct. This could be due to any of the following reasons except
________.
A) inbreeding
B) habitat destruction by humans
C) introduction of a species that competed for food resources
D) increased genetic diversity within the species
E) climate change
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
9) In general, successful introduced species experience ________.
A) increased environmental resistance
B) decreased environmental resistance
C) increases in limiting factors
D) increased competition from other organisms
E) decreased biotic potential
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
10) Bullfrog tadpoles are often sold as fish bait, even in areas where they do not occur naturally.
When people buy 10 of them and don't use them all, they often dump the remainder into the
lake or river. This is an example of ________.
A) habitat destruction
B) overharvesting of species from the wild
C) introduced species
D) inbreeding
E) extirpation
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
11) Biodiversity enhances food security because it ________.
A) means that there is genetic uniformity
B) reduces the number of pollinators
C) can protect some crops through genetic resources against losses due to disease
D) decreases the number of predators
E) increases the number of available pathogens
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
12) Which of the following can change local species diversity but not global diversity?
A) immigration and extirpation
B) speciation and extinction
C) speciation and immigration
D) emigration and extinction
E) extirpation and extinction
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
6
13) Which of the following can change global species diversity?
A) immigration and extirpation
B) speciation and extinction
C) speciation and immigration
D) emigration and extinction
E) extirpation and extinction
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
14) Which of the following are facing the highest rates of extinction?
A) K-strategists in general, especially through overexploitation
B) r-strategists in general
C) insects in general
D) birds in general
E) plants in general
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
15) Removal of which of the following species will always result in the greatest changes in an
ecological system?
A) a competitive species
B) a carnivore species
C) a keystone species
D) a producer species
E) a decomposer species
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
16) The species most often vulnerable to human impact is the ________.
A) top predator
B) keystone species
C) decomposer
D) producer
E) competitive species
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
17) The field of conservation biology ________.
A) developed in response to government intervention
B) was initially viewed as too measurement oriented, looking at details and not at the big
picture
C) attempts to integrate an understanding of evolution, ecology and extinction
D) tries to conserve every species, everywhere
E) tries to increase speciation events in order to increase biodiversity
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.6 Principles and practice of conservation biology
7
18) A migratory bat species pollinates agave plants in northern Mexico on its way to the
southwestern United States, where it spends the summer eating insects and reproducing.
Farmers spraying pesticides affect these bats, which eat the insects and also feed them to the
baby bats. This could be the start of a story about ________.
A) a top predator
B) an extirpation
C) an umbrella species
D) insect biodiversity
E) a keystone species
Answer: E
Diff: 3
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
19) Ecotourism ________.
A) is a reasonable option only in impoverished countries
B) decreases biodiversity by causing increased speciation in environmentally sensitive
areas
C) increases biodiversity by providing income from areas that might otherwise be
destroyed
D) decreases biodiversity by selling souvenir organisms
E) increases biodiversity by introducing new, rare species
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
20) The area effect of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography suggests that ________.
A) the number of species increases with the size of the island; all else being equal, larger
islands contain more species
B) the number of individuals of each species decreases as the size of the island increases
because competition decreases population sizes
C) the number of species decreases with increasing island size; all else being equal, larger
islands contain fewer species
D) organism size (large or small) is what most affects the number of individuals of each
species
E) the total number of species increases as an island is further from the mainland; it is
easier to speciate
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.7 Island biogeography theory
21) The Convention on Biodiversity produced documents ________.
A) that included a set of international laws
B) designed to reduce biodiversity
C) that require biodiversity be used in a sustainable manner
D) that ensure the distribution of biodiversity's benefits to wealthy countries who can pay
for it
E) spelling out future management plans for all biomes
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
8
22) The country of Belize depends on lobster for a major portion of its income, along with
fishing and tourism. Over the past 30 years the average size of an individual lobster has
dropped, even as increasing numbers of Belizeans buy boats, build lobster traps, and enter
the industry. This is an example of ________.
A) the problems with monoculture
B) habitat alteration
C) the effects of pollution
D) the results of an invasive species
E) overharvesting
Answer: E
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
23) European rabbits were introduced into Australia and quickly spread, reproduced, and
became a terrible pest. They eat up to $600 million worth of food and pasture crops annually,
and have damaged the populations of many native plants and the populations of animals
that eat the plants. Twice in the past 50 years, rabbit diseases have been introduced to try to
control the population, with some success. This is a case where ________.
A) an extirpation has occurred
B) habitat alteration resulted in decreased biodiversity
C) an invasive species has reduced the genetic diversity of indigenous species
D) an invasive species has caused overharvesting
E) climate change has decreased the genetic diversity of indigenous species
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
24) The wood thrush makes its nest in woodlands in the northern and eastern United States. As
patches of woods become smaller, increasing numbers of wood thrush nests have eggs laid
in them by the brown-headed cowbird. Cowbirds live in open fields and are nest parasites;
the female cowbird flies up to an unattended nest, quickly lays an egg in another bird's nest,
and leaves the host parents to raise their "adopted" young. Wood thrushes are decreasing in
numbers because ________.
A) habitat fragmentation makes it easier for cowbird parasitism to occur
B) cowbirds are an invasive species that is rapidly increasing
C) climate change is reducing nest site availability
D) overharvesting in the open fields has driven the cowbirds into the woodlands
E) pollution of the open fields has caused a change in cowbird behavior
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
25) In his recent (2005) book, Richard Louv maintains that today's children ________.
A) develop more balanced emotions in urban compared to natural settings
B) should not be exposed to the dangers of natural ecosystems
C) have a better understanding of natural environments than their grandparents
D) suffer psychologically and emotionally from "nature deficit syndrome"
E) should not participate in environmental education programs until high school
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
9
26) The current 2007 political climate in the U.S. Congress has resulted in ________.
A) increased funding for the Endangered Species Act
B) attempts to weaken the ESA's provisions
C) an increase in the number of protected species from 1300 to 3000
D) repeal of the ESA
E) praise and support from the scientific community
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.6 Principles and practice of conservation biology
11.5 True/False Questions
1) Paleontologists estimate that roughly 99% of all species that have ever lived are already
extinct.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
2) Resource conservation for protection of pharmaceuticals is overstated because only about
25% of the people on our planet use biological resources directly in traditional medicine.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.1 Scope of biodiversity
3) DNA is currently being recovered from extinct species to be used in cloning.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
4) Extinction is a relatively new phenomenon, as it only results from the impacts of humans on
natural species.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
5) Nongovernmental agencies are currently paying off countries' debts in exchange for
promises to keep diverse areas under protection.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
6) Habitat fragmentation increases ecological diversity and also biodiversity.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
7) Provisions in the Endangered Species Act allow landowners to harm protected species in
one area if they help conserve the species in another.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1
Objective: 11.6 Principles and practice of conservation biology
10
11.6 Essay Questions
1) What is the value, to a species, of having genetic diversity?
Answer: Species with more genetic diversity have better chances of surviving, because their
built-in variation better enables them to cope with environmental change. According
to the principles of evolutionary biology, species with little genetic diversity are
vulnerable to environmental change for which they are not genetically prepared.
Species with depressed genetic diversity may also be more vulnerable to disease and
may suffer the effects of inbreeding, which occurs when parents that are too
genetically similar mate and produce weak or defective offspring. Genetic diversity in
our crop plants is important for protection of our food sources.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
2) What is the value, to humankind, of biodiversity in the organisms with which we share our
planet?
Answer: Students should include and expand on some of the following concepts. Biodiversity
provides valuable ecosystem services free of charge. Biodiversity enhances food
security. Biodiversity provides traditional medicines and high-tech pharmaceutical
products. Biodiversity provides economic benefits through tourism and recreation.
People need, value and seek out connections with nature which offer such intangible
services as the experiences of beauty and peace of mind.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.5 Benefits of biodiversity
3) What are the basic concepts of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography? How do they
apply to terrestrial ecosystems?
Answer: This theory was initially applied to oceanic islands to explain how species come to be
distributed among them. Since then, researchers have increasingly applied the
theory's tenets to other types of islands, including islands of habitat patches of one
type of habitat isolated within vast "seas" of others. Several patterns are apparent from
the theory of island biogeography and the real-life study of species on islands. One is
that the number of species increases with the size of the island. Larger islands possess
more species in part because more space allows for larger populations, and larger
populations are less vulnerable to extirpation and thus have longer expected species
survival times. Larger islands also present fatter targets for organisms to encounter if
they are wandering lost. Finally, larger islands also may possess more habitats than
smaller islands. The distance between an island and the nearest continent also affects
the number of species on the island; closer islands are more likely to have more
species. These patterns hold up for terrestrial habitat islands, such as forests
fragmented by logging and road building and for nature preserves, which are often
surrounded by agricultural or urban systems. Small islands of forest lose their
diversity fastest, starting with those large species that were few in number to begin
with. In a landscape of fragmented habitat, species requiring the habitat will
gradually disappear from the landscape, winking out from one island after another
over time.
Diff: 3
Objective: 11.7 Island biogeography theory
11
4) Is extinction natural? How has the extinction rate changed over time? Why are extinction
rates today different than in the past?
Answer: Students should discuss some of the following. Extinction is a natural process.
Extinction rates have risen higher than the background extinction rate during several
mass extinction events during Earth's history. In the past 440 million years, there have
been five major episodes of mass extinction. If current trends continue, the modern era
may see the extinction of more than half of all species. While similar in scale to
previous mass extinctions, today's ongoing mass extinction is different in two
respects. First, humans are causing it. Second, humans will suffer as a result.
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
5) What is the Endangered Species Act? Describe one of its successes and explain some of the
current controversies surrounding it.
Answer: The Endangered Species Act is the primary legislation for protecting biodiversity in
the United States. It forbids the government and private citizens from taking actions
(such as developing land) that would destroy endangered species or their habitats and
also forbids trade in products made from endangered species. The aim is to prevent
extinctions, stabilize declining populations, and, when possible, to enable populations
to recover to the point where they no longer need protection.
The ESA has had a number of notable successes; students might mention any of the
following. After the banning of DDT and years of management programs, birds such
as the peregrine falcon, brown pelican, and bald eagle have recovered and been taken
off the endangered list. Intensive management efforts with other species such as the
red-cockaded woodpecker have held formerly declining populations steady in the
face of continued habitat degradation. Roughly 40% of declining populations have
been held stable.
While most Americans support endangered species protection, some have opposed
provisions of the ESA. Some of the resentment results from the perception that the
ESA is focused only on single species and values the life of an endangered species
over the life or livelihood of a person. Most of the concern over the ESA, however, is
basically economic and has stemmed from worries of landowners that federal officials
will restrict the use of private land if threatened or endangered species are found on it.
Diff: 3
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
12
11.7 Scenario-Based Questions
Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
The western United States contains a series of tall mountain ranges that also extend far down into
Mexico. The largest of these ranges are the Rockies and the Sierra Madres, but they are all part of the
same mountain-building event that occurred many millions of years ago, and they all have similar
features. Much of the vegetation on these mountaintops is the same, or very similar, and they are often
referred to as the "Sky Islands" because of their similarity to each other and their isolation from the lower,
drier, areas surrounding them.
1) There are groups of tropical birds, such as trogons and parrots, that are usually considered
to live in Central America and the mountains of southern and central Mexico. Small
populations of these birds migrate into the United States each year. It is probably true that
________.
A) more of these birds are found in the mountains of New Mexico and Arizona than in the
mountains of Colorado, Utah, or Nevada
B) more of these birds are found in the taller mountains of Colorado than in the shorter
mountains in southern Arizona, even if the relative area of the mountains is the same
C) these birds can live in the lower, drier elevations in the United States as well as in the
mountain ranges
D) these birds migrate to the United States in the winter because it is warmer here
E) these birds have higher genetic diversity in the U.S. populations than in the
populations in Central America
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.7 Island biogeography theory
2) Large predators and omnivores, such as mountain lions and bears, roam these mountain
ranges. Which of the following statements is true?
A) Because of habitat fragmentation, the individual populations of these Sky Islands have
more biodiversity than they did in the past.
B) Because of habitat fragmentation, the individual populations of these Sky Islands have
less genetic diversity than they did in the past.
C) Because of immigration and emigration, the individual populations of these Sky
Islands have less biodiversity than they did in the past.
D) Because of immigration and emigration, the individual populations of these Sky
Islands have more biomass than they did in the past.
E) Because of extirpation, many of these individual populations have more biodiversity
than they did in the past.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
13
3) The tendency of humans to want to live in these Sky Islands, visit them for recreation, and
use them for lumber or for wood pulp, causes ________.
A) increased ecosystem diversity
B) increased genetic diversity
C) increased biomass
D) increased habitat fragmentation
E) decreased extirpation
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.4 Causes of biodiversity loss
4) According to the principles of island biogeography and the species -area curve, in these Sky
Islands there are ________.
A) more large mammals than birds
B) more carnivores than producers
C) more beetles and butterflies than reptiles
D) more snakes than mice
E) more fish than mammals
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
5) Because he pine-oak woodlands of the Sky Islands of Mexico and the United States have a
large number of endemic species and have lost large amounts of habitat to development,
they have been listed as one of the ________.
A) extirpation areas of the Endangered Species List
B) keystone areas of the Endangered Species List
C) umbrella species areas for Convention on Biological Diversity
D) biodiversity hotspots of Conservation International
E) transport areas of CITES
Answer: D
Diff: 3
Objective: 11.8 Traditional and innovative biodiversity conservation
6) Regarding the Sky Islands, it is likely that ________.
A) the biodiversity is evenly distributed through the mountains that stretch from Central
America up through the Rockies into Montana, Idaho, and Canada
B) there is more biodiversity in the northern end of the mountain ranges because of the
milder climate
C) there is more biodiversity in the southern end of the mountain ranges because of the
latitudinal gradient
D) the biodiversity is patchy because of the altitudinal gradient
E) no claims about relative biodiversity can be made
Answer: C
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.2 Techniques for measuring biodiversity
14
7) The World Conservation Union's Red List includes several species of birds and amphibians
that live in these Sky Islands. This indicates that these species ________.
A) are completely extinct
B) have been extirpated
C) are under intense breeding programs to increase biodiversity
D) face high risks of extinction
E) have been successful in returning from near extinction
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Objective: 11.3 Extinction rates and mass extinctions
15