Download Life 9e - Garvness

Test File
to accompany
Life: The Science of Biology, Ninth Edition
Sadava • Hillis • Heller • Berenbaum
Chapter 59: Conservation Biology
TEST FILE QUESTIONS
(By Norman Johnson)
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following statements about the Blackburn sphinx moth is false?
a. It recently went extinct.
b. It is the likely natural pollinator of the Hawaiian alula plant.
c. It is the largest native insect of the Hawaiian Islands.
d. It is closely related to the tobacco hornworm.
e. All of the above are true; none is false.
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.0 No laughing matter
Page: 1242
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
2. Which of the following initiatives would not be included in modern conservation
biology’s efforts to preserve biodiversity?
a. Preserving the economic value gained from commercial fisheries
b. Protecting a species of butterfly for its intrinsic beauty
c. Protecting a woody shrub because of its medicinal applications
d. Protecting a sea otter because the community as a whole is more stable with that
species present
e. All of the above would be efforts of modern conservation biology.
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
3. Which of the following statements about conservation biology is true?
a. In the past there was often tension between conservation biologists who believed in
conserving natural resources for economic reasons and those who were interested in the
intrinsic value of nature.
b. Conservation biology is an applied science.
c. Human interests have no place in conservation biology.
d. Both a and b
e. Both b and c
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
4. Which of the following is not a basic guiding principle of conservation biology?
a. Evolution is the process that unites all of biology.
b. The ecological world is dynamic.
c. Human beings are part of ecosystems.
d. There is a static balance of nature that serves as a goal for conservation efforts.
e. All of the above are basic guiding principles.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
5. Which of the following would not be considered a measure of biodiversity?
a. Six alleles are present at the alcohol dehydrogenase gene in a population of Drosophila
melanogaster.
b. In a population of minnows, 47 percent of the loci are polymorphic.
c. In a human population, 24 percent of individuals are polymorphic at the Y76Y locus.
d. A sample of water taken from the Hudson River has 369 different algal species.
e. All of the above are measures of biodiversity.
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243–1244
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
6. Which of the following statements about extinctions is true?
a. The background extinction rate is that which occurs during a mass extinction.
b. Extinctions are occurring now at rates comparable to those of the five mass extinctions.
c. Most of the species that have ever existed are extinct.
d. Both a and b
e. Both b and c
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1244
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
7. Soon after contact with humans, most large mammals went extinct in
a. North America.
b. Australia.
c. Hawaii.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1244
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
8. Which of the following statements about the value of biodiversity is false?
a. Although a worthy goal, preserving the aesthetic benefits of biodiversity has no
economic value.
b. More than a quarter of medical prescriptions either contain or are based on plant
products.
c. Species loss can damage the functioning of ecosystems.
d. A wide variety of microbes increase the nutritional value of food.
e. All of the above are true; none is false.
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1244
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
9. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Biologists have a good idea of the number of species on Earth.
b. One factor that limits our ability to predict the number of species that will go extinct in
the next 50 years is our lack of knowledge about the geographic ranges of species.
c. If humans did not exist, no species would go extinct in the next 100 years.
d. The process of determining whether a species is extinct is not difficult.
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1245
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
10. The case of the ivory-billed woodpecker best illustrates
a. the potential medicinal value of biodiversity.
b. how global warming has led to species extinctions.
c. the difficulty of determining when a species has actually gone extinct.
d. the complexity of biological interactions.
e. the destructive power of an invasive species.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1245
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
11. Our ability to predict how many species will go extinct is limited because of our
limited knowledge about
a. how many species exist.
b. where species live.
c. all the connections among species.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1245
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
12. Conservation biologists rely heavily on _______ to estimate how many species will
be lost due to habitat loss.
a. the CITES guidelines
b. the principles of species–area relationships
c. captive breeding programs
d. the principles of natural selection
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
13. According to the basic rule of thumb of conservation biology, if 300 species of
grasshoppers reside in a habitat of 20,000 ha, about _______ species of grasshoppers
should persist if that habitat is reduced to 2,000 ha.
a. 30
b. 60
c. 90
d. 150
e. 270
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying
14. Which of the following statements about the tropical rainforest is true?
a. It is Earth’s most species-rich biome.
b. Its area has been relatively constant during the last 50 years.
c. It is being lost at a rate of about 2 percent of the remaining forest each year.
d. Both a and b
e. Both a and c
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
15. If tropical rainforests continue to be lost at the present rate, about _______ species are
in danger of going extinct during this century.
a. 100,000
b. 300,000
c. 600,000
d. 750,000
e. 1,000,000
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
16. Which of the following statements about the tropical forest of Central America is
true?
a. Nearly all of the forest that existed in 1950 still existed in 1985.
b. Less than half of the forest that existed in 1950 still existed in 1985, and most of what
remained existed in small patches.
c. Less than half of the forest that existed in 1950 still existed in 1985, and most of what
remained was in one large region in the northern part of Central America.
d. Less than half of the forest that existed in 1950 still existed in 1985, and most of what
remained was in one large region in the southern part of Central America.
e. Virtually all of the forest is gone.
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
17. According to the species–area relationship, a 90 percent loss of habitat will result in
_______ loss of the species that live in that habitat.
a. no
b. a 10 percent
c. a 50 percent
d. a 90 percent
e. None of the above
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
18. The most significant cause of species endangerment in the United States is
a. air pollution.
b. climate change.
c. the introduction of exotic species.
d. habitat loss.
e. acid rain.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
19. Compared to the area inside a forest, the areas at the edge of a forest have
a. stronger winds.
b. higher humidity.
c. lower light levels.
d. lower temperatures.
e. All of the above
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
20. Which of the following statements about habitat is true?
a. Small patches of habitat are qualitatively similar to patches of larger size.
b. Edge effects increase as habitat size increases.
c. Habitat loss has no effect on neighboring areas of remaining habitat.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
21. Various species are either extinct or threatened in the United States, including certain
freshwater mussels, flowering plants, and mammals. Which of the following represents
the correct ranking (from most endangered to least endangered) of these groups of
organisms?
a. Mussels, plants, mammals
b. Mussels, mammals, plants
c. Plants, mammals, mussels
d. Plants, mussels, mammals
e. Mammals, mussels, plants
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
22. Forest fragmentation has led to increases in cowbird populations because
fragmentation has
a. caused the demise of a predator of cowbirds.
b. caused cowbirds to be exposed to species of birds previously unknown to them.
c. increased the food supply for cowbirds.
d. decreased the range of the cowbirds’ parasites.
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
23. Which of the following statements about habitat corridors is true?
a. They are places where an endangered species can live and breed.
b. They are usually used in captive breeding studies.
c. Their presence mitigates the deleterious effects of habitat fragmentation.
d. They are most effective as a conservation measure for species that disperse little.
e. None of the above
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
24. Suppose a lumber company proposes to clear-cut a large area of forest, but it aims to
leave small patches of forest to provide habitat for forest animals. Which of the following
is a weakness of this method of conservation?
a. Small patches cannot support populations of species that require large areas.
b. Small patches can harbor only small populations of the species that can survive there.
c. Due to edge effects, small patches have higher temperatures, stronger winds, and lower
humidity levels than larger forest tracts.
d. Species that live in the clear-cut areas often invade the edges of the patches and
compete with or prey on the species living there.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247–1248
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
25. Which of the following is not a reason for the dramatic increase in the number of
species driven to extinction in recent years?
a. Overexploitation
b. Habitat destruction
c. Introduction of predators
d. Natural predation
e. Introduction of diseases
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247–1249
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
26. Which of the following statements about human predation is true?
a. Although an important threat to species in the past, overexploitation no longer
threatens any species.
b. The Banggai cardinalfish has benefited from the pet trade.
c. The hunting of tigers for the medicinal use of their body parts is a primary threat to
their survival.
d. Both a and b
e. None of the above
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1248–1249
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
27. Which of the following statements about introduced species is true?
a. Zebra mussels were deliberately introduced into the United States.
b. Nearly half of the small- to medium-sized marsupials of Australia went extinct in the
last 100 years due to introduced species.
c. Native plants usually devote less energy to combating native herbivores than
introduced plants do.
d. Both a and b
e. Both a and c
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
28. Introduced species that spread widely and become unduly abundant are known as
_______ species.
a. spreader
b. invasive
c. super
d. extravagant
e. hammerhead
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
29. In the Hawaiian Islands, _______, which is an introduced disease, has been
responsible for wiping out nearly all endemic bird species living below an elevation of
1,500 meters
a. avian malaria
b. avian flu
c. avian smallpox
d. avian Ebola
e. None of the above
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
30. Invasive plant species would be expected to
a. devote a higher-than-average allocation of resources to reproduction.
b. have higher-than-average concentrations of secondary compounds.
c. be susceptible to a greater-than-average number of herbivores.
d. Both a and b
e. None of the above
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
31. Which of the following statements about climate change is true?
a. Scientists predict that the average temperatures in North America will increase by less
than 1°C over the next century.
b. Organisms that disperse easily have the best chance of surviving climate change (all
else being equal).
c. The earthworms in much of northern U.S. and Canada were wiped out by glaciers; the
worms we see now were introduced from Europe.
d. Both a and b
e. Both b and c
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1250
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
32. The processes of climate change are likely to lead to entirely new climates
a. in the highlands of the temperate zone.
b. in the lowlands of the temperate zone.
c. in the lowland tropics.
d. in the alpine tropics.
e. near the Arctic circle.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1250
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
33. Which of the following statements is false?
a. Conservation biologists select areas to be protected based solely on the number of
species in the area.
b. Over 70 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate species live in hotspots that occupy less
than one-sixth of Earth’s land surface.
c. The tropics of South America are a hotspot for avian biodiversity.
d. Hotspots do not represent all of Earth’s biodiversity.
e. All of the above are true; none is false.
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1251
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
34. Which of the following is not one of the few remaining areas of unbroken rainforest?
a. The island of New Guinea
b. The Congo Basin of Africa
c. Western Australia
d. The South American Amazonia
e. All of the above are unbroken areas of rainforest.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1251
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
35. Centers of imminent extinction are clustered in the continents of _______ and
_______.
a. North America; South America
b. North America; Europe
c. North America; Asia
d. North America; Australia
e. South America; Asia
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1252
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
36. Which of the following statements about “centers of imminent extinction” is true?
a. Most are legally protected.
b. Most are surrounded by rapid human development.
c. Most are in Australia.
d. Most are found in the temperate zone.
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1252
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
37. The American Prairie Foundation’s practice of buying up ranches in Montana with
the aim of reintroducing bison and other species is an example of
a. habitat preservation.
b. restoration ecology.
c. invasive ecology.
d. biocontrol.
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1252
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
38. Studies of the Tijuana Estuary showed that
a. increased nitrogen in the soil led to greater species richness.
b. increased plant cover led to greater species richness.
c. increased species richness led to increased plant cover.
d. decreased species richness led to increased plant cover.
e. decreased nitrogen in the soil led to greater species richness.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1253
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
39. Which of the following statements about forest fires is true?
a. Some plant species require periodic fires to establish themselves.
b. The current official policy of the U.S. Forest Service is to suppress all forest fires.
c. Scars in the annual growth rings of trees are evidence of past forest fires.
d. Both a and b
e. Both a and c
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1253–1254
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
40. A ban on the trade of elephant ivory has been enacted by
a. UNESCO.
b. the USDA.
c. CITES.
d. NATO.
e. the AFL-CIO.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1254
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
41. Samuel Wasser and his colleagues made use of _______ to determine the source of
ivory in the ivory trade.
a. radiotelemetry
b. sonar
c. DNA markers
d. radioisotopes
e. None of the above
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1254
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
42. Which of the following statements about elephants is true?
a. Poaching of elephants continues throughout the world.
b. In some countries of southern Africa, elephants are so common that government
officials need to kill many of them to control their numbers.
c. The demand for ivory from elephants is particularly strong in Japan and China.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1254
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
43. Deoxygenating ballast water
a. helps eliminate the transoceanic transport of invasive species.
b. would be economically costly to the shippers.
c. extends the life of ballast tanks.
d. Both a and b
e. Both a and c
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1255
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
44. A plant species is more likely to become invasive if it has
a. a long generation time.
b. a close relative in the region to which it is introduced.
c. large seeds.
d. a slow rate of growth.
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1255
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
45. The best predictor of whether a species will become invasive in its area is
a. its generation time.
b. the size of its seeds.
c. whether it is invasive elsewhere.
d. how many predators it has.
e. the size of its native range.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1255
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
46. The booming industry of ecotourism best illustrates that
a. there is a balance of nature, which must be preserved.
b. economic and environmental interests need not always be in conflict.
c. humans depend on thousands of species for food.
d. our knowledge of biodiversity is incomplete.
e. None of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1255
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
47. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Ecotourism is a major source of income for many developing countries.
b. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Western Cape Province of South Africa
each year to see the endemic plants.
c. Most tourists visiting South Africa would pay more money for the opportunity to see
the wild dogs.
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1255-–1256
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
48. A fynbos is
a. a type of wild African dog faced with extinction due to habitat loss.
b. a type of antelope hunted for its horns.
c. an environmentally friendly brand of coffee grown in Kenya.
d. a community of hardy shrubs in South Africa that provides water.
e. the leader of CITES.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1256
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
49. The practice of using exploited lands in ways that sustain biodiversity is known as
a. restoration ecology.
b. reconciliation ecology.
c. reparative ecology.
d. fragmentation ecology.
e. Kubrick’s principle.
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1256
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
50. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Captive breeding is an effective, permanent measure for protecting endangered species.
b. The California condor program is an example of a successful captive breeding
program.
c. Lead poisoning is no longer a problem for the California condor.
d. There is enough space in zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens to hold most of
Earth’s endangered and rare species.
e. The California condor went extinct during the 1980s.
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1257
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
51. The Plimsoll line
a. helped reestablish the California condor.
b. is used to keep elephants out of crops in Africa.
c. resulted in a dramatic reduction in the rate at which British ships were lost at sea.
d. is a useful tool to predict the strength of edge effects.
e. is being used by Tucson, Arizona, to protect the bats that roost there.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1257
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
Fill in the Blank
1. Because it uses knowledge about the natural world to solve specific problems,
conservation biology is viewed as a(n) _______ science.
Answer: applied
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
2. One tool that is used to estimate the probability of extinction resulting from habitat
destruction is the _______ relationship.
Answer: species–area
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
3. Species that are threatened by extinction in the near future are labeled _______
species.
Answer: endangered
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
4. The most important cause of species endangerment in the United States is _______
loss.
Answer: habitat
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
5. If edge effects occur in any part of a 100 × 80 meter plot of land that is within 10 m
from the edge, _______ percent of the land will experience edge effects.
Answer: 40
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying
6. A species may persist in a small patch of habitat if that patch is connected to others
through habitat _______.
Answer: corridors
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1248
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
7. Winter moth, a species of moth that was introduced to United States from Europe, has
spread widely and become a threat to many trees. For this reason, winter moth is
considered to be a(n) _______ species.
Answer: invasive
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
8. In the Hawaiian Islands, the blood disease _______ has wiped out nearly all lowelevation endemic birds.
Answer: malaria
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
9. Birds will likely be able to shift their ranges to keep up with climate change because
they _______ easily.
Answer: disperse
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1250
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
10. New Guinea is a region of the world where species richness is particularly high. For
this reason it is called a(n) _______.
Answer: hotspot
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1251
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
11. _______ ecology is the intentional transformation of a degraded habitat to a more
natural state.
Answer: Restoration
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1252
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
12. The legal mechanism for prohibiting the exploitation of endangered species is an
international agreement known as _______.
Answer: CITES
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1254
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
13. The native vegetation of the Western Cape Province in South Africa, a community of
shrubs known as _______, is vital to maintaining the region’s water supply.
Answer: fynbos
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1256
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
14. The practice of using exploited lands in ways that sustain biodiversity is known as
_______.
Answer: reconciliation ecology
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1256
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
15. North America’s largest bird, the _______, survives today because of a captive
breeding program.
Answer: California condor
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1257
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
Diagram
1.–2. Refer to the diagram below, representing a suitable habitat established for a
hypothetical threatened species of pocket gophers.
1. What is the total area of the suitable habitat?
Answer: 45 square km
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying
2. Research has shown that land less than 1 km from unsuitable habitat is subject to edge
effects for a pocket gopher. In the land diagrammed above, what is the size of the habitat
area that is not subject to edge effects?
Answer: Twenty-one square km (7 × 3). One km on each edge would be subject to edge
effects; thus, the area not subject to edge effects would be obtained by subtracting 2 from
each of the original dimensions (because there are two sides) and multiplying.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying
3. Which of the graphs below best illustrates the number of species planted in the Tijuana
Estuary habitat restoration studies, as well as the degree of restoration achieved (as
measured by the proportion of the ground covered by plants)?
a. Graph A
b. Graph B
c. Graph C
d. Graph D
e. Graph E
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Biologists Use to Protect Biodiversity?
Page: 1253
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS
(By Lindsay Goodloe)
Knowledge and Synthesis
1. The concepts of conservation biology come mainly from all of the following fields
except
a. ecology.
b. evolutionary biology.
c. population genetics.
d. immunology.
e. ethology.
Answer: d
Feedback: Although immunology is sometimes a useful tool in assessing the amount of
genetic variation that exists in a population, its importance is less than the other fields
listed.
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243
2. The most likely cause of the extinctions of many large mammals in North America in
the last 14,000 years is
a. rapid climate change associated with glaciation.
b. overhunting by humans.
c. the formation of land bridges to neighboring continents that allowed many new species
of competitors and predators to invade these regions.
d. massive volcanism that caused destruction of the food supply for these mammals.
e. pathogens introduced by humans.
Answer: b
Feedback: Because these extinctions followed human colonization of North America,
most biologists favor the hypothesis that overhunting by humans was the most likely
cause.
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1244
3. Based on species–area relationships, ecologists predict that
a. about one million tropical evergreen forest species may become extinct in the next
hundred years.
b. a 90 percent loss of habitat will result in loss of about 9 percent of the species living
there.
c. the area required by most species will need to be reduced.
d. extinction is inevitable.
e. None of the above
Answer: a
Feedback: Based on estimates of current and future disappearance of tropical evergreen
forests, about one million species that live in these communities could become extinct.
This loss is not inevitable if we reduce the rate at which these forests are converted to
pasture and cropland.
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
4. In the United States, the groups of organisms with the highest proportion of
endangered or extinct species live in
a. grasslands.
b. the deciduous forest biome.
c. freshwater habitats.
d. deserts.
e. temperate evergreen forest.
Answer: c
Feedback: Habitat destruction and pollution have caused extinction or endangerment of a
very high proportion of aquatic freshwater species.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Survival?
Page: 1247
5. In the graph below, select the curve (a, b, or c) that correctly shows the expected
relationship between habitat patch area and the proportion influenced by edge effects.
Answer: a
Feedback: Because the edge of a habitat patch equals the perimeter of the patch, it is
proportionally greater for smaller habitat patches. Therefore, the relationship between
edge effects and habitat patch areas is an inverse relationship, as shown by curve a.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Survival?
Page: 1247
6. Which of the following is not currently a major cause of the global reduction in
biodiversity?
a. Overexploitation
b. Global warming
c. Habitat destruction
d. Introduction of foreign predators and disease
e. All of the above are currently major causes of extinction.
Answer: b
Feedback: Global warming is predicted to be a major cause of extinction in the future,
but is not yet having the kind of impact on populations as overexploitation, habitat
destruction and species introductions are.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Survival?
Page: 1247–1250
7. Why do conservation biologists believe that global warming may lead to extensive
decimation of species?
a. Because little change in plant community composition has occurred in the past, we
cannot expect present communities to adapt to climate change.
b. The magnitude of climate change will be much greater than past periods of climatic
change.
c. Many sedentary species may not be able to shift their ranges at the same pace as the
northern movement of temperature zones.
d. Both b and c
e. All of the above
Answer: c
Feedback: Although the expected magnitude of the climate change due to global
warming may be similar to past climate changes, the rate of warming will be greater. This
may make it impossible for many species to extend their ranges at the same rate as the
northward movement of the temperature zones.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Survival?
Page: 1249–1250
8. A defect of the “hotspot” approach to conserving biodiversity is that it does not direct
attention to
a. regions of low species richness that may nevertheless contain unique species or
ecological communities.
b. marine regions.
c. regions with a high number of endemic species.
d. Both a and b
e. All of the above
Answer: d
Feedback: The “hotspot” concept emphasizes the preservation of regions of high species
richness and endemism. It overlooks marine regions and terrestrial regions of relatively
low species richness.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1251
9. Which of the following efforts to preserve biodiversity best exemplifies restoration
ecology?
a. A campaign to discourage pesticide use on lawns
b. A project to convert ranch land into a natural prairie
c. Designation of the habitat of an endangered species as a protected area
d. Elimination of commercial trade in products derived from endangered and threatened
species
e. A captive breeding program to maintain an endangered species
Answer: b
Feedback: Restoration ecology focuses on the reestablishment of entire ecosystems to
their natural state.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1252
10. Which of the following efforts to preserve biodiversity best exemplifies reconciliation
ecology?
a. A campaign to discourage pesticide use on lawns
b. A project to convert ranch land into a natural prairie
c. Designation of the habitat of an endangered species as a protected area
d. Elimination of commercial trade in products derived from endangered and threatened
species
e. A captive breeding program to maintain an endangered species
Answer: a
Feedback: Reconciliation ecology focuses on ways that biodiversity can be sustained in
landscapes in which people live.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1256–1257
11. Experiments on wetland restoration have demonstrated that planting a richer mixture
of species is associated with
a. faster accumulation of belowground nitrogen.
b. more complex vegetation structure.
c. more rapid development of vegetation cover.
d. Both b and c
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Feedback: When a species-rich mixture is introduced, wetland restoration is more
successful for all of the reasons listed.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1253
12. To help identify species of exotic plants that have the potential to become invasive if
they were to be introduced into North America, conservation biologists make use of a
“decision tree.” Which of the following plant characteristics might cause biologists to
deny approval for a proposed introduction of an exotic plant species?
a. Seeds of the plant do not require pretreatment for germination.
b. The plant spreads quickly by vegetative propagation.
c. The plant is invasive outside of North America.
d. The juvenile period of the plant is less than five years.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Feedback: See Figure 59.16 in the textbook.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1255
13. The fynbos shrub community in South Africa
a. is threatened by introduced species of taller, faster-growing plants.
b. is a fire-adapted community.
c. helps maintain a regional supply of high-quality water.
d. includes thousands of plant species found nowhere else in the world.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Feedback: See Figure 59.18 in the textbook.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1256
14. Which of the following statements about elephants and the ivory trade is false?
a. African elephants are endangered throughout their range.
b. The geographical source of ivory can be determined by the use of DNA markers.
c. There is a strong demand for ivory in Japan and China because of its use in folk
medicines.
d. Online sales of ivory on eBay have been banned.
e. The legal mechanism for prohibiting the ivory trade is the international agreement
called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Answer: a
Feedback: A number of countries in southern Africa have so many elephants that some
must be killed to prevent them from dispersing to populated regions and damaging crops.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1254
15. The California condor
a. is being introduced into regions that were not part of its historic geographical range as
part of the effort to save the species.
b. became endangered partly because of high mortality that resulted from its eating
carcasses containing lead shot.
c. has increased in numbers because of captive propagation, though released captive-bred
condors have not yet bred in the wild.
d. has been reintroduced to the wild over the objections of cattle ranchers, who believe
correctly that condors kill livestock.
e. All of the above
Answer: b
Feedback: The California condor’s historic range included all of the regions where it is
currently being reintroduced. Condors are now breeding in the wild and do not kill
livestock.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1257
Application
1. Aside from the aesthetic benefits of biodiversity, list three economic reasons people
should care about species extinctions.
Answer: A list of economic reasons people should care about species extinctions would
include the importance of natural products (food, fiber, and medicine), services such as
fermentation, ecosystems services, and nature tourism.
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1244–1245
2. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, some species are listed as endangered,
whereas others are deemed threatened. What is the distinction between these two
categories?
Answer: Endangered species are in imminent danger of extinction over all or a significant
portion of their range. Threatened species are those likely to become endangered in the
near future.
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
3. What are wildlife corridors, and how have experiments demonstrated that they help
species persist in patchy environments?
Answer: Habitat corridors are relatively thin strips of habitat of a particular type that
connect larger patches of the same type of habitat. Their importance in permitting
individuals to disperse from one patch to another was demonstrated in experiments
described in Figure 55.11 of the textbook.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Survival?
Page: 1248
4. Why are exotic species frequently a threat to the biological diversity of the region in
which they are introduced?
Answer: Native species that live in a particular community have evolved to cope
successfully with the specific predators, competitors, and diseases that are part of its
environment. Introduced species represent a change in the environment for which native
species may not have been prepared by natural selection.
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Survival?
Page: 1248
5. In recent years, severe forest fires in many parts of the western United States have
raised controversy concerning the use of controlled burning as a forest management tool.
What are the benefits of this practice?
Answer: In ecosystems that naturally experience periodic fires, controlled burning
prevents the excessive accumulation of fuel (dead branches, leaf litter, etc.) and thereby
lessens the danger that catastrophic, tree-consuming canopy fires will occur. In addition,
because many species in such ecosystems require periodic fires for successful
establishment and reproduction, controlled burning may be necessary to maintain species
richness.
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use?
Page: 1253–1254
TEXTBOOK SELF-QUIZ
1. Which of the following is not currently a major cause of species extinctions?
a. Habitat destruction
b. Rising sea levels
c. Overexploitation
d. Introduction of exotic predators
e. Introduction of exotic pathogens
Answer: b
2. The most important cause of endangerment of species in the United States currently is
a. climate change.
b. invasive species.
c. overexploitation.
d. habitat loss.
e. loss of mutualists.
Answer: d
3. Species extinctions matter to human society because
a. more than a quarter of the medical prescriptions written in the United States contain a
plant product.
b. people derive aesthetic pleasure from interacting with other organisms.
c. causing species extinctions raises serious ethical issues.
d. biodiversity helps maintain valuable ecosystem services.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
4. As a habitat patch gets smaller, it
a. cannot support populations of species that require large areas.
b. supports only small populations of many species.
c. is influenced to an increasing degree by edge effects.
d. is invaded by species from surrounding habitats.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
5. A plant species is most likely to become invasive when introduced to a new area if it
a. grows tall.
b. has become invasive in other places where it has been introduced.
c. is closely related to species living in the area where it has been introduced.
d. has specialized disseminators of its seeds.
e. has a long life span.
Answer: b
6. Global warming is a concern because
a. the rate of change in climate is projected to be faster than the rate at which many
species can shift their ranges.
b. it is already too hot in the tropics.
c. climates have been so stable for thousands of years that many species lack the ability to
tolerate variable temperatures.
d. climate change will be especially harmful to rare species.
e. None of the above
Answer: a
7. Scientists can determine the historical frequency of fires in an area by
a. examining charcoal in sites of ancient villages.
b. measuring carbon in soils.
c. radioactively dating fallen tree trunks.
d. examining fire scars in growth rings of living trees.
e. determining the age structure of forests.
Answer: d
8. Captive propagation is a useful conservation tool, when
a. there is space in zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens for breeding a few individuals.
b. the areas of origin of the captive individuals are known.
c. the threats that endangered the species are being alleviated so that captive-reared
individuals can later be released back into the wild.
d. there are sufficient caretakers.
e. None of the above; captive propagation should never be used because it directs
attention away from the need to protect the species in their natural habitats.
Answer: c
9. Restoration ecology is an important field because
a. many areas have been highly degraded.
b. many areas are vulnerable to global climate change.
c. many species suffer from demographic stochasticity.
d. many species are genetically impoverished.
e. fire is a threat to many areas.
Answer: a
10. The field of reconciliation ecology has developed because
a. all other methods of preserving biodiversity have failed.
b. protected areas should be able to maintain biodiversity.
c. protected areas alone are insufficient to maintain biodiversity.
d. scientists are unable to control diseases today.
e. we are not reconciled with other species.
Answer: c
BIOPORTAL DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ (Personalized Study Plan Quiz)
(By Nancy Murray)
1. The scientific study of how to preserve the diversity of life is the applied discipline of
a. ecological preservation.
b. conservation ecology.
c. biological environmentalism.
d. biological ecology.
e. conservation biology.
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1243
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
2. People value biodiversity for all of the following reasons except
a. food, fiber, and medicine.
b. aesthetic pleasure from interacting with other organisms.
c. opportunities to study and understand the world they live in.
d. the acceptance that extinctions are part of a natural process.
e. functioning of ecosystems and the benefits they provide.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.1 What Is Conservation Biology?
Page: 1244–1245
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
3. Which of the following threaten species survival?
a. medical practices.
b. overexploitation.
c. habitat loss.
d. fragmentation.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1244–1245
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
4. A species–area plot indicates the
a. overall distribution, or area, occupied by a species.
b. relationship between the body size of a species and the amount of territory or home
range it requires.
c. number of species found, on average, in tropical versus northern areas.
d. number of species found, on average, in a habitat of a given size.
e. relationship between the body size of a species and the specific habitat it requires.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1245
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
5. What are reasons scientists cannot accurately predict the number of extinctions that
will occur in the future?
a. They do not know how many species currently live on Earth.
b. They do not know where species live.
c. It is difficult to determine when a species becomes extinct.
d. They cannot predict what will happen in the future.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1245
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
6. Species that are likely to become at risk for extinction in the near future are labeled
a. endangered.
b. extinct.
c. threatened.
d. invasive.
e. endemic.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
7. The relationship of the number of species to habitat size is known as
a. species–area relationship.
b. island biogeography.
c. extinction modeling.
d. population-growth modeling.
e. population–habitat analysis.
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
8. Why are species with rapidly shrinking populations especially vulnerable to
extinction?
a. Reductions in population size can lead to genetic drift and loss of genetic variation.
b. Populations reduced to a small size or confined to a small range can easily be
eliminated by local disturbances.
c. Species with specialized habitat or dietary requirements are less likely to become
extinct than species with more generalized requirements.
d. Both a and b
e. All of the above
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1246
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
9. Which of the following about a habitat patch becoming smaller is false?
a. cannot support populations of species that require large areas.
b. supports only small populations of many species.
c. is influenced to an increasing degree by edge effects.
d. usually becomes more diverse.
e. may be invaded by species from surrounding habitats.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
10. When habitats are progressively destroyed by human activities, the remaining habitat
patches become smaller and more isolated. In other words, the habitat becomes
a. diverse.
b. fragmented.
c. bottle-necked.
d. diversified.
e. homogeneous.
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering
11. Effects originating outside the habitat are known as
a. isolating effects.
b. principal disturbances.
c. secondary disturbances.
d. edge effects.
e. fragmentations.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
12. Why does the fraction of a patch that is subject to edge effects increase as habitat
fragmentation increases?
a. Small patches cannot maintain populations of species that require large areas.
b. Species from surrounding habitats often colonize edges to compete with or prey upon
the species living there.
c. The smaller a patch of habitat, the greater the proportion of that patch that is influenced
by conditions in the surrounding environment.
d. Both a and b
e. All of the above
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
13. A builder is planning to build approximately ten new homes on a parcel of land. The
local zoning regulations require that the builder set aside some of the property for open,
green space for animal habitat. The builder could set aside one large parcel for the green
space or he could set aside many, smaller plots. Which might be considered the best
choice, from the point of view of a conservation biologist?
a. The larger plot is preferable because it could allow for more interbreeding and less
edge effects.
b. There really is no difference between the two options.
c. The isolated plots are preferable because they spread out the habitat.
d. The larger plot is preferable because the isolated plots are more vulnerable to edge
effects.
e. The smaller plots are preferable as they will create more interbreeding in many species.
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying
14. Why does fragmentation of habitats reduce the ability to support biodiversity?
a. More fragmented habitats are more vulnerable to edge effects.
b. Some species need a minimum amount of habitat to support a population and survive.
c. The fraction of a patch influenced by external factors increases rapidly as patch size
decreases.
d. Both a and b
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1247
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
15. Species introduced to regions outside their original range that spread widely and
become unduly abundant, at a cost to the native species of the region, are known as
a. endemic.
b. fragmented.
c. invasive.
d. exotic.
e. parasitic.
Answer: c
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
16. Invasive plant species
a. are detrimental because they often out-compete native species for resources.
b. do not pose any threat to native species so long as they are adapted to the area.
c. generally have low growth rates.
d. generally provide adaptive disease-inhibiting properties to the native plants.
e. are usually restricted to small areas.
Answer: a
Textbook Reference: 59.3 What Factors Threaten Species Persistence?
Page: 1249
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
17. A species that is found only in a particular region is said to be
a. an indicator species for that region.
b. a restricted species.
c. a vulnerable species.
d. endemic to that region.
e. demographically constrained.
Answer: d
Textbook Reference: 59.2 How Do Biologists Predict Changes in Biodiversity?
Page: 1251
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
18. Which of the following factors are used to determine which areas to protect?
a. species richness.
b. human impacts on the area.
c. the number of endemic species in an area.
d. Both a and b
e. Both a and c
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use to Protect
Biodiversity?
Page: 1251
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
19. Which of the following can be considered priorities conservation biologists use to
establish protected areas?
a. Control of invasive, exotic species.
b. Creating new habitats.
c. Captive breeding programs.
d. Decreasing the trade of exploited species.
e. All of the above
Answer: e
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use to Protect
Biodiversity?
Page: 1251
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding
20. The frequency of fires in a particular area can be determined by
a. looking for fire pits in ancient villages.
b. measuring fire scars in the growth rings of trees.
c. studying the age of a forest.
d. looking for ashes in the layers of the ancient forest floor.
e. All of the above
Answer: b
Textbook Reference: 59.4 What Strategies Do Conservation Biologists Use To Protect
Biodiversity?
Page: 1254
Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding