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57 Conservation Biology
Name:
Multiple Choice: Choose the best answer.
1. Why should humans care about species extinctions?
a. Humans derive pleasure and aesthetic benefits from interactions with other organisms.
b. Humans depend on other species for food.
c. A variety of species are necessary for the functioning of ecosystems.
d. Biological diversity is the heritage of all humankind and should be passed on to future
generations.
e. All of the above
2. In recent years, the number of species driven to extinction has increased dramatically. Which
of the following is not a reason for this development?
a. Overexploitation
b. Habitat destruction
c. Introduction of predators
d. Natural predation
e. Introduction of diseases
3. A species–area relationship is used by ecologists to
a. determine the population density of a species in a certain habitat.
b. examine how human populations are growing.
c. estimate the numbers of species extinctions resulting from habitat destruction.
d. produce a population model.
e. None of the above
4. Species benefit the functioning of ecosystems in all of the following ways except for
a. maintenance of fertile soils.
b. prevention of soil erosion.
c. interference with the hydrological cycle.
d. waste product recycling.
e. plant pollination.
5. Which parameter of a population do ecologists measure to assess its extinction risk?
a. Genetic variation
b. Behavior
c. Physiology
d. Both a and b
e. a, b, and c
6. Captive propagation in zoos and botanical gardens has been quite successful for several
endangered species. Nevertheless, captive propagation is only a partial or temporary solution to
the biodiversity crisis. Which of the following does not represent an inadequacy of zoos?
a. There is not enough space in existing zoos and botanical gardens to maintain populations of
more than a small fraction of rare and endangered species.
b. Captive propagation projects in zoos have proven to be been useless in efforts to raise public
awareness of the biodiversity crisis.
c. A species in captivity can no longer evolve along with the other species in its ecological
community.
d. The preservation of endangered species cannot be accomplished simply by captive
propagation. The habitat required to support wild populations must also be present for successful
species preservation.
e. Small, captive populations tend to have low genetic diversity.
7. Approximately 200 years ago, California condors ranged from Canada to Mexico. By 1978, the
population had almost disappeared. Today condors are being reestablished because
a. condors migrated into North America from other areas.
b. nonbreeding birds began to pair when nesting conditions again improved.
c. the climate in the western United States, which had gone through a warm period, began to cool
making the climate suitable for condors once again.
d. extensive natural forest areas have been restored on the eastern seaboard, allowing condors
once again to nest successfully.
e. captive-reared condors have been systematically released in the western United States.
8. Why are species extinctions a threat to humans?
a. Many species are a human food source.
b. Many pharmaceutical products are derived from natural products. Loss of species could mean
loss of therapeutic drugs.
c. Biodiversity is important in maintaining fertile soils, and in the prevention of erosion.
d. Diverse species of animals and plants are important in the detoxification and recycling of
nutrients.
e. All of the above
9. Species native to islands such as Madagascar are particularly ravaged by habitat destruction
because
a. island populations of species tend to have more mutualistic relationships than mainland
populations.
b. many species found on islands are found nowhere else.
c. habitats are more easily destroyed on islands than on continents.
d. habitat fragmentation is more serious on islands than on continents because islands normally
have a single continuous habitat.
e. Both a and c
10. A(n) _______ species is one that has spread widely and become unduly abundant, at a cost to
native species.
a. invasive
b. endangered
c. threatened
d. endemic
e. extinct
11. _______ ecology is the field of conservation biology whose goal is to mend damaged and
degraded ecosystems.
a. Conservation
b. Historical
c. Restoration
d. Renovation
e. Redistribution
12. The American chestnut, a formerly abundant tree in forests of the Appalachian Mountains,
was virtually eliminated due to
a. habitat loss.
b. overexploitation.
c. the introduction of a non-native pathogen.
d. fire.
e. illegal trade.
13. Which of the following methods could be used to restore a population of animals from a few
male and female individuals.
a. Cross breeding
b. Interbreeding
c. Captive propagation
d. Selective breeding
e. Both a and b
14. Which of the following is not an essential service for humans that is provided by natural
ecosystems, such as wetlands?
a. Absorption of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide
b. Reduction of erosion and water runoff
c. Treatment and purification of wastewater
d. Production of fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife
e. Absorption of pollutants such as sulfates
15. Which of the following statements concerning the relationship between humans and the rest
of the living world is true?
a. Modern technology has made it so that we no longer depend on other living organisms.
b. We are dependent on artificial ecosystems, such as agroecosystems, and we gain no benefit
from natural ecosystems.
c. We are dependent on natural ecosystems at present, but the technology exists to completely
replace natural ecosystems so that we will no longer depend on them.
d. Our survival is tightly linked to the survival of natural ecosystems throughout the world.
e. Nonindustrial human societies are dependent on natural ecosystems, but industrial societies are
not.
16. If global warming continues to cause average ocean temperatures to increase, the most likely
effect on ocean coral reefs will be that
a. they will lose their symbiotic dinoflagellates, a phenomenon called bleaching.
b. they will grow uncontrollably.
c. they will remain stable.
d. coral reef reestablishment will be effective.
e. None of the above
17. The number of species that become extinct due to habitat destruction is greatest in _______
ecosystems.
a. temperate
b. tropical
c. arctic
d. desert
e. savanna
18. Major causes of human-induced extinctions of species include all of the following, except
a. climate modification.
b. overexploitation.
c. habitat destruction.
d. captive propagation.
e. introduction of predators and diseases.
19. Which of the following is not true of extinctions that occurred at least 2,000 years ago?
a. Many exterminated species were large mammals.
b. Humans had recently arrived in the area.
c. Habitat destruction by humans was the cause.
d. Many flightless birds were exterminated.
e. The exterminated species were initially numerous.
20. Fynbos are the endemic shrubs of the hills of Western Cape Province in South Africa and the
primary vegetation of the watershed that provides the region’s water supply. During recent
decades, fynbos have been invaded by alien plants that grow taller and faster, but a movement has
begun to remove these aliens by cutting and digging them up. Which of the following is not a
reason for removing them?
a. It is cheaper to remove the aliens than to obtain water by another method.
b. Tourism money comes into the country from people who want to see the fynbos.
c. Removing the aliens is the most technologically advanced method of supplying water to the
region.
d. The fynbos can be sold as cut flowers.
e. The intensity and severity of fires is lessened when the fynbos are present.