Chapter 21

Which is NOT an example of an alien or exotic species?
zebra mussels introduced into the Great Lakes
introduction of Nile perch into Lake Victoria
the mongoose brought to Hawaii to control rats
the brown tree snake in Guam
bison in the United States

Ecosystems provide services that support human agriculture. Which of the following is NOT one of these services?
pollination
pharmaceutical development
nutrient cycling
pest control
soil development and maintenance

In spite of hundreds of millions of dollars spent on insecticides targeted at pest species, such as mosquitoes and crop pests, we have been unable to drive any to extinction. On the other hand, bird, fish, plant, and insect species that we barely recognize have gone extinct. This has mainly been due to
habitat destruction.
scientific collecting.
hunting.
insecticides such as DDT.
farming.

Which of the following is a renewable energy sources?
coal
fossil fuels
hydropower
natural gas
oil

As the human population size increases,
fewer fossil fuels are burned and carbon dioxide levels remain constant.
ecosystems remain unaffected.
it becomes evident that preserving the biosphere has no benefit to humans.
biodiversity is adversely affected as humans have destructive effects on ecosystems.
fewer ecosystems are destroyed, resulting in an abundance of biodiversity.

Which of the following represents a potential threat to biodiversity?
Humans clear land for agriculture and housing.
Energy flows through an ecosystem, with much lost as heat.
In a food chain, one population feeds on another.
People construct artificial reefs to support marine life.
Tropical rain forests and coral reefs are found where solar energy is the most abundant.

Which of the following is an example of the importance of biodiversity in a natural ecosystem?
pollination of flowers by bees
increasing the survival rate of childhood leukemia from 10 percent to 90 percent
production of antibiotics from fungi
supplies building materials for new construction
increasing the availability of food for the human population

Because certain areas have greater diversity, conservation biology would consider them
subjected to edge effects.
sustainable ecosystems.
prioritized for preservation.
less stable.
typically overcrowded.

Coastal degradation, such as the loss of mangrove swamps and coral reefs, is primarily caused by
erosion of seashores by storms.
increased high-tech industry.
slash and burn agriculture to raise crops.
increased ranching for beef export.
the large concentration of people living along coasts.

Introduction of alien or exotic species into new ecosystems does NOT occur by
accidental transport by ship or plane without anyone's knowledge.
expansion and exploration of the new species itself.
introduction as new agriculture by settlers.
colonization when new settlers arrive in an area.
horticulture use.

Which two extinction risks may be a direct result of the pet trade?
climate change and exotic species introduction
habitat loss and overharvesting
overharvesting and exotic species introduction
habitat loss and climate change

Which group of organisms has the most described species?
plants
prokaryotes
animals
protists
fungi

A secondary plant compound might be used for which of the following?
a new crop variety
a new drug
a soil nutrient
a crop pest

Which is NOT an example of an alien or exotic species?
zebra mussels introduced into the Great Lakes
introduction of Nile perch into Lake Victoria
the mongoose brought to Hawaii to control rats
the brown tree snake in Guam
bison in the United States

Which of these is NOT an indirect value of species?
aiding in biogeochemical cycles
aiding in waste disposal
providing fresh water
reducing soil erosion
All of these are indirect values of species.

Certain species of parrot cannot be brought to the United States to be sold as pets. What is the name of the legislation that makes this illegal?
Red List
Migratory Bird Act
CITES
Endangered Species Act (ESA)

The number of currently described species on the planet is about ___.
17,000
150,000
1.5 million
10 million

The core threat to biodiversity on the planet is ___.
exotic species
human population growth and its use of resources
climate change
habitat heterogeneity

The complexity of tropical ecosystems may promote speciation by increasing the ___.
habitat heterogeneity
number of foundation species
diversity of endemic species
rate of extinction

Pollination is an example of ___.
a possible source of new drugs
chemical diversity
an ecosystem service
crop pest control

The number of described species is estimated to be 10 million.
You Answered
True
False

Modern farming methods have resulted in all of the following EXCEPT
less efficient irrigation methods.
excessive fuel consumption.
an increase in the overall food supply.
planting of fewer genetic varieties of plants.
heavy use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.

The situation with major ocean fishing areas is
positive for the bottom dwellers that are protected, but negative for the schools of swimming fish.
good since the oceans are so large; they are the one remaining natural ecosystem.
generally positive, with only 1 or 2 of the 15 major oceanic fishing areas overexploited.
negative for the bottom dwellers that are over-fished by trawling, but positive for the schools of swimming fish that can easily evade capture.
generally negative, due to increased number and efficiency of fishing boats and the negative impact on biodiversity.

Which of the following is of least importance when concerning the preservation of ecosystems?
Ecosystem preservation maintains the status of species in their current state.
Humans derive medicines, food, and many important materials from functioning ecosystems.
Many different organisms perform services that ensure our continued existence.
Preservation of ecosystems allows humans to exploit as many resources as possible.
It is estimated that possibly 400 species become extinct each day due to activities of humans.

You are studying the effects of the proliferation of farmlands on the natural prairie grasslands of North America. Which kind of diversity would be affected by this construction?
conservation diversity
landscape diversity
genetic diversity
species diversity
ecosystem diversity

The impacts of climate change are currently greatest in the ___.
arctic
tropical forests
oceans
deserts

Which of the following will NOT help conserve biodiversity?
reintroducing keystone predators into areas where they had been absent
creating wildlife preserves
removing dams along rivers
changing human behavior
All of the above will help conservation.

Of the five mass extinctions discovered in the fossil record, the most recent was ___ years ago.
65 million
225 million
200,000
1.2 million

Plants make many different type of secondary compounds. Researching them as potential sources for new medicines would be an example of the use of ___ biodiversity.
chemical
genetic
ecosystem
keystone species

The loss of an ecosystem can result in which of the following?
the loss of the interactions between species
the loss of unique features of coadaptation
the loss of biological productivity that an ecosystem is able to create
All of the above are correct.

It is estimated that the value of honeybees and other pollinators within the United States is $8.7 billion per year. True False

The background extinction rate is estimated to be about ___ per million species years (E/MSY).
1
1500
500
3.5
26

The use of wheat, corn, rice, and other crops modified from wild ancestors are an example of ________ value drawn from biodiversity.
agricultural
no
medicinal
consumptive use
indirect

The loss of wild relatives to crops also threatens breeders’ abilities to create new varieties.
True
False

Ecosystems are based on complex interactions between communities. What are possible consequences from a disruption of these interactions?
increases in biodiversity
increases in extinctions
increases in pollution
decreases in pollution
decreases in extinctions

The most common meaning of biodiversity is ___.
the number of species in a location or on Earth
the amount of genetic raw material available for adaptation
the assortment of different chemicals produced by different organisms
the number of different ecosystems in a geographical area or on Earth

What kind of ecosystem are exotic species especially threatening to?
deserts
marine ecosystems
islands
tropical forests

What is the name of the first international agreement on climate change?
Red List
Montreal Protocol
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Kyoto Protocol

A species which is found only in one area, such as the cichlid fish species of Lake Victoria, is termed a(n) ___ species.
endangered
rare
keystone
endemic