Question 1

Which of these activities, occurring in marine environments, would be considered an example of habitat degradation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Dynamiting a coral reef 
B)  Releasing industrial chemicals into a bay 
C)  Removing catch limits so all fish of a given species can be caught 
D)  Introducing a highly predatory fish into a coastal habitat 
E)  Dredging and filling to build a canal through a coastal wetland 
A)  Dynamiting a coral reef 
B)  Releasing industrial chemicals into a bay 
C)  Removing catch limits so all fish of a given species can be caught 
D)  Introducing a highly predatory fish into a coastal habitat 
E)  Dredging and filling to build a canal through a coastal wetland

Question 2

The predicted increases in world temperatures, sea level, storms, and ocean acidification are all aspects of _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The predicted increases in world temperatures, sea...

Question 3

Ninety percent of a forest is cut down and removed.This results in a loss of all members of several tree species in a region.The immediate loss of trees is an example of which factor important to biodiversity decline?

Accepted Answer

A)  Climate change 
B)  Natural predation 
C)  Overharvesting of organisms 
D)  Habitat loss and degradation 
E)  Species invasions and emerging diseases 
A)  Climate change 
B)  Natural predation 
C)  Overharvesting of organisms 
D)  Habitat loss and degradation 
E)  Species invasions and emerging diseases

Question 4

Polar bears hunt seals by traveling over sea ice to areas where seals hunt in the ocean.Seals rarely come to land but use the sea ice to rest, give birth, and raise their pups.Which can be expected to happen to polar bears and seals as the climate warms and the sea ice melts more and more rapidly?

Accepted Answer

A)  They will both migrate to other areas with more ice. 
B)  They will both evolve rapidly so they can survive without ice. 
C)  Their populations will decline, and they may go extinct. 
D)  Their populations will increase because of the warmer weather. 
E)  Polar bears will likely go extinct, allowing seals to increase their populations. 
A)  They will both migrate to other areas with more ice. 
B)  They will both evolve rapidly so they can survive without ice. 
C)  Their populations will decline, and they may go extinct. 
D)  Their populations will increase because of the warmer weather. 
E)  Polar bears will likely go extinct, allowing seals to increase their populations.

Question 5

All members of a rare cycad (ancient tree) species have been illegally removed from wild ecosystems in Africa.They exist today only in botanical parks and private collections.The cause of this type of species extinction is termed _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of All members of a rare cycad (ancient...

Question 6

Decades ago, a coastal wetland was drained, filled, and built upon as a city expanded outward.The wetland's permanent community of plants and animals was destroyed.In addition, people lost the wetland's aesthetic, recreational, and flood-control benefits.The city council recently voted to restore a part of the original wetland.The restoration process is least likely to involve which action?

Accepted Answer

A)  Active removal of structures and/or pollutants 
B)  Removal of non-native species 
C)  Addition of levees for flood control 
D)  Reestablishment of original water flow patterns 
E)  Replanting of native vegetation and reintroduction of native animals 
A)  Active removal of structures and/or pollutants 
B)  Removal of non-native species 
C)  Addition of levees for flood control 
D)  Reestablishment of original water flow patterns 
E)  Replanting of native vegetation and reintroduction of native animals

Question 7

An industry releases toxic chemicals into a river.An oil spill occurs off the Gulf Coast, polluting local beaches and fishery areas.A cruise boat in the Pacific releases its trash, most of it plastic, into the open ocean.All of these are examples of

Accepted Answer

A)  edge effects. 
B)  habitat degradation. 
C)  overharvesting. 
D)  invasive pathogens. 
E)  climate change. 
A)  edge effects. 
B)  habitat degradation. 
C)  overharvesting. 
D)  invasive pathogens. 
E)  climate change.

Question 8

Refer to the graph.   Ocean fisheries began collapsing in the twentieth century because of increased demand and better technologies.According to the graph, what is the best conclusion that can be drawn about the status of these fisheries between 1950 and 2010?

Accepted Answer

A)  The status improved gradually during these years. 
B)  The status declined gradually during these years. 
C)  The status improved more rapidly after about 1982. 
D)  The status declined more rapidly after about 1982. 
E)  The status varied so much that there is no clear trend. 
A)  The status improved gradually during these years. 
B)  The status declined gradually during these years. 
C)  The status improved more rapidly after about 1982. 
D)  The status declined more rapidly after about 1982. 
E)  The status varied so much that there is no clear trend.

Question 9

What can conservation biologists say with certainty about the causes of the extinction of species?

Accepted Answer

A)  Extinction is caused only by human activities. 
B)  Extinction is caused only by natural events. 
C)  Extinction is caused by both human activity and natural events. 
D)  Extinction is probably caused by many factors, most currently unknown. 
E)  Extinction is balanced by speciation, so there is no net extinction. 
A)  Extinction is caused only by human activities. 
B)  Extinction is caused only by natural events. 
C)  Extinction is caused by both human activity and natural events. 
D)  Extinction is probably caused by many factors, most currently unknown. 
E)  Extinction is balanced by speciation, so there is no net extinction.

Question 10

An invasive species might have any of the following effects except

Accepted Answer

A)  coexisting cooperatively with native species in the ecosystem. 
B)  introducing disease organisms into an ecosystem. 
C)  affecting an ecosystem function such as water availability or fire cycles. 
D)  hybridizing with wild populations, changing the ecosystem's genetic diversity. 
E)  causing a native species to become endangered. 
A)  coexisting cooperatively with native species in the ecosystem. 
B)  introducing disease organisms into an ecosystem. 
C)  affecting an ecosystem function such as water availability or fire cycles. 
D)  hybridizing with wild populations, changing the ecosystem's genetic diversity. 
E)  causing a native species to become endangered.

Question 11

Climate researchers have found that biomes are shifting toward the poles.This is particularly evident in temperate grasslands and boreal forests.It is expected that by 2100, nearly 40 percent of land-based ecosystems will have changed to different community types.This suggests that, in the near future, some

Accepted Answer

A)  tundra may change to boreal forest. 
B)  boreal forest may change to tundra. 
C)  grassland may change to tropical forest. 
D)  grassland may change to temperate forest. 
E)  boreal forest may change to grassland. 
A)  tundra may change to boreal forest. 
B)  boreal forest may change to tundra. 
C)  grassland may change to tropical forest. 
D)  grassland may change to temperate forest. 
E)  boreal forest may change to grassland.

Question 12

Burmese pythons are among the world's largest snake species.Pet owners released a number of them into the Florida Everglades, where they have been breeding and spreading rapidly.Originally from Southeast Asia, the introduced pythons now prey on many kinds of Florida mammals and birds and even occasionally on alligators.
How is the proliferation of this top predator likely to affect the Everglades ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Overpopulation of a top predator such as

Question 13

Human intervention to restore degraded ecosystems is primarily useful because it

Accepted Answer

A)  results in an ecosystem that is better than the original. 
B)  speeds up the natural process of restoration. 
C)  eliminates any natural disturbances, such as fire. 
D)  brings permanently extinct species back to the ecosystem. 
E)  allows establishment of new ecosystems in non-native locations. 
A)  results in an ecosystem that is better than the original. 
B)  speeds up the natural process of restoration. 
C)  eliminates any natural disturbances, such as fire. 
D)  brings permanently extinct species back to the ecosystem. 
E)  allows establishment of new ecosystems in non-native locations.

Question 14

Scientists describe the recent decline in global biodiversity as Earth's sixth mass extinction.They are having difficulty determining exactly how rapidly species are disappearing, but most scientists fear they are underestimating the rate and number of species being lost.This underestimation would most likely occur because

Accepted Answer

A)  an unknown number of species have not yet been discovered and described. 
B)  some species listed as extinct may not actually be extinct. 
C)  scientists are not looking for rare species that are likely to go extinct. 
D)  species losses due to economic uses such as overharvesting are not counted. 
E)  scientists have no measurements of background rates or past extinction rates. 
A)  an unknown number of species have not yet been discovered and described. 
B)  some species listed as extinct may not actually be extinct. 
C)  scientists are not looking for rare species that are likely to go extinct. 
D)  species losses due to economic uses such as overharvesting are not counted. 
E)  scientists have no measurements of background rates or past extinction rates.

Question 15

What are the most obvious effects of climate change now occurring on land, and what major changes are occurring in species or ecosystems as a result of these effects?

Accepted Answer

Major effects of climate change on land

Question 16

A new fungal pathogen that affects certain oak trees is introduced into a forest.Why might this introduced pathogen be more damaging to forest species than an already present native pathogen?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fungi do not typically live in forests, so no forest species will be adapted to it. 
B)  Forests cannot survive without oak trees, so the forest will die if the pathogen invades. 
C)  The forest's oak trees likely have defenses against native pathogens but not against the introduced pathogen. 
D)  Introduced pathogens are always more virulent than native pathogens and will overcome whatever species they encounter. 
E)  The introduced pathogen will be better adapted to the forest environment than any already present native pathogens. 
A)  Fungi do not typically live in forests, so no forest species will be adapted to it. 
B)  Forests cannot survive without oak trees, so the forest will die if the pathogen invades. 
C)  The forest's oak trees likely have defenses against native pathogens but not against the introduced pathogen. 
D)  Introduced pathogens are always more virulent than native pathogens and will overcome whatever species they encounter. 
E)  The introduced pathogen will be better adapted to the forest environment than any already present native pathogens.

Question 17

Ecotourism may be an important means of preserving endangered species, such as African wild dogs, for all of these reasons except that it

Accepted Answer

A)  provides money for conservation efforts to save the dogs. 
B)  may decrease deliberate extermination of the dogs by farmers. 
C)  is a source of economic support to the human community. 
D)  lessens threats to the species from rabies and canine distemper. 
E)  helps increase people's appreciation for the dogs. 
A)  provides money for conservation efforts to save the dogs. 
B)  may decrease deliberate extermination of the dogs by farmers. 
C)  is a source of economic support to the human community. 
D)  lessens threats to the species from rabies and canine distemper. 
E)  helps increase people's appreciation for the dogs.

Question 18

Today, Earth is said to be undergoing a sixth mass extinction event, the first (and only) one caused by humans.This mass extinction event can best be distinguished from Earth's background extinction rate by considering the

Accepted Answer

A)  type of animals going extinct. 
B)  location of most extinctions. 
C)  number of extinctions occurring per year. 
D)  fact that we now know the number of species present on Earth. 
E)  fact that it is caused by humans. 
A)  type of animals going extinct. 
B)  location of most extinctions. 
C)  number of extinctions occurring per year. 
D)  fact that we now know the number of species present on Earth. 
E)  fact that it is caused by humans.

Question 19

Why are coupled human-natural systems, in addition to protected areas, necessary to stem the loss of biodiversity?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are better at protecting and preserving species than natural areas. 
B)  They allow extraction of resources, which increases biodiversity. 
C)  They are located outside urban/suburban areas. 
D)  They involve citizens in protecting local ecosystem services. 
E)  They are managed by humans, who are necessary to protect biodiversity. 
A)  They are better at protecting and preserving species than natural areas. 
B)  They allow extraction of resources, which increases biodiversity. 
C)  They are located outside urban/suburban areas. 
D)  They involve citizens in protecting local ecosystem services. 
E)  They are managed by humans, who are necessary to protect biodiversity.

Question 20

Climate changes are already beginning to cause species to change their life history and be at risk of extinction as a result of all of the following factors except

Accepted Answer

A)  rising temperatures. 
B)  rising sea levels. 
C)  more acidic oceans. 
D)  increasing storm severity. 
E)  overharvesting of species. 
A)  rising temperatures. 
B)  rising sea levels. 
C)  more acidic oceans. 
D)  increasing storm severity. 
E)  overharvesting of species.

Exam 58: A Changing Biosphere

Which of these activities, occurring in marine environments, would be considered an example of habitat degradation?

The predicted increases in world temperatures, sea level, storms, and ocean acidification are all aspects of _______.

Ninety percent of a forest is cut down and removed.This results in a loss of all members of several tree species in a region.The immediate loss of trees is an example of which factor important to biodiversity decline?

Polar bears hunt seals by traveling over sea ice to areas where seals hunt in the ocean.Seals rarely come to land but use the sea ice to rest, give birth, and raise their pups.Which can be expected to happen to polar bears and seals as the climate warms and the sea ice melts more and more rapidly?

All members of a rare cycad (ancient tree) species have been illegally removed from wild ecosystems in Africa.They exist today only in botanical parks and private collections.The cause of this type of species extinction is termed _______.

An industry releases toxic chemicals into a river.An oil spill occurs off the Gulf Coast, polluting local beaches and fishery areas.A cruise boat in the Pacific releases its trash, most of it plastic, into the open ocean.All of these are examples of

Refer to the graph. Ocean fisheries began collapsing in the twentieth century because of increased demand and better technologies.According to the graph, what is the best conclusion that can be drawn about the status of these fisheries between 1950 and 2010?

What can conservation biologists say with certainty about the causes of the extinction of species?

An invasive species might have any of the following effects except

Human intervention to restore degraded ecosystems is primarily useful because it

What are the most obvious effects of climate change now occurring on land, and what major changes are occurring in species or ecosystems as a result of these effects?

A new fungal pathogen that affects certain oak trees is introduced into a forest.Why might this introduced pathogen be more damaging to forest species than an already present native pathogen?

Ecotourism may be an important means of preserving endangered species, such as African wild dogs, for all of these reasons except that it

Today, Earth is said to be undergoing a sixth mass extinction event, the first (and only) one caused by humans.This mass extinction event can best be distinguished from Earth's background extinction rate by considering the

Why are coupled human-natural systems, in addition to protected areas, necessary to stem the loss of biodiversity?

Climate changes are already beginning to cause species to change their life history and be at risk of extinction as a result of all of the following factors except

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