Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Env. Studies Chapter 8 Review Questions

Terms in this set (25)

Which statement about biodiversity is true?
Biodiversity can be measured at different levels including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
The Endangered Species Act is often a center of controversy because _____.
landowners are concerned that federal officials will restrict the use of private land if threatened or endangered species are found on it
If a conservation biologist wanted to try to stop the largest cause of species extinction, what should he or she focus on?
habitat alteration
Global biodiversity exists in a number of patterns. The largest and most obvious of these is that biodiversity is _____.
greatest at the equator and drops as you move farther north or south
A biodiversity "hotspot" is _____.
a region where species diversity is high, but threatened by habitat loss.
The sixth mass extinction event _____.
is ongoing and has been caused by human disturbance
Conservation biology is different from other fields of science discussed in the book because _______.
it is an applied and goal-oriented science, with implicit values and ethical standards
How have humans influenced the rate of extinction?
The current rate of extinction is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the historical background rate.
The development of pharmaceutical products has been _____.
aided by protection of ecosystem diversity
Which group of organisms is the most important in terms of contributing the most species to global biodiversity?
insects
Of the taxonomic levels below, two species that are in the same _____ are most closely related evolutionarily.
genus
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) tries to prevent the extinction of species by _____.
asking countries to stop the importation of organisms or parts of organisms (like tiger bones) if they are endangered species
How is community-based conservation different from more traditional approaches to conservation?
In community-based conservation, local people are involved with protecting the habitat, allowing them to still gain benefit from its resources.
An umbrella species is best defined as _____.
a species that, if protected, will result in the protection of a large number of species that require the same habitat
Which of the following populations would have the best chance of coping with environmental changes and persisting?
a population of humans originally from countries all over the world
Why can many different species coexist and thrive in areas close to the equator?
Equatorial climatic conditions discourage any one species from dominating the ecosystem and encourage biodiversity.
When a species declines in number, it also _____.
occupies less area than it once did
According to the text, which of the following types of species would be most vulnerable to hunting by people?
whales
Which of the following statements about the importance of organisms in an ecosystem is true?
"Ecosystem engineers" can be as important as keystone species for the survival of the ecosystem.
Pharmaceuticals produced from wild species produce up to $150 billion in sales and save many lives each year. This is an example of _____.
ecosystem services
Maria loves to be outdoors. She hikes every day in the woods, near the home that she shares with five pets and that is surrounded by mountains. Edward O. Wilson would argue that this is evidence of _____.
biophilia
Which of the following can increase species richness globally?
speciation
All of the following are ways that humans reduce biodiversity in ecosystems except _____.
captive breeding programs
Which of the following statements about cloning organisms is true?
Producing cloned animals and keeping them in zoos does not increase biodiversity of the species.
Which of the following methods is being employed by Conservation International to help countries keep their natural resources intact?
conservation concessions
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...