Campbell Biology, 10e (Reece)
Chapter 56 Conservation Biology and Global Change
1) Philippe Bouchet and colleagues conducted a massive survey of marine molluscs on the west
coast of New Caledonia. Twenty percent of the species found were represented by a single
specimen. What does that suggest about the diversity of molluscs in this area?
A) The west coast of New Caledonia is not an appropriate habitat for molluscs.
B) Many of the species from this 20 percent are probably rare.
C) They were not sampling uniformly throughout the area.
D) Many of the species from this 20 percent are most likely just dispersing through the area.
2) If all individuals in the last remaining population of a particular bird species were all highly
related, which type of diversity would be of greatest concern when planning to keep the species
from going extinct?
I ) genetic diversity
II) species diversity
III) ecosystem diversity
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
3) What is the biological significance of genetic diversity between populations?
A) Genes for traits conferring an advantage to local conditions make microevolution possible.
B) The population that is most fit would survive by competitive exclusion.
C) Genetic diversity allows for species stability by preventing speciation.
D) Diseases and parasites are not spread between separated populations.
4) With regard to the destruction of tropical forests, the focus is often on biodiversity and the
impact to these ecosystems. What is a direct benefit to humans that helps explain why these
forests need to be preserved?
A) This diversity could contain undocumented insect species.
B) Natural and undisturbed areas are important wildlife habitats.
C) The diversity could contain novel drugs for consumers.
D) The plant diversity provides shade, which lowers global warming.
5) Ecosystem services include processes that increase the quality of the abiotic environment.
Which of the following processes would fall under this category?
I) Keystone predators have a marked effect on species diversity.
II) Green plants produce the oxygen we breathe.
III) The presence of land plants builds soil.
IV) The presence of diverse wetlands helps in flood control.
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only I, II, and IV
D) only II, III, and IV
6) During the inventory of bacterial genes present in the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean, a research team concluded that at least 1800 bacterial species were discovered.
Based on what you know about this area, what would you expect to see in coral reef waters?
A) slightly greater genetic diversity
B) slightly smaller genetic diversity
C) markedly greater genetic diversity
D) markedly smaller genetic diversity
7) Erwin and Scott used an insecticidal fog to knock down insects from the top of a L. seemannii
tree. The researchers identified over 900 species of beetles among the individuals that fell. Erwin
also projected that this entire tree is host to about 600 arthropod species unique to this tree
species. There are approximately 50,000 species of tropical trees. Although it could not be
entirely accurate, what would be the best way to estimate the total number of arthropod species?
A) Estimate the species density and then multiply by 50,000.
B) Multiply 900 by 50,000.
C) Multiply 600 by 50,000.
D) Divide 900 by 600 and then multiply by 50,000.
8) Which of the following statements regarding extinction is (are) correct?
I) Only a small percentage of species is immune from extinction.
II) Extinction occurs whether humans interfere or not.
III) Extinctions can even be caused indirectly by humans.
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
9) Which of the following ecological locations has the greatest species diversity?
A) deciduous forests
B) tropical rain forest
C) grasslands
D) islands
10) Which of the following provides the best evidence of a biodiversity crisis?
A) the incursion of a non-native species
B) increasing pollution levels
C) high rate of extinction
D) climate change
11) Which of the following terms includes all of the others?
A) species diversity
B) biodiversity
C) genetic diversity
D) ecosystem diversity
12) To better comprehend the magnitude of current extinctions, it will be necessary to _____.
A) differentiate between plant extinction and animal extinction numbers
B) focus on identifying more species of mammals and birds
C) identify more of the yet unknown species of organisms on Earth
D) use the average extinction rates of vertebrates as a baseline
13) We should care about loss in biodiversity in other species because of _____.
I) potential loss of medicines and other products yet undiscovered from threatened species
II) potential loss of genes, some of which may code for proteins useful to humans
III) the risk to global ecological stability
A) only I
B) only II
C) only II and III
D) I, II, and III
14) Which of the following is the most direct threat to biodiversity?
A) increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide
B) the depletion of the ozone layer
C) overexploitation of selected species
D) habitat destruction
15) Introduced species can have deleterious effects on biological communities by _____.
I) preying on native species
II) competing with native species for food or light
III) displacing native species
IV) competing with native species for space or breeding/nesting habitat
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only II, III, and IV
D) I, II, III and IV
16) Overharvesting encourages extinction and is most likely to affect _____.
A) animals that occupy a broad ecological niche
B) large animals with low intrinsic reproductive rates
C) most organisms that live in the oceans
D) edge-adapted species
17) Of the following ecosystem types, which have been impacted the most by humans?
A) wetland and riparian
B) desert and high alpine
C) taiga and second-growth forests
D) tundra and arctic
18) Which of the following is a type of work a conservation biologist would be involved?
I) reestablishing whooping cranes in their former breeding grounds in North Dakota
II) studying species diversity and interaction in the Florida Everglades, past and present
III) studying population ecology of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park
IV) determining the effects of hunting white-tailed deer in Vermont
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only II, III, and IV
D) I, II, III and IV
19) Burning fossil fuels releases oxides of sulfur and nitrogen. These air pollutants can be
responsible for _____.
I) the death of fish in lakes
II) precipitation with a pH as low as 3.0
III) eutrophication of lakes
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only I and II
20) Suppose you attend a town meeting at which some experts tell the audience that they have
performed a cost-benefit analysis of a proposed transit system that would probably reduce
overall air pollution and fossil fuel consumption. The analysis, however, reveals that ticket prices
will not cover the cost of operating the system when fuel, wages, and equipment are taken into
account. As a biologist, you know that if ecosystem services had been included in the analysis,
the experts might have arrived at a different answer. Why are ecosystem services rarely included
in economic analyses?
A) Their cost is difficult to estimate and people take them for granted.
B) They are not worth much and are usually not cost effective.
C) Ecosystem services only take into account abiotic factors that affect local environments.
D) Federal laws of the United States exclude their inclusion in any cost benefit analysis.
21) Researchers have been studying a rare population of eighty-seven voles in an isolated area.
Ten voles from a larger population were added to this isolated population. Besides having ten
additional animals, what benefits are there to importing individuals?
A) Additional animals from a distant population will likely bring genetic diversity and reduce
inbreeding depression.
B) Additional animals will bring additional competition and could hurt the population.
C) Additional animals would increase beneficial genetic drift.
D) There is no benefit other than increasing the overall population size.
22) Five new individuals were added to this small population in 1986 and ten more were added
between 1990-1994. According to the figure above, what occurred in this population after these
additions?
A) The population increased exponentially.
B) The population increased in overall numbers.
C) The population growth rate increased.
D) The population continued to decline
23) According to the figure above, what is the LEAST likely explanation for the data after 1985?
A) emigration
B) immigration
C) introduction of new alleles into the population
D) increased resources in the area
24) On Easter Island, data show that it was once covered by massive palm trees. How can an
ecosystem collapse from removal of just one species of large tree?
I) Without large trees, soil erosion increases and reduces productivity.
II) Species of plants needing shade no longer have it.
III) Large trees are habitats for many species.
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) I, II, and III
25) Which of the following criteria have to be met for a species to qualify as invasive?
A) endemic to the area, spreads rapidly, and displaces foreign species
B) introduced to a new area, spreads rapidly, and displaces native species
C) introduced to a new area, spreads rapidly, and displaces other invasive species
D) endemic to the area, spreads slowly, and displaces native species
26) Which of the following conditions is the most likely indicator of a population in an
extinction vortex?
A) The species in question is found only in small, stable pockets of its former range.
B) The effective population size of the species falls below 1000.
C) Genetic measurements indicate a loss of genetic variation over time.
D) The population is connected only by corridors.
27) What strategy was used to rescue Illinois prairie chickens from a recent extinction vortex?
A) determining the minimum viable population size by taking into account the effective
population size
B) establishing a nature reserve to protect its habitat
C) introducing individuals from other populations to increase genetic variation
D) reducing the population size of its predators and competitors
28) If the sex ratio in a population is significantly different from 50:50, then which of the
following will always be true?
A) The population will enter the extinction vortex.
B) The genetic variation in the population will increase over time.
C) The effective population size will be greater than the actual population size.
D) The effective population size will be less than the actual population size.
29) Which of the following life history traits can potentially influence effective population size?
I) age of sexual maturation
II) genetic relatedness among individuals in a population
III) family size and population size
IV) gene flow between geographically separated populations
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only II, III, and IV
D) I, II, III and IV
30) The primary difference between the small-population approach (S-PA) and the declining-
population approach (D-PA) to biodiversity recovery is _____.
A) S-PA is interested in bolstering the genetic diversity of a threatened population rather than the
environmental factors that caused the population’s decline
B) S-PA applies for conservation biologists when population numbers fall below 500
C) D-PA would likely involve bringing together individuals from scattered small populations to
interbreed in order to promote genetic diversity
D) S-PA would investigate and eliminate all of the human impacts on the habitat of the species
being studied for recovery
31) What problem with red-cockaded woodpecker populations in the southeastern United States
was addressed by habitat intervention?
A) The only habitat that can support their recovery is large tracts of mature oak forest.
B) The mature pine forests in which they live cannot ever be subjected to forest fire.
C) All of the appropriate red-cockaded woodpecker habitat has already been logged or converted
to agricultural land.
D) The social organization of the red-cockaded woodpecker precluded the dispersal of
reproductive individuals.
32) Managing southeastern forests specifically for the red-cockaded woodpecker _____.
A) required the growth of a dense understory of trees and shrubs
B) contributed to greater abundance and diversity of other forest bird species
C) caused other species of songbird to decline
D) involved strict fire suppression measures
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33) Which of the following strategies would most rapidly increase the genetic diversity of a
population in an extinction vortex?
A) Capture all remaining individuals in the population for captive breeding followed by
reintroduction to the wild.
B) Establish a reserve that protects the population’s habitat.
C) Introduce new individuals transported from other populations of the same species.
D) Sterilize the least fit individuals in the population.
34) Which one of the following is LEAST likely to be a hotspot for birds?
A) Amazon River basin
B) East Africa
C) Southwest China
D) Greenland
35) In looking at the species—area plot in the figure above, what can be concluded?
A) Number of bird species increases linearly with island area.
B) Number of bird species remains the same on these various islands.
C) Diversity is independent from island area.
D) Number of bird species increases exponentially with island area.
36) Based on the species-area plot in the figure above, if habitable area on an island were
reduced from 10,000 km2 (square kilometers) to 1000 km2, roughly what percentage of the
species would disappear?
A) 0.3 percent
B) 3 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 60 percent