Most acid precipitation results from the combination of _____ with water in the atmosphere, forming strong acids that fall with rain or snow.
A.ozone
B.ammonium
C.carbon
dioxide
D.buffers
E.sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides
E
Which of the following is part of conservation biology?
A.ecology
B.evolutionary
biology
C.physiology
D.molecular biology and
genetics
E.All of the choices are correct.
E
Which of the following organisms was/were introduced by humans into the United States or its territories?
A.European starling
B.zebra mussels
C.kudzu
D.brown
tree snake
E.All of the choices are correct
E
The single greatest current threat to biodiversity is _____.
A.habitat destruction
B.reduced genetic
variability
C.overexploitation
D.global
warming
E.introduced species
A
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
A
What is the biological significance of genetic diversity between populations?
A.Diseases and parasites are not spread between separated
populations.
B.Genetic diversity allows for species stability by
preventing speciation.
C.Genes for traits conferring an advantage
to local conditions make microevolution possible.
D.The
population that is most fit would survive by competitive exclusion.
C
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.The plant diversity provides shade, which lowers
global warming.
C.Natural and undisturbed areas are important
wildlife habitats.
D.The diversity could contain novel drugs for consumers.
D
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, II, and IV
B.only II and IV
C.only II, III, and
IV
D.only I and III
C
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.markedly smaller genetic
diversity
C.slightly smaller genetic diversity
D.markedly
greater genetic diversity
D
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
D
Which of the following ecological locations has the greatest species diversity?
A.islands
B.tropical rain forest
C.deciduous forests
D.grasslands
B
Which of the following provides the best evidence of a biodiversity crisis?
A.increasing pollution levels
B.the incursion of a non-native
species
C.high rate of extinction
D.climate change
C
Which of the following terms includes all of the others?
A.ecosystem diversity
B.genetic diversity
C.species diversity
D.biodiversity
D
To better comprehend the magnitude of current extinctions, it will be necessary to _____.
A.differentiate between plant extinction and animal extinction
numbers
B.identify more of the yet unknown species of organisms
on Earth
C.use the average extinction rates of vertebrates as a
baseline
D.focus on identifying more species of mammals and birds
B
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
D
Which of the following is the most direct threat to biodiversity?
A.habitat destruction
B.the depletion of the ozone
layer
C.overexploitation of selected species
D.increased
levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide
A
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.I, II, III and IV
B.only I and III
C.only II and
IV
D.only II, III, and IV
A
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
B
Of the following ecosystem types, which have been impacted the most by humans?
A.taiga and second-growth forests
B.tundra and
arctic
C.desert and high alpine
D.wetland and riparian
D
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.I, II, III and IV
B.only II, III, and IV
C.only I and
III
D.only II and IV
A
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
D
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 would increase beneficial genetic
drift.
B.Additional animals will bring additional competition and
could hurt the population.
C.Additional animals from a distant
population will likely bring genetic diversity and reduce inbreeding
depression.
D.There is no benefit other than increasing the
overall population size.
C
A parasitic fungus, Geomyces destructans, has decimated millions of bats in the United States since it was first observed in upstate New York in 2006. The disease has been named White-nose syndrome because of the white fungal hyphae that cover the bat upon infection. It is believed that this fungus was introduced from Europe by into caves with hibernating bat populations. Which prediction most likely reflects changes that will occur in natural communities as a result of massive bat mortality?
A.Decreased bird populations as the spread of the fungus infects
other species
B.Increased animal populations as a result of niche
availability.
C.Increased rodent populations as a result of an
increase in flying insect populations.
D.Increased flying insect
populations and decreased populations of bat-pollinated plants
D
Which of the following is associated with the small-population approach to species conservation?
A.minimum viable population
B.extinction
vortex
C.effective population size
D.All of the choices
above are associated with the small-population approach to species
conservation.
E.None of the choices above is associated with the
small-population approach to species conservation.
D
The estimated density or number of individuals needed for a species to maintain or increase its numbers in a region is the _____.
A.metapopulation
B.Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
C.minimum
viable population (MVP)
D.endemic population
E.stochastic population
C
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
D
The primary difference between the small-population approach (S-PA) and the declining-population approach (D-PA) to biodiversity recovery is _____.
A.S-PA would investigate and eliminate all of the human impacts on
the habitat of the species being studied for recovery
B.D-PA
would likely involve bringing together individuals from scattered
small populations to interbreed in order to promote genetic
diversity
C.S-PA applies for conservation biologists when
population numbers fall below 500
D.S-PA is interested in
bolstering the genetic diversity of a threatened population rather
than the environmental factors that caused the population's decline
D
Managing southeastern forests specifically for the red-cockaded woodpecker _____.
A.caused other species of songbird to decline
B.required the
growth of a dense understory of trees and shrubs
C.contributed to
greater abundance and diversity of other forest bird
species
D.involved strict fire suppression measures
C
True or false? Biologists studied the effects of forest fragmentation by calculating the difference between the amount of plant biomass in the edges of forest fragments and the interiors of unfragmented forest.
A.True
B.False
A
Which size forest fragment would be most affected by habitat fragmentation over a given period of time?
A.1000 hectares.
B.1 hectare.
C.10 hectares.
D.100 hectares.
B
Which of the following statements about the effects of forest fragmentation on plant biomass and species diversity is true?
A.The loss of plant biomass has a domino effect on other species
that live in the forest fragment.
B.Small forest fragments lose
their species diversity at the same rate as large forest
fragments.
C.Large forest fragments (>1000 hectares) are not
affected by edge effects and their species diversity is expected to be
stable over a long period of time.
D.The loss of plant biomass
correlates mostly with the death of understory plants.
A
Brown-headed cowbirds utilize fragmented forests effectively by _____.
A.roosting in forest trees and nesting in grassy
fields
B.parasitizing the nests of forest birds and feeding on
open-field insects
C.outcompeting other songbird species for
access to nesting holes in old-growth trees
D.feeding on the
fruits of shrubs that tend to grow at the forest/open-field interface
B
Movement (wildlife) corridors can be harmful to certain species because they _____.
A.increase inbreeding
B.increase genetic diversity
C.allow
seasonal migration
D.spread disease and parasites
D
Which of the following is generally true about the current research regarding forest fragmentation?
A.Fragmented forests are the goal of conservation biologists who
design wildlife preserves.
B.Fragmented forests promote
biodiversity because they result in the combination of forest-edge
species and forest-interior species.
C.In fragmented forests, the
number of forested-adapted species tend to decline and the number of
edge species tend to increase.
D.The disturbance of timber
extraction causes the species diversity to increase because of the new
habitats created.
C
What is the biggest problem with selecting a site for a preserve?
A.Only lands that are not useful to human activities are available
for preserves.
B.Keystone species are difficult to identify in
potential preserve sites.
C.Most of the best sites are
inaccessible by land transportation, so making roads to them is often
prohibitively expensive.
D.Making a proper selection is difficult
because currently the environmental conditions of almost any site can
change quickly.
D
Which of these would NOT contribute to a global increase in temperature?
A.deforestation
B.increasing the use of gasoline-burning
vehicles
C.increasing the industrial release of carbon
dioxide
D.planting trees
E.increasing the amount of animal
life on Earth
D
Switching from fossil fuels to _____ energy would significantly decrease the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
A.solar
B.nuclear
C.geothermal
D.solar and
geothermal
E.solar, nuclear, and geothermal
E
Which of these are the two major sources of nitrate pollution in rivers?
A.the burning of fossil fuels by factories and cars
B.animal
wastes and the burning of fossil fuels by cars
C.animal wastes
and fertilizers
D.fertilizer runoff and the burning of fossil
fuels by cars
E.animal wastes and the burning of fossil fuels by factories
C
Aquatic nitrate pollution can result in _____.
A.algal bloom
B.oxygen depletion
C.fish
kills
D.hypoxia
E.an algal bloom that, when the algae die
and are decomposed by bacteria, leads to hypoxia and the death of fish
E
Agricultural lands frequently require nutrient augmentation because _____.
A.cultivation of agricultural land inhibits the decomposition of
organic matter
B.land that is available for agriculture tends to
be nutrient-poor
C.the nutrients that become the biomass of
plants are not cycled back to the soil on lands where they are
harvested
D.nitrogen-fixing bacteria are not as plentiful in
agricultural soils because of the use of pesticides
C
What is a critical load?
A.the amount of added nutrient that can be absorbed by plants
without damaging ecosystem integrity
B.the amount of nutrient
augmentation necessary to bring a depleted habitat back to its former
level
C.the level of a given toxin in an ecosystem that is lethal
to 50 percent of the species present
D.the number of predators an
ecosystem can support that effectively culls prey populations to
healthy levels
A
Which of the following statements best describes why ecologists are currently concerned with global warming and the thawing of permafrost in many areas of the tundra biome?
A.Migratory species of birds will likely be less successful finding
food in thawed tundra, and their abundance will drop
dramatically.
B.The thawing process will likely decrease the
abundance and diversity of soil-dwelling organisms in the
tundra.
C.Oil and coal deposits will thaw and rise to the surface
(due to their lower density) of the tundra, destroying millions of
acres of arctic habitat.
D.Populations of humans inhabiting the
Arctic will have to move to more southern latitudes, resulting in
increased competition for resources in already densely populated
areas.
E.The bacterial decomposition of thawed organic materials
over the widespread areas of the tundra will produce large quantities
of CO2, which will add to greenhouse gases and exacerbate global warming.
E
This causes extremely high levels of toxic chemicals in fish-eating birds.
A.biological magnification
B.acid
precipitation
C.greenhouse effect
D.eutrophication
A
The shift in the peak of caterpillar season is most likely due to _____.
A.earlier migration returns of flycatchers
B.acid precipitation
in Europe
C.global warming
D.an innate change in the
biological clock of the caterpillars
C
Elevated carbon dioxide levels have been shown to contribute to the greenhouse effect, resulting in an increase in mean global temperature. Ecosystems where the largest warming has already occurred include snow-covered northern coniferous forests, tundra, and arctic sea ice habitats. Which statement best explains how the elimination of ice-covered ecosystems affects the rise or fall in global temperature?
A.Melting ice releases dissolved ozone gas, which adds to the
greenhouse effect.
B.Large-scale ice melts actually contribute
toward lowering global temperatures by decreasing salinity of the
oceans.
C.More reflective surfaces of ice are replaced with
darker, more absorptive surfaces, thereby contributing to the warming
trend.
D.Carbon dioxide levels are lowered as a result of greater
volume of water to accommodate greater dissolved gas.
C
Eutrophication is often caused by excess limiting nutrient runoff from agricultural fields into aquatic ecosystems. This results in massive algal blooms, which eventually die and decompose, ultimately depleting the dissolved oxygen and killing large numbers of fish and other aquatic organism. Predict which of the following human actions would best address the problem of eutrophication near agricultural areas?
A.After each eutrophication event, remove the dead fish and
invertebrates to place on agricultural fields instead of
fertilizer.
B.Determine critical nutrient loads required for
certain crops and do not exceed this amount during fertilizer
application.
C.Determine which limiting nutrient is responsible
for the algal bloom and use other fertilizers to apply to
crops.
D.Remove the algae before it dies and decomposes to
prevent eutrophication from occurring.
B
Which of the following statements about protected areas that have
been established to preserve biodiversity are correct?
I) About
25 percent of Earth's land area is now protected.
II) National
parks are one of many types of protected areas.
III) Management
of a protected area should be coordinated with management of the land
surrounding the area.
IV) It is especially important to protect
biodiversity hot spots.
A.only II, III, and IV
B.only I and III
C.only II and
IV
D.only I, II, and IV
A
The main goal of sustainable development is to _____.
A.reevaluating and re-implementing management plans over
time
B.use only natural resources in the construction of new
buildings
C.use natural resources such that they do not decline
over time
D.involve more countries in conservation efforts
C
The effort to develop, manage, and conserve Earth's resources to meet the needs of people today without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs is called _____.
A.sustainable development
B.landscape
management
C.biophilia
D.bioremediation
E.restoration ecology
A