• Home
  • Textbooks
  • Biology
  • Biological Diversity and Conservation Biology

Biology

Eldra P. Solomon, Charles E. Martin, Diana W. Martin,

Chapter 57

Biological Diversity and Conservation Biology - all with Video Answers

Educators

Chapter Questions

04:07

Problem 1

Which of the following statements about extinction is not correct? (a) extinction is the permanent loss of a species (b) extinction is a natural biological process (c) once a species is extinct, it never reappears (d) human activities have little impact on extinctions (e) thousands of plant and animal species are currently threatened with extinction

Noah Boudrie
Noah Boudrie
Numerade Educator
00:11

Problem 2

An endangered species (a) is severely reduced in number (b) is in imminent danger of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant part of its range (c) usually does not have reduced genetic variability (d) is not in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future (e) a and b

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:24

Problem 3

The most important reason for declining biological diversity is (a) air pollution (b) introduction of foreign (invasive) species (c) habitat destruction and fragmentation (d) illegal commercial hunting (e) commercial harvesting

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:11

Problem 4

Habitat corridors (a) surround a given habitat (b) cut through a continuous habitat, producing an edge effect (c) vary in width depending on the species they are designed to protect (d) are an important strategy of ex situ conservation (e) have been widely adopted by restoration ecologists

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:21

Problem 5

In situ conservation (a) includes breeding captive species in zoos (b) includes seed storage of genetically diverse crops (c) concentrates on preserving biological diversity in the wild (d) focuses exclusively on large, charismatic animals (e) a and b

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:16

Problem 6

Restoration ecology (a) is the study of how humans impact organisms (b) returns a degraded environment as close as possible to its former state $(\mathrm{c})$ is an example of ex situ conservation (d) has been used to successfully reverse the decline in amphibian populations (e) is an important provision of the Endangered Species Act

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:15

Problem 7

About $60 \%$ of tropical rainforest deforestation is the result of (a) commercial logging (b) cattle ranching (c) hydroelectric dams (d) mining (e) subsistence agriculture

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:17

Problem 8

Climate change occurs because (a) carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases react chemically to produce excess heat (b) Earth has too many greenhouses and other glassed buildings (c) volcanic eruptions produce large quantities of sulfur and other greenhouse gases (d) carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation in the atmosphere (e) carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases allow excess heat to pass out of the atmosphere

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:23

Problem 9

What gas is a human-made pollutant in the lower (surface) atmosphere but a natural and beneficial gas in the stratosphere? (a) $\mathrm{CO}_{2}$ (b) $\mathrm{CH}_{4}$ (c) $\mathrm{O}_{3}$ (d) CFCs (e) $\mathrm{N}_{2} \mathrm{O}$

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:07

Problem 10

Where is stratospheric ozone depletion most pronounced? (a) over Antarctica (b) over the equator (c) over South America (d) over North America and Europe (e) over Alaska and Siberia

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:17

Problem 11

Why might captive-breeding programs that reintroduce species into natural environments fail?

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:36

Problem 12

Conservation biologists often say that their discipline is less about biology than it is about economics and human decision making. What do you think that they mean?

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:22

Problem 13

A more descriptive name for Homo sapiens is Homo dangerous. Explain this specific epithet, given what you have learned in this chapter.

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:16

Problem 14

Because new species will eventually evolve to replace those that humans are driving to extinction, why is declining biological diversity such a threat?

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:35

Problem 15

Biologists have wondered how introduced species that would probably have limited genetic variation (due to the founder effect) survive and adapt so successfully that they become invasive. Part of the answer may be that invasive species are the result of multiple introductions instead of a single one. Explain how multiple introductions from a species' native area to an introduced area could increase that species' invasion success.

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
00:50

Problem 16

Conservation biologists have altered the evolution of salmon populations in captive-breeding programs. Wild female salmon tend to produce fewer but larger eggs because the large eggs contain more nutrients for the offspring than smaller eggs, giving each individual a greater chance to survive. After just a few generations, however, captive-bred females now lay greater numbers of small eggs. Suggest a possible adaptive advantage for many small eggs in the captive-bred environment. What would you predict regarding the reproductive success of captive-bred females released in the wild?

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator
08:17

Problem 17

Study the graph, which shows the combined effects of various factors on biological diversity in 12 different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Which factor is most important overall? Why do you think that climate change and increasing atmospheric $\mathrm{CO}_{2}$ are represented as separate factors? What is nitrogen pollution? (Adapted from Sala, O. E., et al. Science, Vol. $287,2000 .$)

Sana Riaz
Sana Riaz
Numerade Educator
01:28

Problem 18

If you were given the task of developing a policy for the United States to deal with global climate change during the next 50 years, what would you propose? Explain your answer by describing how science, technology, and society would play a role in your policy.

Morgan Thompson
Morgan Thompson
Numerade Educator