Biology: Concepts and Investigations

Marielle Hoefnagels, Matthew S. Taylor

Chapter 40

Preserving Biodiversity - all with Video Answers

Educators

Chapter Questions

Problem 1

List the main threats to biodiversity worldwide.

Breanna Kloczkowski

Breanna Kloczkowski

Numerade Educator

Problem 2

How does human population growth contribute to each of the main factors causing species extinctions?

Mary Richards

Numerade Educator

Problem 3

When trees are removed from an area, patches or strips of untouched trees often intersperse the deforested land. How is the abiotic environment on the edge of these strips or patches different than before the area was disturbed? What changes in vegetation would you expect to see in the next few years? How might animals be affected by forest fragmentation?

Dustin Findley

Numerade Educator

Problem 4

Nanoparticles are tiny bits of metal that are used in sunscreens, as a wastewater treatment, and for many other purposes. Recent evidence suggests that nanoparticles are toxic to phytoplankton, the primary producers at the base of many aquatic food chains. Phytoplankton use the energy in sunlight to produce organic matter, and they consume $\mathrm{CO}_{2}$ and release $\mathrm{O}_{2} .$ Predict some possible consequences to biodiversity if nanoparticles become a more common pollutant.

Dustin Findley

Numerade Educator

Problem 5

What are examples of pollutants in air and in water? Which of these pollutants eventually reach land?

Emily Himsel

Numerade Educator

Problem 6

Suppose you throw a small piece of plastic in the garbage. List three places where the plastic might be found months later.

Dustin Findley

Numerade Educator

Problem 7

Use the Internet to research ways to make homes more energy efficient. How does reducing your monthly energy bill relate to the conservation of biodiversity?

Dustin Findley

Numerade Educator

Problem 8

In what ways is the greenhouse effect both beneficial and detrimental?

Breanna Kloczkowski

Breanna Kloczkowski

Numerade Educator

Problem 9

Explain how habitat destruction, the increasing human population, and pollution contribute to climate change.

Emily Himsel

Numerade Educator

Problem 10

DNA evidence recently confirmed the existence of a "pizzly bear," the offspring of a polar bear and a grizzly bear. Scientists hypothesize that some polar bears are staying on mainland because of the warming climate, so polar bears are encountering grizzlies more often than in the past. Pizzly bears may be less fit than either polar bears or grizzlies, so some people are advocating that they be killed. Make an argument for or against this strategy. If human actions are contributing to the breeding behavior, do we have an ethical obligation to intervene? Do you think polar bears have a better chance at avoiding extinction if humans eliminate their hybrid offspring? Would evidence that polar bears and grizzlies had interbred in the past change your answers?

Morgan Thompson

Morgan Thompson

Numerade Educator

Problem 11

People often move plants from one part of the world to another. Sometimes, an introduced plant species can become invasive, taking over native plant populations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture manages the National Invasive Species Information Center, whose website maintains a list of invasive plants. Which plant species are considered invasive in your home state? Why are those species harmful? Should invasive plants be eradicated? How?

Sana Riaz

Numerade Educator

Problem 12

One way to combat invasive species is to kill the invaders. In Hawaii, officials shoot feral cats, goats, and pigs. In Australia, the government fought zebra mussels by adding chlorine and copper to a bay, killing everything living in the water. Do you think that these approaches are reasonable? Suggest alternative strategies.

Breanna Kloczkowski

Breanna Kloczkowski

Numerade Educator

Problem 13

In the southeastern United States, several species of freshwater mussels are extinct or threatened because of habitat destruction. In the past, they were also harvested for the button trade. How would a population ecologist (see chapter 37 ) approach the problem of species recovery for these animals?

Josee Pacheco

Numerade Educator

Problem 14

Phytoremediation is the use of plants to treat environmental problems Search the Internet for applications of phytoremediation. What are the benefits of phytoremediation? If you were trying to discover plants suitable for use in phytoremediation, what qualities would you look for? Can you foresee any problems with phytoremediation?

Dustin Findley

Numerade Educator

Problem 15

Refer back to section $12.7,$ which describes the bottleneck effect. With this information in mind, why might recovery be difficult for species, such as cheetahs, that are nearly extinct?

Dustin Findley

Numerade Educator