Chapters 9-11

55 questions

1. Passenger pigeons no longer exist anywhere in the world. We say that they have undergone

biological extinction.

local extinction.

ecological extinction.

mass extinction.

2. Natural or background species extinction rates are about

1 species / 1,000,000 species per year.

1 species / 100 species per year.

1 species / 100,000 species per year.

1 species / 1,000 species per year.

3. The last major mass extinction occurred 65 million years ago, at which point all of the dinosaurs were lost. What do we believe caused this mass extinction?

asteroid or comet colliding with the earth

habitat degradation by humans

hunting by early humans

major volcanic eruptions

4. California condors, black rhinos, and mountain gorillas all have this in common:

all live in Africa.

all are hunted for their meat.

all are on the threatened or endangered list.

all are mammals.

5. When the focus for saving a species from extinction is what that species can do for humans, we say that it has ________ value.

ecological

existence

use

bequest

6. An example of existence value might be

knowing that the spotted owl is saved from extinction, even if I never see one.

photographing tropical birds.

all of the choices

knowing that the panda will be saved from extinction so that future human generations can appreciate it.

7. A bioprospector might search a tropical rainforest for species

all of the choices

that have chemicals potentially useful as medicinal drugs.

that could be used to entice tourists for ecotourism.

that are related to domesticated crops, looking for genetic diversity.

8. Saving the blue whale from extinction simply because it has as much right to exist as humans or any other species is based on its ________ value.

use

intrinsic

non-use

ecological

9. Wanting to exterminate all great white sharks because of fear, loathing, repulsion, etc., might best be called

the Precautionary Principle.

biophilia.

mass extinction.

biophobia.

10. Which of the following is false?

Extinction would occur whether humans were present or absent.

Humans have caused the extinction of many species.

Extinction is a natural process. Humans have no affect on extinction.

Extinction is a natural process, although humans may increase its rate.

11. The U.S. state with the highest extinction rate is

Alaska.

Hawaii.

California.

Florida.

12. Major causes of habitat fragmentation include

major storm damage (tornado, hurricane, etc.).

climate change.

fire.

logging, agriculture, and urban development.

13. Which statement is true?

With a few notorious exceptions, deliberately introduced (non-native) species are usually beneficial to new habitats.

Introduced species do not harm their new environment because there is always some native organism that will keep it in check.

Introduced species always create problems.

Many introduced species are quite important to us, while many others cause environmental devastation.

14. Giant African land snails, kudzu, and European wild boars all have this in common in the U.S.:

they are native to where they now exist.

they are deliberately introduced, non-native species that are creating environmental havoc.

they are non-native organisms that have helped their new habitats.

they were accidentally introduced non-native species that are now in balance with their habitats.

15. A chemical pollutant becomes incorporated into body tissues at a certain concentration. Predators eating many such organisms concentrate the chemical even more. This increasing concentration in higher tropic levels is called

increased toxicity.

bioaccumulation.

biomagnification.

accidental introduction.

16. Poaching of wild animals is usually for

the skin.

the whole animal.

all of the choices

various body parts.

17. Seed banks

all of the choices

store agricultural seed and sell it at low prices to poor farmers of developing nations.

store seed from rare and endangered species. These seeds are sold to plant collectors, with revenues used to help maintain rare and endangered species.

are long-term seed storage facilities with the purpose of preserving plant biodiversity.

18. "When substantial preliminary evidence indicates that an activity can harm human health or the environment, we should take precautionary measures to prevent or reduce such harm, even if some of the cause-and-effect relationships have not been fully established, scientifically." This is

called the Precautionary Principle. Although not required, it should be used to guide ecosystem research.

policy agreed upon by convention of international scientists.

a poorly thought-out ideology of extremist environmental scientists.

legislation required of all research conducted in the U.S.

19. Tree plantations

are an effective way to produce wood for paper mills.

have a high biological diversity.

are sustainable because the trees lock all necessary soil nutrients in place.

are composed of many different tree species.

20. The most diverse and sustainable forest type is the

second-growth forest.

commercial forest.

old-growth forest.

tree plantation.

21. Forests are important to the world's people because

all of the choices

they help to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide.

they are an important source of traditional medicines.

they help to maintain relatively stable world temperatures.

22. We are cutting forests faster than they are able to replenish themselves.

True

False

23. The method of tree harvesting that is most damaging to the environment is

selective cutting.

strip cutting.

clear-cutting.

all of the choices

24. Forest fires are always a bad thing.

False

True

25. Which of the following is a consequence of unsustainable logging practices and deforestation?

increased soil erosion

loss of biodiversity

habitat loss and/or habitat fragmentation

all of the choices

26. Scientists think that at least one-half of the world's known species live in

tropical dryland forests.

the cooler, drier forests (temperate deciduous forests) of North America, Europe, and Asia.

the cold, dry forest (boreal forests) of Canada and Russia.

tropical rain forests.

27. The Amazon basin is found in which country?

India

Costa Rica

Australia

Brazil

28. Fire as a tool of forest management

has been banned because the resulting destruction is greater than the benefits.

is very controversial among forest scientists since there is no agreement that fires are beneficial.

has been banned because of the danger of uncontrolled wildfires.

is important in removing organic debris so that larger forest fires may be prevented.

29. Much of the wood cut in the U.S. is used to produce pulp for making paper. We could reduce the cutting of trees used for this purpose by

using less paper and using paper more efficiently.

all of the choices

making pulp from fast-growing plants instead of trees.

recycling more paper goods.

30. Realistic ways that we can reduce tropical rainforest deforestation and promote sustainability include

preventing all cutting of tropical trees.

all of the choices

educating consumers about unsustainable practices and encouraging consumption of sustainable goods.

keeping people from using tropical forests.

31. In rangelands and grasslands, livestock tend to gather around ________, making these areas particularly vulnerable to damage.

hilltops

fence rows

water

protected ravines

32. In developing nations, national parks are highly protected areas that act as sanctuaries to wildlife.

False

True

33. This environmental activist group, composed of more than 1 million members worldwide, is responsible for buying and protecting land, waterways, and wetlands.

The Nature Conservancy

PETA

The Environmental Protection Agency

Greenpeace

34. Biodiversity hot spots are

regions that have many rare and endangered plant and animal species.

geographical regions whose boundaries are contested between neighboring countries.

layers of sedimentary rock that are especially rich in fossils.

regions around nuclear testing zones that have higher than normal mutation rates due to increased radiation levels.

35. Ecosystems that we have degraded are irreversibly damaged.

True

False

36. .The process of fixing human-caused damage to natural ecosystems is called

ecological restoration.

creating artificial ecosystems.

ecosystem enhancement.

ecological replacement.

37. Which best illustrates an intentional desire on the part of humans to share their habitats with other species?

leaving crumbs on countertops and floors that cockroaches have access to

planting bulbs, flowers, and shrubs that deer coincidentally like to eat

constructing beehives and planting flowers that attract honeybees

putting garbage in traditional waste cans that raccoons and possums have access to

38. This vast region is economically very valuable, yet ironically is poorly understood. Because we have so much to learn, it is considered a "research frontier."

tropical rainforests

tundra

marine systems

freshwater systems

39. Some 90% of fish living in the ocean spawn (reproduce)

in the depths of the ocean.

off the edges of the continental shelf.

in coral reefs, mangrove forests, coastal wetlands, and rivers.

in the open ocean.

40. Blamed for two-thirds of all fish extinctions in the U.S., this ongoing problem is a major source of ecosystem disruption.

introduced invasive species

agricultural runoff

over fishing

water pollution from city sewage systems

41. The largest projected population growth should occur

as development and conversion of farmland increase.

along inland rivers.

at large coastal cities.

at large inland cities.

42. The "I" of the acronym HIPPCO stands for

informed, referring to education programs designed to inform people about ecosystem degradation.

immediate, referring to the immediate threat that some pollutants present.

illegal, referring to illegal activities that result in ecosystem degradation.

invasive, referring to invasive species.

43. Average sea level

will probably rise between 7 inches and 5 feet over the next 100 years.

will flood many low-lying cities and nations over the next 100 years.

all of the choices

has increased by 4-8 inches over the last 100 years.

44. The area of ocean needed to sustain the consumption of an average person, nation, or the world is called the

aquatic fingerprint.

annual rate of consumption.

fishprint.

ecological footprint.

45. CITES is a

species of fish currently coming back from the brink of extinction.

type of fishing that degrades the ocean floor and is especially disruptive.

legislation protecting endangered species from being bought or sold.

type of pollution particularly harmful to aquatic systems.

46. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

all of the choices

are ocean areas partially protected from human activity.

prevent all commercial fishing within these defined areas.

exist entirely within the U.S. so far.

47. When marine reserves are established to protect species within them, studies have shown that within 2-4 years after strict protection begins

reproduction triples.

fish populations double.

fish size increases by about one-third.

all of the choices

48. Global warming leading to rising sea levels is thought to

produce no effect on coral reefs. Coral reef damage results from pollution and reef degradation, not sea level changes.

help coral reefs since rising sea levels will open new habitat for potentially greater coral reef area.

kill most coral reefs and mangrove forests, leading to disastrous changes in aquatic ecosystems.

damage coral reefs, unless waters rise slowly enough for them to adapt, and other environmental stressors are low.

49. Which of the following management systems deals with getting the best fish yield, taking into account interactions among species?

complex computer models in large marine systems

maximum sustained yield

optimum sustained yield

Precautionary Principle

50. Each year, up to $34 billion are given as fishing subsidies. These subsidies

provide monies for ships, fuel, equipment, and research.

pay fishermen not to fish, offsetting their annual losses while allowing marine fish populations to recover.

are used in education programs designed to heighten public awareness of fishing practices and needed management systems.

all of the choices

51. A market-based system called individual transfer rights (ITR) can be used to control access to fisheries, yet a problem with this system is

that small fishing companies may be squeezed out of the market more easily by larger companies.

ITRs effectively transfer ownership of fisheries in publicly owned waters to commercial fishers while making the public pay for monitoring and enforcement costs.

all of the choices

that total allowable catch (TAC) limits are set too high to prevent over-fishing using this system.

52. Studies clearly indicate that

inland wetlands' ecological value is significantly less than the health problems they generate through acting as mosquito and other parasitic organism breeding grounds.

inland wetlands are vitally important areas that must be preserved, maintained, and/or created.

inland wetlands have little ecological value, provide few ecological services, and may be developed without many ecological consequences.

inland wetlands have ecological value, yet may be substituted by agricultural lands to achieve the same value.

53. Given that humans have been on the earth for a long time, modifying it to suit their own desires, it comes as no surprise to learn that aquatic species have been pushed out of at least ________% of their habitat.

54. Wild rivers are those

that are relatively inaccessible, except by trail.

found in national parks.

that are of great scenic value, free of dams, mostly undeveloped, and accessible in only a few places by roads.

that border, or are within, wildlife preserves.

55. There is growing evidence that the current harmful affects of human activities on the earth's terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services

could be reversed over the next 50 years.

could be reversed, requiring about 100 years to accomplish this.

could be reversed over the next 20 years.

have permanently damaged our ecosystem, and that we will not be able to reverse the damage no matter what inputs are used.

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