Biodiversity Quiz

Which of the following statements about levels of biodiversity is correct?

• Genetic biodiversity is a measure of the total number of genes in a community.

• A narrow distribution of habitats leads to an increase in species diversity.

• Global hotspots are areas where species diversity is thriving due to habitat restoration.

• A population with high genetic biodiversity is better able to respond to environmental stressors.

Which of the following best explains how environmental stressors, such as wildfires, can affect biodiversity in an ecosystem?

• After an environmental stress, a genetic bottleneck may occur, which will increase genetic diversity.

• Habitat diversity will increase the available niches if the landscape becomes more uniform after a disturbance.

• Ecosystems with more species diversity are more likely to recover after a disturbance than ecosystems with low species diversity.

• Smaller populations are less likely to go extinct than larger populations, so the species diversity will remain constant.

Which of the following can be used to assess the biological diversity of an area?

• Population size of each species and area occupied by each population

• Minimum population area and minimum viable population size

• Ratio of r-strategists to K-strategists and life expectancy of K-strategists

• Number of individuals under fifteen years old and number of individuals over sixty-five years old

• Genetic variation within each species and number of species present

The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event was caused when an asteroid impacted Earth approximately 66 million years ago, near what is now the Gulf of Mexico. The indirect effects of the impact affected the entire globe. The event resulted in the extinction of nearly 75 percent of all plant and animal species on Earth, including the majority of dinosaur species. Which of the following likely best describes why most of these species went extinct?

• Direct effects from the impact

• Loss of competitors

• Increase in genetic diversity in most species

• Rapid climate and habitat change

The Chatham Island robin is a small endangered bird found in scrub forests off the coast of New Zealand. The robin is preyed upon by introduced species such as cats and rats. In 1980, the population decreased to only 5 individuals and every individual today is a descendant of a single female. Which of the following is best illustrated in the decline of the Chatham Island robins?

• Carrying capacity

• Population bottleneck

• Population overshoot

• Type I survivorship

The consumption of mosquitoes by bats and the control of flooding provided by tropical forests in mountainous areas of Central America are examples of

• Ecosystem services

• Primary productivity

• Habitat fragmentation

• Biological magnification

Which of the following would be categorized as a cultural ecosystem service of forests?

• Recreation and scenic areas for tourism

• Timber and landscape materials

• Mushroom and plant harvests

• Soil stabilization and air purification

Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following is the most likely reason that an island in the ocean that is 5 kilometers from a continent would have a higher number of species than one that is 15 kilometers from a continent?

• There are more species that have the ability to travel 5 kilometers than can travel 15 kilometers.

• Islands that are closer to continents always have a wider range of habitats than more distant islands do.

• There are smaller populations of each species on islands that are at greater distances from continents.

• Islands that are closer to continents always have more ecological niches than more distant islands do.

Which of the following best describes the frog species’ range of tolerance to acidic conditions?

• The frogs can tolerate any pH greater than 6.

• The frogs can tolerate a pH between 4.5 and 6.

• The frogs can tolerate a pH between 3.5 and 5.

• The frogs can tolerate any pH less than 4.

The Devils Hole pupfish is one of the world’s rarest fishes, spending most of its life in the top few meters of very warm waters of a cavern located in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Devils Hole, a geologic pool, is the only naturally occurring habitat for the endangered Devils Hole pupfish. This fish's habitat is one of the smallest natural ranges known for any vertebrate. Devils Hole is an extreme environment, with water temperatures and dissolved oxygen concentrations near the lethal limits for most fish species. Which of the following statements best explains why the Devils Hole pupfish are able to live in this environment?

• Climate change led to the death of other organisms at Devils Hole, reducing competition for the pupfish.

• Thermal inversions have limited the species diversity at Devils Hole, and only a few fish species can survive the high temperatures.

• A trophic cascade in the Devils Hole food chain decreased the number of pupfish predators.

• The pupfish are well adapted to the habitat of Devils Hole and can thrive in conditions that are outside of the range of tolerance for most other species.