Chapter7 Biodiversity and Conservation

Question What is the variety of life across all levels of ecological organization called?

Answer Biodiversity

Question What is the number or variety of species in a particular region called?

Answer Species Diversity

Question What describes the differences in DNA among individuals within species and populations?

Answer Genetic Diversity

Question What species dwarfs all other forms of life in terms of number of known and described species?

Answer Insects

Question There is a general increase in species richness toward the equator. What is this pattern of variation with latitude called?

Answer Latitudal gradient

Question What term describes ecosystems that are affected by change but can bounce back and regain function?

Answer Resilient

Question What describes environmentally responsible travel to protected natural areas for the purpose of appreciating nature, promoting conservation, and providing economic benefits to local peoples?

Answer ecotourism

Question What is the disappearance of a particular population from a given area called?

Answer extirpation

Question What is a species that is at serious risk of extinction?

Answer Endangered

Question Through what process can organisms be caught in “habitat islands” or patches of suitable habitat surrounded by “seas” of unsuitable habitat?

Answer Habitat fragmentation

Question What is the leading cause of biodiversity loss?

Answer Habitat change and loss

Question Besides habitat change and loss, what are the other 4 current causes of biodiversity loss? (1 point each)

Answer Invasive species Pollution Overharvesting Climate change

Question In the United States, what is the major law that protects biodiversity?

Answer Endangered Species Act

Question What is the process of breeding and raising organisms in a controlled environment called?

Answer Captive breeding

Question True or False: Scientists believe that cloning animals can help prevent biodiversity loss?

Answer false

Question What is an area called that both supports an especially high number of species and is rapidly losing biodiversity called?

Answer A biodiversity hotspot

Question In what economic approach to conserve biodiversity does a conservation organization raise money and offer to pay off a portion of a nation’s debt in exchange for a promise to make efforts to protect biodiversity?

Answer Debt-for-nature swap

Question In which economic approach to biodiversity conservation do conservation organizations pay countries for the right to conserve their resources, not extract them?

Answer Conservation concession

Question One approach to protecting biodiversity is to connect fragmented habitats. What term is given to the result of this process?

Answer Wildlife corridor

Question What level of biodiversity provides the raw material for adaptations to local conditions?

Answer Genetic diversity

Question What increases species diversity?

Answer speciation

Question What decreases species diversity?

Answer Extinction

Question What is the illegal capture or killing of an organism, often for money, called?

Answer Poaching

Question What cause of biodiversity loss can have global, not just local, impacts on biodiversity?

Answer Climate change

Question _____________ occurs when humans hunt, fish, or harvest a species faster than it can replenish its population.

Answer Overharvesting

Question The current global extinction rate is 100 to 1000 times greater than the normal background extinction rate. This causes some scientists to believe that we are in the middle of Earth’s sixth ______ _____________.

Answer Mass extinction

Question Every species that goes extinct represents a lost opportunity to find a cure for a disease. This represents what benefit of biodiversity?

Answer medicine

Question Areas that are structurally diverse such as a seashore of rocky and sandy beaches, forested cliffs, and ocean water have a high level of ___________ ______________.

Answer Ecosystem diversity