Review Questions

With an extinction rate of 100 E/MSY and an estimated 10 million species, how many extinctions are expected to occur in a century?

1. 100
2. 10,000
3. 100,000
4. 1,000,000

An adaptive radiation is________.

1. a burst of speciation
2. a healthy level of UV radiation
3. a hypothesized cause of a mass extinction
4. evidence of an asteroid impact

The number of currently described species on the planet is about ________.

1. 17,000
2. 150,000
3. 1.5 million
4. 10 million

A mass extinction is defined as ________.

1. a loss of 95 percent of species
2. an asteroid impact
3. a boundary between geological periods
4. a loss of 50 percent of species

A secondary plant compound might be used for which of the following?

1. a new crop variety
2. a new drug
3. a soil nutrient
4. a pest of a crop pest

Pollination is an example of ________.

1. a possible source of new drugs
2. chemical diversity
3. an ecosystem service
4. crop pest control

What is an ecosystem service that performs the same function as a pesticide?

1. pollination
2. secondary plant compounds
3. crop diversity
4. predators of pests

Which two extinction risks may be a direct result of the pet trade?

1. climate change and exotic species introduction
2. habitat loss and overharvesting
3. overharvesting and exotic species introduction
4. habitat loss and climate change

Exotic species are especially threatening to what kind of ecosystem?

1. deserts
2. marine ecosystems
3. islands
4. tropical forests

Certain parrot species cannot be brought to the United States to be sold as pets. What is the name of the legislation that makes this illegal?

1. Red List
2. Migratory Bird Act
3. CITES
4. Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Which measures can protect biodiversity?

1. legal protections
2. conservation efforts
3. restoration efforts
4. all of the above

About what percentage of land on the planet is set aside as a preserve of some type?

1. 1 percent
2. 6 percent
3. 11 percent
4. 15 percent