1.
Which of the following is a commercially used method for harvesting trees and is most likely to
lead to a fragmented landscape with serious impacts on biodiversity?
a. Selective cutting
b. Clear-cutting
c. Shelter-wood cutting
d. Slash and burn clearing
e. Gleaning
2. Which of the following would most likely have the greatest positive impact on the quality of the
natural environment worldwide?
a. Discovery of new reserves of fossil fuel in coastal areas
b. Increased agricultural production on marginal desert lands
c. Increased life expectancy in more developed nations
d. Increased reliance on food from ocean ecosystems
e. Stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population
3. The largest area of old-growth forest in the United States is located in
a. Alaska
b. Montana
c. California
d. North Carolina
e. Michigan
4. Which of the following leads to a decrease in biodiversity?
a. protection of ecosystems
b. pollution control
c. ecological land use planning
d. introduction of exotic species
e. selective cutting of forests
5. Population biologists are concerned about introduced species such as the zebra mussel in North
America because
a. their removal from their native habitat has a negative impact
b. predators of the introduced species often overpopulate because of the influx of the
introduced species
c. the introduced species compete for resources more effectively than native species
d. introduced species often become endangered when they are placed in a new habitat
e. their introduction will require more land to be protected
6. CITIES is
a. a treaty controlling the international trade in endangered species.
b. a set of regulations controlling the introduction of exotic species.
c. a pact that supports critical ecosystems that support wildlife.
d. an international organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered species.
e. a law that states that only pet stores can buy and sell endangered species.
7. The factor that likely poses the greatest threat of extinction of species worldwide is
a. weakening of environmental legislation
b. increase in hunting and fishing
c. aggressive collecting of specimens by museums and zoos
d. black-market trade in endangered species
e. increasing loss of habitat
8. Which of the following statements about genetic diversity is true?
a. Genetic uniformity of a crop increases the crop’s overall resistance to pests and disease.
b. Genetic resistance to pests and diseases can be increased by crossing a crop plant with
ancestral varieties.
c. Genetic engineering technology is used to increase genetic diversity by creating new
species with synthetic genes.
d. Genetic diversity within populations of common crop species such as corn is typically
high.
e. Genetic diversity is usually high in endangered species.
9. Fragmenting 1 large park or preserve into many small parks w/ human habitation in between them
is most likely to lead to which of the following?
a. Reduction in species diversity
b. Stabilization of microclimates
c. Decrease in the proportion of edge habitat
d. Increase in gene flow within species
e. Increase in population size of top carnivores
10. In general, which of the following is the best long-term method of preventing extinctions?
a. Breeding endangered species in captivity.
b. Protecting the habitats of endangered species.
c. Paying people not to kill endangered species.
d. Providing food to endangered species in the wild.
e. Removing predators from areas that contain endangered species.
11. Environmentalists oppose the mining of Antarctic mineral resources because
a. territorial claims to Antarctica are unresolved.
b. the existence of valuable mineral deposits in the Antarctic environment is unlikely.
c. the Antarctic environment is fragile & extremely vulnerable to the disturbance that would
accompany development.
d. currently known world reserves of important metals and oil are considered inexhaustible.
e. the demand for minerals is expected to decline as the world’s nations become more
industrialized.
12. Which of the following best helps to explain why phosphorus is often a limiting factor in many
ecosystems?
a. There is usually a gaseous phase in the phosphorus cycle.
b. Phosphorus cycles very quickly through environments.
c. Under many conditions, phosphorus forms stable insoluble compounds.
d. Phosphate is not a readily taken up by plants.
e. There are no anthropogenic sources of phosphorus.
13.
Why do introduced species often become pests?
a. They displace native species.
b. They increase biodiversity.
c. They do not adapt well to local habitats.
d. They contribute to habitat fragmentation.
e. They have low biotic potential.
14. A state highway was constructed over wetlands. The state obtained a permit to fill the existing
wetlands in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1972, and agreed to create
another wetland. This trade-off approach to addressing an environmental issue is known as
a. mitigation
b. restoration
c. preservation
d. remediation
e. sustainability
15. Which of the following identifies the two factors thought to be the most harmful to biodiversity?
a. Acid deposition and increased use of fertilizers for agriculture
b. Depletion of the ozone layer and oil drilling
c. Destruction of habitat and invasion by nonnative species
d. Changes in climate and proliferation of endemic species
e. Global warming and decline in fisheries
16. Characteristics that tend to increase the risk of a species becoming endangered include which of
the following?
I.
Having a very limited distribution
II.
Being a specialist at the end of a long food chain
III.
Having a small population size
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
I only
II only
III only
II and III only
I, II, and III
17. Of the following, which is the best example of reclamation of disturbed lands?
a. Restoring vegetation to an area that has been mined
b. Constructing a new wetland to compensate for the loss of wetlands
c. Growing crops on land formerly used for grazing
d. Reintroducing an endangered species into an area from which it has disappeared
e. Regulating the use of a natural resource in order for it to renew itself
18. Illegal hunting for profit is called
a. subsistence hunting
b. sport hunting
c. poaching
d. commercial hunting
e. partial hunting
19. People regard wildflowers as beautiful. This is evidence that wildflowers have ___________
importance.
a. economic
b. aesthetic
c. ecological
d. human health
e. medical
20. Building homes in the middle of a wildlife preserve might lead to which of the following?
a. an increase in wildlife reproduction rates
b. a reduction in nonnative invasive species
c. an increase in the population of top predators
d. a reduction in biodiversity
e. an increase in biological corridors