Chapter 10 Biodiversity Final Review
1.a) Hunting vs. Poaching = Hunting refers to the legal hunting of
animals for food, sport or profit. Poaching refers to the illegal hunting of
animals that are protected by law.
b) Native Species vs. Exotic Species = Native species are those that
live in an area where it evolved and that has adapted to the local
ecosystem. Exotic species are those that is not native to an area but
that has been introduced to a new environment intentionally or nonintentionally.
c) Endangered Species vs. Threatened Species = Endangered species
are those with a population so small that the species is likely to become
extinct in the near future if protective action is not taken. Threatened
species are those likely to become endangered if protective action is not
taken.
2.) See diagram on board.
Multiple Choice.
3.) C
4.) A
8.) A
9.) B
5.) D
10.) B
6.) B
11.) C
7.) C
Short Answer
12.) Legal hunting is regulated by government agencies such as fish
and wildlife commissions who work with hunters to control the
percentage of game animals that are killed each year, so as not to put
their numbers at risk.
13.) Exotic species are species that are introduced to areas other than
their natural habitat. This can be harmful if they take over the
ecosystem due to not having natural predators to keep their numbers in
check. This can result in their over-consuming or taking over habitat to
the detriment of other native species to the area. This can be beneficial,
if they can be a natural predator to a pest species that is harming the
ecosystem, if their numbers can be controlled.
14.) By preserving ecosystems, we preserve all of the species of
organisms that live there, not just a few that have been singled out.
Saving a whole ecosystem also safeguards the biosphere by ensuring
that ecosystems can provide clean air, fresh water and fertile soil
needed by all living things.
15.) Three ways that preserving biodiversity can come into conflict with
human needs and desires can include:
i) setting aside wilderness areas may cause nearby communities to lose
jobs and potential tax revenue that could have been made from
developing the area in some way;
ii) protecting some forested areas in particular might put the livelihood of
farmers into jeopardy as they might not be able to have enough farm
land to be productive and profitable;
iii) limiting hunting or preventing poaching, while good for wildlife
preservation, may put affect already poor families, causing them to
struggle even more for survival;
iv) other?
17.) Due largely to the activities of humans, the present rate of
extinctions is higher than it has been at any time in the last 64 million
years. Extinctions of the past were due to natural causes such as
changes in climate, not due to the negative impact on any one individual
species, unlike today.
18.) Natural selection is a slow and gradual process that occurs
because of changes in the natural environment. The effect of natural
selection is to allow only “properly equipped” individuals and species to
survive. By definition, the process is selective. Unlike natural selection,
the forces that are causing the current mass extinction, kill vast
numbers of species and individuals in a very short period to time,
without the aspects of “selection”. This could lead to unknown
consequences for our biosphere in the future.