True or False Questions for Biodiversity Game
1. “Biodiversity” means “the variety of life on Earth”.
T
F
The root word “bio” means “living, or life” while “diversity” is another word for
variety, or many different types.
2. All human activities depend directly on the environment.
T
F
Many jobs we do are in fields that do not involve natural resources. However, we
are all dependent on the environmental services provided by biodiversity.
3. Humans are dependent on biodiversity for survival
T
F
The services provided by diverse living systems keep us alive! Forests, wetlands
and oceans work to regulate temperature, purify water, decompose waste, and
provide oxygen.
4. Agriculture never has any negative effects on biodiversity.
T
F
Some forms of small, diversified agriculture have a small environmental impact.
Most agriculture today is largescale and damages waterways, forests, and other
important natural areas.
5. A definition of “industrialization” is “the increased use of technology to do work
that would have once been done by human labour.”
T
F
Industrialization also describes the shift in a society, country or the world from
small-scale agriculture and cottage industries to large-scale production using
more machines.
6. The percentage of the world’s population living in cities has risen from 29% in
1950 to more than 50% in 2010.
T
F
Approximately 51% of Earth’s population lives in cities. A space roughly the
same size as Vancouver is converted from rural into urban space each day.
7. Today, over 50% of the world’s population lives in a rural environment.
T
F
Today, over 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, and this number is
growing every day.
8. Urbanization causes biodiversity loss.
T
F
An increase in space taken up by cities cause a decrease in habitat for native
species, as well as increased pollution.
9. The poorest people in the world are the most directly dependent on biodiversity
for survival.
T
F
People who are affected first by biodiversity depletion are those who do not have
access to imported food and rely on their own food production to survive.
10. All of the world’s extremely poor people live in rural areas.
T
F
About ¾ of extremely poor people live in rural areas worldwide. Many have
moved or are moving to cities due to resource depletion.
11. Cotton is a commonly grown commodity in New Brunswick
T
F
Cotton needs warm weather and a long growing season to produce. Although we
can’t grow it in Canada, we depend on cotton producers for clothing.
12. When grown in plantations, cotton has one of the highest requirements for
pesticides of any crop in the world.
T
F
Cotton farming is responsible for the release of around 16% of the world’s
pesticides, more than any other crop in the world.
13. Industrial farming always creates new habitat for songbirds.
T
F
Industrialized farming has a negative impact on the habitats of wild animals and
plants, due to pollution and land transformation.
14. The word “monoculture” means “a species of tree that only grows in one place”.
T
F
Monoculture is the practice of growing only one type of plant or tree in a single
space, or plantation.
15. Chewing gum is an example of a product that first came from the rainforest.
T
F
Chewing gum was originally made with resin from the chicle tree, found in the
Amazonian rainforest. (Think of a gum brand with a similar name!)
16. Most life in the rainforest is found in the canopy.
T
F
The canopy is the second-highest layer in a rainforest, below the overstory. The
canopy and overstory combined are home to around 70% of rainforest life.
17. All forests are an important source of oxygen.
T
F
Trees remove carbon from the atmosphere and release oxygen and water vapour
as a byproduct of their growth.
18. Deforestation is contributing to climate change.
T
F
Trees remove carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. Deforestation reduces
the amount of potential carbon that may be captured from the atmosphere.
19. The forest type found in New Brunswick is called “temperate rain forest”.
T
F
New Brunswick is dominated by the Acadian forest, which is a mix of hardwood
species (Carolinian and Appalachian forests) and softwood species (Boreal
forest).
20. 1/8 of modern medicine comes from the South American rainforest.
T
1/4 of modern medicine comes from the South American rainforest.
F