Biology Test Conservation Biology 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which human activity is considered the single largest driver of tropical deforestation globally?
- Urban expansion
- Agricultural conversion for livestock and crops (Correct answer)
- Logging for timber
- Mining operations
Correct answer: Agricultural conversion for livestock and crops
Agricultural conversionâespecially for cattle ranching, palm oil, and soyâaccounts for the majority of tropical forest loss worldwide.
Question 2: What does the term 'rewilding' specifically emphasize in modern conservation practice?
- Breeding endangered species in captivity
- Restoring natural processes and reintroducing keystone species to allow ecosystems to self-regulate (Correct answer)
- Removing all human influence including indigenous communities
- Creating new wilderness areas through legal designation alone
Correct answer: Restoring natural processes and reintroducing keystone species to allow ecosystems to self-regulate
Rewilding focuses on restoring ecological processes and apex predators or keystone species so that ecosystems can recover and function with minimal ongoing management.
Question 3: Which principle explains why a larger reserve will typically support more species than a smaller one?
- Competitive exclusion principle
- Island biogeography theory (Correct answer)
- Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
- Bergmann's rule
Correct answer: Island biogeography theory
Island biogeography theory predicts that species richness increases with area because larger areas support larger populations and more diverse habitats.
Question 4: Ex situ conservation differs from in situ conservation in that ex situ:
- Protects species within their natural habitat
- Protects species outside their natural habitat in facilities like zoos or seed banks (Correct answer)
- Focuses only on plant species
- Relies entirely on community-based management
Correct answer: Protects species outside their natural habitat in facilities like zoos or seed banks
Ex situ conservation preserves species away from their natural environment, serving as a safety net while in situ efforts protect habitat.
Question 5: A population viability analysis (PVA) is used by conservation biologists primarily to:
- Calculate the economic value of a species
- Estimate the probability that a population will persist for a defined period (Correct answer)
- Determine which species should be legally protected
- Map the geographic range of endangered species
Correct answer: Estimate the probability that a population will persist for a defined period
PVA uses demographic and environmental data to model extinction probability and minimum viable population size over time.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'edge effects' in fragmented habitats?
- The tendency for predators to avoid habitat boundaries
- Changes in species composition and microclimate conditions near the boundary of two habitat types (Correct answer)
- The decline of generalist species at habitat margins
- Legal boundaries between protected and unprotected land
Correct answer: Changes in species composition and microclimate conditions near the boundary of two habitat types
Edge effects include altered temperature, humidity, and light penetration near habitat boundaries, often favoring generalist and invasive species over interior specialists.
Question 7: Which treaty provides the primary international framework for regulating trade in endangered wild plants and animals?
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
- Ramsar Convention
- CITES (Correct answer)
- Kyoto Protocol
Correct answer: CITES
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) regulates and in some cases bans international trade in threatened species.
Biology Test Conservation Biology 3
Which human activity is considered the single largest driver of tropical deforestation globally?