Study Guide-Biodiversity

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Sometimes laws are passed to protect certain areas in order to maintain biodiversity. This helps preserve the unique characteristics of the organisms that live there. Sometimes land is preserved in several smaller patches that are spread out instead of one large area.

Which types of organisms will most likely become endangered if land preserves are spread out in patches?

a.	organisms that hibernate in winter
b.	organisms that need a lot of space to graze
c.	organisms that are able to fly great distances
d.	organisms that burrow underground

Humans harvest plants and animals from various biomes. Three of these biomes are displayed below.

Marine Biome	Grassland Biome	Freshwater Biome

Which choice below correctly describes one historical example of a decrease in biodiversity due to over-harvesting a plant or animal in the United States?

a.	The hunting and harvesting of Blue Whales was banned in 1966, and this preservation effort led mainly by conservationist from the United States saved this species from extinction..
b.	In 1995 wolf packs were re-introduced to the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in order to restore the natural food web and to increase the overall biodiversity there.
c.	Farmers routinely plant and harvest crops such as corn in order to provide food for people and livestock.
d.	In the 1800s excessive hunting nearly caused the Buffalo (Bison) to go extinct. This significantly altered the grassland ecosystem of the Great Plains region.

There are many worthwhile reasons to maintain and promote biodiversity in the various biomes on planet Earth.

Six Types of Biomes

(1) Grassland Biome

(2) Forest Biome

(3) Freshwater Biome

(4) Marine Biome

(5) Tundra Biome

(6) Desert Biome

Select the option below that correctly describes two valid reasons for maintaining biodiversity.

a.	Reducing biodiversity from rainforests helps humans by eliminating dangerous plants and animals that might harm us. Additionally we can use the trees for lumber to build homes.
b.	Maintaining biodiversity in a zoo helps attract more customers which brings in additional tax revenue to the local community, and it provide jobs to local citizens that work there.
c.	1st Reason: When humans cause plants to go extinct, we are reducing our potential food sources 2nd Reason: Maintaining biodiversity in the oceans is important to the economies of many coastal cites due to various types of commercial fishing.
d.	Reason 1: Many pharmaceuticals come from plants, so greater plant biodiversity can provide us more types of drugs to fight illnesses. Reason 2: Trees and other plants improve the air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen

Fertilizers containing phosphorous and nitrogen are leached into a pond. The nutrients from the fertilizer cause algae colonies in the pond to grow rapidly. As large quantities of algae die, the pond water becomes depleted of oxygen.

What most likely will be the effect on the organisms that live in this pond due to this algae growth?

a.	The depth of the pond will increase.
b.	There will be less biodiversity in the pond.
c.	The water will become more clear.
d.	A greater number of organisms will live in the pond.

Human activities such as road building and home construction often destroy wildlife habitats.
For example, the clear-cutting of forests due to urban development will most likely result in...?

a.	increased organism diversity.	c.	decreased forest biodiversity.
b.	decreased urban populations.	d.	increased oxygen production.

About 78 million acres of trees in the Amazon jungle are cut down each year. That is more than 150 acres lost every minute of every day which results in a tremendous loss of biodiversity. These huge forests absorb millions of tons of carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere and release millions of tons of oxygen.
What is one significant negative consequence of this deforestation?

a.	The amount of farm land in Brazil will be increased.
b.	Biodiversity in the Amazon rain forest will be increased.
c.	The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere will be reduced.
d.	There will be more plants to use as medicine from this region.

When ocean temperatures, salt levels, and nutrients reach certain levels, it causes a type of red-colored algae to spread across the surface of the water. This is known as a red tide. During a red tide, these algae reproduce very rapidly and consume most of the nutrients in the water.

What would most likely be a consequence of a red tide bloom along the coast of California?

a.	The water will become more clear and less salty.
b.	Sea kelp will reproduce more rapidly in that part of the ocean.
c.	A greater number of species will live in the ocean
d.	The biodiversity in that part of the ocean will decrease.

Human activities can alter ecosystems and result in the extinction of species.
Which action described below IS NOT an example of an activity that would reduce biodiversity.

a.	Assuring that habitats are protected and remain unaltered as much as possible
b.	Releasing a non-native species into a fragile ecosystem like a wetland area
c.	Excessive hunting of wolves, bears, and mountain lions
d.	Disrupting food webs by pouring toxic compounds into rivers and lakes (water pollution)

The environmental conditions in the Arctic Circle are challenging, and the food chains and food webs there are very fragile.
Which statement describes a possible consequence if biodiversity were to decrease in the Arctic due to the extinction of polar bears?

a.	changes in the food web, leading to a loss of food resources for native people
b.	an increase in the number of producers after a herbivore population boom
c.	disturbances in weather patterns, leading to a higher average water temperature
d.	a decrease in the number of herbivores due to natural predators being gone

10.

90% of the world’s crops for humans comes from only 20 different plant species. (Corn, Wheat, Rice, Soybeans, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Apples, Oranges, Melons, etc ) In other words, the biodiversity for our crops is low.

Why is this a problem?

a.	This is not a problem. We can eat meat instead of fruits, grains, and vegetables.
b.	If a disease wipes out one or more of these plants, there could be widespread food shortages.
c.	This is a problem because we need to consume calcium to make our bones strong.
d.	With the variety of food sources we have available, many people are overweight.