Conservation Biology
Final Test Solutions
Course Introduction
Conservation Biology is an interdisciplinary course that explores the principles and practices aimed at preserving biological diversity across ecosystems, species, and genetics. It covers the scientific foundations of conservation, including the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and the impacts of human activities on natural systems. Students will examine strategies for protecting endangered species, managing wildlife populations, restoring degraded habitats, and designing and implementing conservation policies. The course also addresses the ethical, social, and economic dimensions of conservation efforts both locally and globally, preparing students to critically assess and contribute to solutions for contemporary environmental challenges.
Recommended Textbook
Ecology Concepts and Applications 5th Edition by Manuel Molles
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Ecology Historical Foundations and Developing Frontiers
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Q1) According to Margaret Davis,who studied pollen contained within lake sediments,the vegetation landscape of the Appalachian Mountains from 12,000 years ago until approximately 100 years ago changed as follows:
A) spruce\(\rarr\)chestnut\(\rarr\)beech.
B) chestnut\(\rarr\)spruce\(\rarr\)beech.
C) beech\(\rarr\)spruce\(\rarr\)chestnut.
D) spruce\(\rarr\)beech\(\rarr\)chestnut.
E) chestnut\(\rarr\)beech\(\rarr\)spruce.
Answer: D
Q2) Ecology is a modern science of which ancient man had no knowledge.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Field studies and laboratory studies are mutually exclusive.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) ____________ are aerial plants obtaining nutrient from trapped organic matter. Answer: Epiphytes
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Life on Land
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Q1) Earth's climatic variation is due to
A) the spherical shape of the earth.
B) earth's axial rotation as it orbits the sun.
C) uneven heating of the earth's surface.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Answer: D
Q2) Trade winds move toward the equator.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Warm tropical air
A) is dense and sinks.
B) has a low evaporative potential.
C) cools as it ascends.
D) warms as it ascends.
E) meets cool polar air causing precipitation in the tropics.
Answer: C
Q4) Desert soils are often termed _________________.
Answer: lithosols
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Chapter 3: Life in Water
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Q1) Gyres move to the left in the Northern Hemisphere and to the right in the Southern Hemisphere.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Oceanic water circulation systems are termed A) upwellings.
B) atolls.
C) ebbs.
D) gyres.
E) pulses.
Answer: D
Q3) Oceanic upwellings bring nutrient rich waters to the west coast of South America. A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The benthic portion of eutrophic lakes can become _______________.
Answer: anaerobic
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Chapter 4: Population Genetics and Natural Selection
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Q1) The number of offspring contributed by an individual to future generations is called
Q2) Vila-Aiub and colleagues found that populations of the weed Sorghum halepense that have been persistently exposed to the herbicide,glyphosate,were not resistant to its effects.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Evolution can be defined as
A) a process which favors the average phenotype within a population.
B) a process that increases the average size of individuals within a population.
C) a process of eliminating "bad" traits within a population.
D) a change in gene frequencies in a population.
E) the extent to which phenotypic variation is due to genetic variation.
Q4) Locally adapted and genetically distinctive populations within a species are referred to as
A) heterotypes.
B) metatypes.
C) genotypes.
D) ecotypes.
E) allotypes.
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Chapter 5: Temperature Relations
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Q1) Macroclimates and microclimates vary only slightly from one another in terms of temperature and moisture.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Dolphins use __________________ to conserve body heat.
A) concurrent heat exchange
B) countercurrent heat exchange
C) thoracic muscles
D) diet
E) All of the choices are correct.
Q3) Metabolic heat (H<sub>m</sub>)is the heat
A) energy intake an organism must have for movement.
B) released during cellular respiration.
C) energy needed in order to undergo cellular respiration.
D) energy loss due to evaporation.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q4) Poikilothermic organisms can allocate less energy into biomass production compared to homeothermic organisms.
A)True
B)False
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Water Relations
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Q1) Most water loss in terrestrial animals is due to evaporation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The water availability for organisms is determined by
A) internal dissolved ion concentrations.
B) external dissolved ion concentrations.
C) movement of water down its concentration gradient.
D) movement of water up its concentration gradient.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q3) The camel and saguaro cactus both
A) acquire massive amounts of water when water is available.
B) allow their internal temperature to rise.
C) reduce surface area exposed to direct sunlight.
D) reflect sunlight with dense hairs.
E) All of the choices are correct.
Q4) Windy days will decrease a plant's evaporative water loss.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Metabolic water is the water that is released by the process of
8
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Chapter 7: Energy and Nutrient Relations
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Q1) Which kingdom has the higher carbon to nitrogen ratios?
A) Fungi
B) Animalia
C) Monera
D) Plantae
E) Protista
Q2) Generally,as predator size decreases prey size _______________.
Q3) In order for terrestrial plants to undergo photosynthesis and produce a six carbon sugar,which of the following metabolic pathways must occur?
A) C<sub>3</sub>
B) C<sub>4</sub>
C) CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism)
D) both C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub>
E) both C<sub>4</sub> and CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism)
Q4) Transpiration rates are highest in ____ plants.
A) C<sub>3</sub>
B) C<sub>4</sub>
C) CAM
D) C<sub>4</sub> and CAM
E) C<sub>3</sub>, C<sub>4</sub>, and CAM
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Socail Relations
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Q1) Research on eusociality suggests that the evolutionary driving force(s)to preserve this form of sociality is/are?
A) kin selection
B) inclusive fitness
C) environmental adaptation
D) both kin selection and inclusive fitness
E) kin selection, inclusive fitness, and environmental adaptation
Q2) How is the organization of a leaf cutter ant colony and a colony of naked mole rats similar?
A) individuals are divided among castes
B) one female and a few males breed
C) large workers specialize in defense
D) individuals share a high degree of relatedness
E) All of the choices are correct.
Q3) Male scorpionflies use which of the following as nuptial offerings?
A) bower constructed from leaves and twigs
B) dead arthropods
C) decomposing berries
D) fecal mass
E) both dead arthropods and fecal mass
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Chapter 9: Population Distribution and Abundance
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Q1) Density is defined as
A) the number of individuals within a population.
B) abundance.
C) the number of individuals per unit area.
D) the distribution of individuals within a given area.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q2) Ehleringer and Clark found that variation in leaf pubescence among plants of the genus Encelia appears to correspond to the distribution of these species along a ____________ gradient from the California coast eastward.
A) light intensity
B) moisture
C) temperature
D) both light intensity and moisture
E) both moisture and temperature
Q3) Research by Hubble and Johnson showed that aggressive social interactions among stingless bees in the tropical dry forests of Costa Rica can produce and enforce a clumped distribution.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Population Dynamics
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Q1) Which of the following statements regarding 'mean generation time' is false?
A) It is generally calculated only for the females in a population.
B) It is the average time from offspring to offspring.
C) It can be calculated using a fecundity schedule and life table.
D) It can be used to calculate the geometric growth rate.
E) It can be used to calculate the per capita rate of increase.
Q2) Individuals born during a specified time period are grouped as a __________________________.
Q3) The geometric rate of increase can be used to estimate changes in population size in species with non-overlapping generations.
A)True
B)False
Q4) __________________ is the process by which individuals disperse out of a population.
Q5) Humans would best be represented by which of the following survivorships curves?
A) III
B) II
C) I
D) IV
E) None of the choices are correct.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Population Growth
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Q1) dN/dt = r<sub>max</sub>N represents A) annual growth rate.
B) geometric population growth.
C) exponential population growth.
D) logistic growth.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q2) Which of the following is/are mismatched?
A) r<sub>max</sub> = intrinsic rate of increase
B) K = carrying capacity
C) N<sub>t</sub> = annual growth rate
D) t = time interval
E) dN/dt = rate of population change
Q3) Grant and Grants' study on the large cactus finches (Geospiza conirostris)positively correlates ____________________ and egg clutches.
Q4) Density dependent factors include all of the following except:
A) competition.
B) disease.
C) predation.
D) temperature.
E) None of the choices are correct.
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Chapter 12: Life Histories
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Q1) Which of the following is NOT true of riparian plant communities?
A) plant species adapted to frequent disturbance by flooding
B) plant species dependent on flooding often dominant
C) low species diversity, compared to surrounding terrestrial communities
D) high population densities, compared to surrounding terrestrial communities
E) seriously impacted by human activities
Q2) Which of the following environments for germinating seed is most likely to favor a plant species that makes many small seeds,compared to one that makes fewer larger seeds?
A) nutrient limitation
B) competition from established plants
C) shade
D) deep burial in soil
E) disturbance
Q3) Which of the following are characteristics favored by K selection?
A) iteroparity
B) small body size
C) rapid development
D) high r<sub>max</sub>
E) early reproduction
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Chapter 13: Competition
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Q1) Joseph Connell discovered that Balanus barnacles were excluded from the upper intertidal zone by ____________,while Chthalamus barnacles were excluded from the middle intertidal zone by ___________.
A) competition from mussels, prolonged immersion in water
B) competition from mussels, competition with Balanus
C) prolonged exposure to air, competition with Balanus
D) prolonged exposure to air, competition with algae
E) predation by wading birds, predation by starfish
Q2) Rodents that feed primarily on seeds are called ____________.
Q3) In Thomas Park's experiments with Tribolium beetles,which of the following was true?
A) T. confusum and T. castaneum had identical niches.
B) T. confusum and T. castaneum always coexisted when cultured together.
C) T. confusum and T. castaneum never coexisted when cultured together.
D) T. confusum and T. castaneum could coexist under some environmental conditions, but not all.
E) T. confusum and T. castaneum proved to be unsuitable species for laboratory experimentation.
Q4) Evolution of distinct niches in the presence of competition is called _____________.
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Chapter 14: Exploitative Interactions Predation,
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Q1) A "negatively phototaxic" amphipod will swim
A) away from parasitic worms.
B) towards parasitic worms.
C) away from competing amphipods.
D) towards light.
E) away from light.
Q2) In the Lotka-Volterra predation model,a prey (host)population in the absence of predators would
A) grow exponentially.
B) grow logistically.
C) grow exponentially, and then crash when it has outstripped its own food supply. D) decline to extinction.
E) The model makes no assumptions about what happens in the absence of predators.
Q3) An organism inducing disease in its host is called a ______________.
Q4) _______________________ is the idea that predators can have non-lethal effects on prey's behavior in which they avoid high-risk locations.
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Chapter 15: Mutualism
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Q1) Crabs and shrimp associated with corals protect their hosts from
A) being dislodged from the substrate by currents.
B) predation by sea-stars.
C) predation by fishes.
D) attack by parasitic nematodes.
E) infection by pathogenic bacteria.
Q2) An interaction between individuals of different species that benefit both partners is called
A) commensalism.
B) predation.
C) exploitation.
D) mutualism.
E) ammensalism.
Q3) Ants on the aspen sunflower,Helianthella quinquenervis,obtain sugars and amino acids by
A) collecting nectar from the sunflower's flowers.
B) collecting nectar from extrafloral nectaries.
C) tending aphids that extract plant sap.
D) extracting plant sap directly by piercing the sunflower stem.
E) All of the choices are correct.
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Chapter 16: Species Abundance and Diversity
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Q1) In Michael Huston's studies of Costa Rican forest diversity,the highest tree diversity was found on soils with
A) very high fertility.
B) moderate fertility.
C) very low fertility.
D) either high or low, but not moderate, fertility.
E) There was no relationship between diversity and soil fertility.
Q2) A simple tree community consists of 4 maples,3 oaks,and 1 alder.The Shannon-Wiener diversity of this community is
A) 0.42.
B) 0.97.
C) 1.5.
D) 3.
E) not possible to calculate from the data given.
Q3) The most serious human-caused threat to endangered species worldwide is A) pollution.
B) the introduction of invasive species.
C) habitat destruction.
D) the pet trade.
E) None of the choices are correct.
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Chapter 17: Species Interactions and Community Structure
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Q1) Human hunters in the Amazon rain forests kill
A) large numbers of almost every mammal and bird species, for food and for skins.
B) large numbers of the smallest mammal and bird species, which are easiest to catch.
C) large numbers primarily of the largest mammal and bird species.
D) large numbers of mammals and birds, but do not greatly affect population densities.
E) only a few mammals and birds, but because humans are keystone species, these few kills greatly reduce population densities.
Q2) The impact of Argentine ants on species diversity in the South African fynbos is most dramatic following fires.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Removal of Pisaster starfish in the Washington intertidal leads to a decline in diversity of other invertebrate species.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Primary Production and Energy Flow
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Q1) The production of new organic matter,or biomass,by autotrophs in a system is called
A) primary production
B) primary construction
C) trophic production
D) trophic gain
E) autotrophic gain
Q2) "Actual evapotranspiration" for an ecosystem refers to the amount of water that
A) is taken up from soils by plant roots.
B) evaporates from soils.
C) is transpired by plants.
D) evaporates from soils plus the amount transpired by plants.
E) could evaporate from soils, if they were kept wet at all times.
Q3) Primary producers make up the first,or basal,____________ in most food webs.
Q4) Actual evapotranspiration rates are highest in ____________ climates.
A) warm, moist
B) cold, moist
C) warm, dry
D) cold, dry
E) actual evapotranspiration rate is not affected by climate
Page 20
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Chapter 19: Nutrient Cycling and Retention
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Q1) In aquatic ecosystems,the major agents of decomposition are
A) aquatic fungi.
B) bacteria.
C) algae.
D) detritivorous fish.
E) piscivorous fish.
Q2) A major perturbation of the carbon cycle by human activity is associated with
A) release of carbon from carbonate rocks.
B) release of carbon from fossil fuel deposits.
C) removal of carbon from the atmosphere in the industrial production of fertilizers.
D) accelerated removal of carbon from the atmosphere by forests.
E) respiratory production of CO<sub>2</sub> by the large human population.
Q3) The process of denitrification is
A) energy-yielding and aerobic.
B) energy-releasing and aerobic.
C) energy-yielding and anaerobic.
D) energy-releasing and anaerobic.
E) energy-neutral and anaerobic.
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Chapter 20: Succession and Stability
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Q1) The first plants in a successional sequence are called the ______________.
Q2) In the area of Glacier Bay,Alaska,the climax community is
A) hemlock forest.
B) muskeg.
C) hemlock forest on steep slopes, and muskeg on shallower slopes.
D) hemlock forest on shallow slopes, and muskeg on steeper slopes.
E) Dryas mats with scattered alders and cottonwoods.
Q3) A tendency for a community to maintain its structure even when subject to potential disturbance is called ____________.
Q4) A set of sites differing in successional age is called a ____________.
Q5) Which statement about changing ecosystem properties during succession is false?
A) biomass increases
B) community respiration increases
C) primary production increases
D) soil depths decrease
E) stream spiraling lengths decrease
Q6) On intertidal boulders in California,the climax community is dominated by perennial red algae.
A)True
B)False
Page 22
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Chapter 21: Landscape Ecology
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Q1) Haddad and Baum demonstrated that corridors between patches of open habitat in dense 40- to 50-year-old pine forests of South Carolina
A) increased the frequency of movement of two butterfly species, common buckeye and variegated fritillary, between patches.
B) resulted in higher rates of pollination of plants growing in connected patches.
C) resulted in higher rates of seed dispersal of plants growing in connected patches.
D) both increased the frequency of movement of two butterfly species, common buckeye and variegated fritillary, between patches, and resulted in higher rates of pollination of plants growing in connected patches.
E) All of the choices are correct.
Q2) The recognition that the length of a coastline depends on the scale at which it is measured is a result of the branch of mathematics called ___________.
Q3) Connections of similar habitat maintained between habitat fragments are known as ___________.
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Chapter 22: Geographic Ecology
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Q1) The equilibrium model of island biogeography explains diversity on islands as a balance between
A) speciation and extinction.
B) immigration and extinction.
C) speciation and emigration.
D) immigration and emigration.
E) speciation and immigration.
Q2) In the American Southwest,forest habitats
A) currently extend unbroken between mountaintops over thousands of km.
B) have never extended unbroken between mountaintops.
C) last extended unbroken between mountaintops in the Cretaceous.
D) last extended unbroken between mountaintops in the Permian.
E) last extended unbroken between mountaintops in the Pleistocene.
Q3) Daniel Simberloff studied recolonization by
A) birds on California islands after defaunation by storms.
B) birds on California islands after defaunation by experimental fumigation.
C) arthropods on Florida mangrove islands after defaunation by storms.
D) arthropods on Florida mangrove islands after defaunation by experimental fumigation.
E) small mammals on desert mountaintops after defaunation by climate change.
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Chapter 23: Global Ecology
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Q1) Greenhouse gases help keep the surface of the earth warm by absorbing _____ emitted by the _____.
A) visible light, sun
B) ultraviolet radiation, earth
C) infrared radiation, sun
D) infrared radiation, earth
E) visible light, earth
Q2) The __________ is the layer of atmosphere which extends from the earth's surface to an altitude of 9 to 16 km.
A) stratosphere
B) mesosphere
C) thermosphere
D) troposphere
E) ozonosphere
Q3) During El NiƱo events,coastal populations of anchovies and sardines
A) flourish as seabird populations decline.
B) decline as sea lion populations flourish.
C) flourish as sea lion populations decline.
D) decline as phytoplankton populations decline.
E) flourish as phytoplankton populations flourish.
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