CONSERVATION BIOLOGY MIDTERM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Biodiversity (Biological Diversity) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Complete range of species, biological
communities, and their ecosystem interactions and genetic variation within species.
Biophilia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Postulated (genetic) predisposition in humans to feel an affinity for
(love) the diversity of the living world.
Conservation Biology - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Scientific discipline that draws on diverse fields to carry
out research on biodiversity, identify threats to biodiversity, and play an active role in the preservation
of biodiversity.
Ecosystem Management - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Large-scale management that often involves multiple
stakeholders, the primary goal of which is the preservation of ecosystem components and processes.
Environmentalism - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Widespread movement, characterized by political activism,
with the goal of protecting the natural environment (closely associated with conservation biology).
Land Ethic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Aldo Leopold's philosophy advocating human use of natural
resources that is compatible with or even enhances ecosystem health.
Normative Discipline - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Discipline that embraces ethical commitment instead of
ethical neutrality.
Preservationist Ethic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Belief in the need to preserve wilderness areas for their
intrinsic value.
Resource Conservation Ethic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Natural resources should be used for the greatest
good of the largest number of people for the longest time.
Sustainable Development - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Economic development that meets present and
future human needs without damaging the environment and biodiversity.
,Abiotic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Not derived from living things.
Alleles - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Different forms of the same gene.
Alpha diversity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The number of different species in a community or specific
location; species richness.
Beta diversity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Rate of change of species composition along a gradient or
transect.
Binomial - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The unique two-part Latin name taxonomists bestow on a species.
Bioblitz - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A one-day event in which scientists and citizen scientists perform an
intensive biological survey of a designated area in a short time with the goal of documenting all living
species in that area.
Biological community - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A group of species that occupies a particular locality.
Biological definition of species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Among biologists, the most generally used of
several definitions of 'species.' A group of individuals that can potentially breed among themselves in
the wild and that do not breed with individuals of other groups.
Biota - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A region's plants and animals.
Biotic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Related to living things.
Carnivores - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅An animal species that consumes other animals to survive. Also
called a secondary consumer or predator.
Carrying capacity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The number of individuals or biomass of a species that an
ecosystem can support.
, Competition - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A contest between individuals or groups of animals for resources.
Occurs when individuals or a species use a limiting resource in a way that prevents others from using it.
Cryptic species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Two or more species that have similar appearance but that are
genetically distinct.
Decomposers - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A species that feeds or grows on dead plant and animal material.
Detritivores - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A species that feeds or grows on dead plant and animal material.
Ecosystem - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A biological community together with its associated physical and
chemical environment.
Ecosystem diversity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The variety of ecosystems present in a place or geographic
area.
Ecosystem engineers - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Species that modify the physical structure of an
ecosystem.
Endemic species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Species found in one place and nowhere else.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅DNA shed into the environment by organisms and
that is detected with genetic techniques.
Evolution - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Genetic changes over time in a population that sometimes can result
in a new species.
Evolutionary definition of species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A group of individuals that share unique
similarities of their DNA and hence their evolutionary past.
Biodiversity (Biological Diversity) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Complete range of species, biological
communities, and their ecosystem interactions and genetic variation within species.
Biophilia - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Postulated (genetic) predisposition in humans to feel an affinity for
(love) the diversity of the living world.
Conservation Biology - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Scientific discipline that draws on diverse fields to carry
out research on biodiversity, identify threats to biodiversity, and play an active role in the preservation
of biodiversity.
Ecosystem Management - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Large-scale management that often involves multiple
stakeholders, the primary goal of which is the preservation of ecosystem components and processes.
Environmentalism - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Widespread movement, characterized by political activism,
with the goal of protecting the natural environment (closely associated with conservation biology).
Land Ethic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Aldo Leopold's philosophy advocating human use of natural
resources that is compatible with or even enhances ecosystem health.
Normative Discipline - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Discipline that embraces ethical commitment instead of
ethical neutrality.
Preservationist Ethic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Belief in the need to preserve wilderness areas for their
intrinsic value.
Resource Conservation Ethic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Natural resources should be used for the greatest
good of the largest number of people for the longest time.
Sustainable Development - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Economic development that meets present and
future human needs without damaging the environment and biodiversity.
,Abiotic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Not derived from living things.
Alleles - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Different forms of the same gene.
Alpha diversity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The number of different species in a community or specific
location; species richness.
Beta diversity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Rate of change of species composition along a gradient or
transect.
Binomial - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The unique two-part Latin name taxonomists bestow on a species.
Bioblitz - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A one-day event in which scientists and citizen scientists perform an
intensive biological survey of a designated area in a short time with the goal of documenting all living
species in that area.
Biological community - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A group of species that occupies a particular locality.
Biological definition of species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Among biologists, the most generally used of
several definitions of 'species.' A group of individuals that can potentially breed among themselves in
the wild and that do not breed with individuals of other groups.
Biota - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A region's plants and animals.
Biotic - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Related to living things.
Carnivores - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅An animal species that consumes other animals to survive. Also
called a secondary consumer or predator.
Carrying capacity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The number of individuals or biomass of a species that an
ecosystem can support.
, Competition - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A contest between individuals or groups of animals for resources.
Occurs when individuals or a species use a limiting resource in a way that prevents others from using it.
Cryptic species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Two or more species that have similar appearance but that are
genetically distinct.
Decomposers - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A species that feeds or grows on dead plant and animal material.
Detritivores - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A species that feeds or grows on dead plant and animal material.
Ecosystem - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A biological community together with its associated physical and
chemical environment.
Ecosystem diversity - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅The variety of ecosystems present in a place or geographic
area.
Ecosystem engineers - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Species that modify the physical structure of an
ecosystem.
Endemic species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Species found in one place and nowhere else.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅DNA shed into the environment by organisms and
that is detected with genetic techniques.
Evolution - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Genetic changes over time in a population that sometimes can result
in a new species.
Evolutionary definition of species - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A group of individuals that share unique
similarities of their DNA and hence their evolutionary past.
