BIO 322 Self-Quiz Questions and Correct Answers

Conservation International (CI) identified 25 biodiversity hotspots as areas harboring especially large numbers of A. threatened and endangered plant and animal species. B. endemic animal species combined with low rates of habitat conversion. C. plant and animal species. D. endemic plant species combined with high rates of habitat conversion. D CI's hotspots harbor at least 2,500 endemic plant species and have lost at least 70% of their original vegetation due to land conversion. Some conservationists have questioned the value of identifying biodiversity hotspots because A. using different metrics of biological value leads to a different set of priority locations. B. feasibility of successful conservation (for example, due to land costs, rule of law, or government corruption) was not considered. C. this approach fails to consider the many services ecosystems (sometimes species-poor ecosystems) deliver to humanity. D. All of the above D Biodiversity hotspots have been criticized for being overly sensitive to the particular metrics of biological value, not factoring in feasibility, and failing to consider ecosystem services. An ecoregion is a large area of land or water that A. corresponds to geopolitical boundaries. B. is delineated by features such as mountains, canyons, or rivers. C. is characterized by a relatively distinct set of environmental conditions and species. D. None of the above C An ecoregion does not necessarily follow geopolitical boundaries and is instead defined by the relatively unique environmental conditions and species found within the region. Conservation planners commonly assume that efforts focused on a subset of well-chosen conservation targets will protect all, or least most, of the biodiversity in the ecoregion. Studies assessing the effectiveness of targeting a small number of species in a conservation plan have shown that A. this approach is almost always successful. B. targeting flagship species is a consistently better approach than targeting any other kind of indicator species. C. targeting specific kinds of species is generally no better than targeting a random selection of species. D. targeting butterfly species is sufficient to capture the diversity of plants, birds, and mammals. C