Biodiversity
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When Aldo Leopold said, "The first rule to intelligent tinkering is to save all the pieces." In
terms of biodiversity he meant that we should
A. Save records of all species that have disappeared
B. Not interfere with the disappearance of species
C. Not cause species to disappear
D. Not interfere with nature
E. Aldo Leopold did not intend to have this statement applied to biodiversity
2. We are usually referring to species diversity when we talk about biodiversity. However,
genetic diversity is also important to ecological systems because diverse genes
A. Increase the efficiency and productivity of a system because all niches are filled.
B. Allow an individual organism to adapt to its changing environment.
C. Are necessary for a population to evolve in a changing environment.
D. Lead to diverse ecological processes in a biological community.
E. Are important for a balanced ecosystem.
,3. Ecological diversity is a measure of the number of
A. Different kinds of organisms within a community or ecosystem
B. Different versions of the same gene in an ecological community
C. Sizes, colors, and shapes of organisms within an ecological community
D. Niches, trophic levels, and ecological processes of a biological community
E. Different species in an ecosystem
Use the following scenario:
There are three ecological communities, each with differing species, but all of them have 100
individual plants and animals.
Community A has 21 species. Of the 110 individuals, there are 50 individuals of one species
and 3 each of the other 20 species.
Community B has 11 species. Of the 110 individuals, there are 90 individuals of one species
and 2 each of the other 10 species.
Community C has 11 species. Of the 110 individuals, there are 10 individuals of each species.
4. In this scenario, which community has the highest species richness?
A. Community A
B. Community B
C. Community C
D. Community A and C are the same
E. Community A and B are the same
, 5. In this scenario, which communities have the same species evenness?
A. Community A and C
B. Community B and A
C. Community C and B
D. All three communities have the same species evenness
E. None of the communities has the same species evenness
6. In this scenario, which communities have the same species richness?
A. Community A and B
B. Community A and C
C. Community B and C
D. All three communities have the same species richness
E. None of the communities has the same species richness
Use the following scenario:
Your friend is upset because his conception of what a species has been challenged. His
professor told him that there are some problems associated with the common way that a
species is identified. Your friend learned what a species was while in high school and it was
reinforced during his first year in college. He also refers to the third chapter in your
environmental science book for this definition. Your friend wonders if this professor knows
what she is talking about. You explain to him that there really are some problems associated
with the common way that a species is defined and you think that this professor is correct.