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Environmental Science 14th Edition Miller Test Bank Download
Environmental Science 14th Edition Miller Test Bank Download
Environmental Science 14th Edition Miller Test Bank Download
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2. An increase in the number of polar bears seen visiting human settlements indicates that
a. Polar bear populations are not actually declining.
b. More limited hunting is driving the bears to seek food in human settlements more
frequently.
c. Polar bear populations are on the increase.
d. Human food is more appealing to polar bears than wild seals.
e. Polar bear populations are on the increase and human food is more appealing to polar
bears than wild seals.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy TOP: CORE CASE STUDY
3. Which one of the following statements about polar bears is not true?
a. In 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed the Alaskan polar bear on its list of
threatened species.
b. Alaskan state government officials are trying to have the polar bear delisted.
c. Polar bear populations are a significant threat to wolf populations in Alaska
d. Oil and coal industry leaders want the polar bear delisted in Alaska
e. Less than 60% of the world population of polar bears lives in Alaska
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate TOP: CORE CASE STUDY
4. The current rate of extinction is between _____ and _____ times the rate that existed before humans
arrived on Earth.
a. 5 and 10
b. 10 and 100
c. 100 and 1,000
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d. The rate is the same as it was before humans arrived on earth.
e. There is no way to determine the extinction rate before humans arrived on earth, so these
numbers cannot be estimated or compared.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-1 WHAT ROLE DO HUMANS PLAY IN THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?
7. Geologic records indicate that the earth has experienced perhaps ________mass extinction(s) where up
to ______________percent of the species disappeared.
a. 1, 50
b. 5, 95
c. 1, 95
d. 3, 75
e. 3, 50
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-1 WHAT ROLE DO HUMANS PLAY IN THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?
8. Philip Levin, Donald Levin and other biologist have cautioned us that speciation rates can increase for
opportunistic species such as
a. fish
b. birds
c. reptiles and birds
d. birds and weeds
e. weeds, rodents and cockroaches
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-1 WHAT ROLE DO HUMANS PLAY IN THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?
9. The species area relationship concept suggests that if 90% of a coral reef is lost
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a. 90% of the species utilizing the reef will go extinct.
b. 100% of the species will go extinct.
c. 50% of the species will go extinct.
d. 35% will go extinct.
e. There will be no loss of species.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-1 WHAT ROLE DO HUMANS PLAY IN THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?
10. _____ have estimated that up to 25% of the world's current animal and plant species could be gone by
2050, and 50% could be gone by the end of the century.
a. Edward O. Wilson and Stuart Pimm
b. Philip Levin and Donald Levin
c. Norman Myers and Aldo Leopold
d. Donald Levin and Stuart Pimm
e. Gas and oil company executives
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-1 WHAT ROLE DO HUMANS PLAY IN THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?
12. While the hide of a male lion in Kenya will bring in $1,000, if the same male lion lives to age seven,
he would bring in approximately ____ ecotourist dollars.
a. $5,000
b. $10,000
c. $50,000
d. $515,000
e. The value of a male lion in ecotourist dollars cannot be estimated.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-2 WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUTTHE RISING RATE OF SPECIES EXTINCTION?
14. People who believe that wild species have an inherent right to exist generally believe in
a. species’ economic value
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b. species’ extrinsic value
c. a stewardship view
d. a utilitarian view
e. recreational value of species to humans
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-2 WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUTTHE RISING RATE OF SPECIES EXTINCTION?
16. In the year 1900, there were over 315,000 wild orangutans. What percentage of this number remains
in the wild, and where are the majority of them located?
a. 90%, Indonesia and Malaysia
b. 10%, Indonesia and Malaysia
c. 50%, Malaysia
d. 90%, Indonesia
e. 10%, Indonesia
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-2 WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT THE RISING RATE OF SPECIES EXTINCTION?
17. Causes of extinction and reduction in wild species' populations include all of the following except
a. habitat loss
b. human population growth
c. sustainable development
d. pollution
e. invasive species
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
23. Argentina fire ants can be described by all of the following except:
a. They attack with painful and burning stings.
b. They have killed humans, pets, and livestock.
c. Some success in controlling the ants has been achieved with predatory flies.
d. Native ant species help to keep them in check.
e. They have spread throughout much of the southern United States.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
24. HIPPCO is
a. an acronym that summarizes the Endangered Species Act goals
b. an acronym to summarize the direct causes of extinction resulting from human activities
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c. the name of an ecotourism company in Africa that specializes in hippopotamus sightings
d. an acronym to summarize the health care right to privacy act
e. an trading company in Africa that sells hippopotamus hides
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
26. All of the following statements about invasive species is true except
a. Approximately 40% of species listed as endangered in the United States are on the list
because of threats from invasive species.
b. Most successful invader species are specialists.
c. Both the European wild boar and the Burmese python are problematic invasive species in
the state of Florida.
d. Some invasive species have arrived in the ballast water in ships from distant ports.
e. The African honeybee (killer bee) was deliberately introduced.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
28. A major factor in the population explosion of the zebra mussel in the Great Lakes region is
a. the zebra mussel’s specialist ecological niche
b. its rapid reproductive rate
c. its lack of natural enemies that might control its population
d. that it is a prey species of the sea lamprey
e. its rapid reproductive rate and its lack of natural enemies that might control its population
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
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29. The decline in approximately 70% of the world’s bird species is particularly alarming to scientists
because
a. This is the first time any bird species have been threatened with declining numbers.
b. It is not caused by any human activities that scientists can determine.
c. Only land birds are affected, while water birds seem to be maintaining normal population
numbers.
d. Birds are excellent environmental indicators.
e. Birdwatching now generates a significant portion of tourist dollars in some countries.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
30. All of the following actions will help to control invasive species except
a. Do not remove wild plants from their natural areas.
b. After each use, clean your mountain bike before heading for home.
c. Do not dump the contents of an aquarium into a storm drain.
d. Brush your dog after a hike before you bring the dog home.
e. Collect only endemic plants if you tend to bring wild plants home.
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
32. In a biomagnification situation, assume that a dangerous chemical, called “X”is present in the water of
a small bay at a concentration of .00005 parts per million (ppm). Also assume there are three layers of
consumption between the water and a certain predatory bird that lives around the lake, and at each step
of consumption, chemical X gets magnified 1000 times. What is the final concentration of chemical X
in the predatory bird after eating 100 fish in a week?
a. At the end of one week, the bird will have 50 ppm of chemical X
b. At the end of one week, the bird will have 5 ppm of chemical X
c. At the end of one week, the bird will have 100 ppm of chemical X
d. At the end of one week, the bird will have 1,000 atoms of chemical X
e. At the end of one week, the bird will have 10 ppm of chemical X
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
TOP: 8-3 HOW DO HUMANS ACCELERATE SPECIES EXTINCTIONS?
33. Which of the following is not true of the Endangered Species Act of 1973?
a. it is one of the world's most far-reaching environmental laws
b. it is based on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
c. it authorizes identification of endangered species solely on a biological basis
d. it makes it illegal to buy products made from threatened or endangered species
e. it is very controversial
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
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TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
34. Which of the following statements is not true about the Convention on Biological Diversity?
a. It has been ratified by 191 countries.
b. It legally commits participating governments to reducing the rate of biodiversity loss.
c. It focuses on ecosystems rather than individual species.
d. It has been ratified by the United States.
e. Implementation has been slow.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
35. All of the following would strengthen the Endangered Species Act except
a. establishing a core of survival habitats for listed species
b. greatly increasing the funding for carrying out the ESA
c. making the protection of endangered species on private land voluntary
d. developing recovery plans for listed species more quickly
e. emphasizing the protection of biological diversity and ecosystem functioning
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
38. Recent genetic research indicates that ____ or more individuals are needed for an endangered species
to maintain its capacity for biological evolution.
a. 10
b. 100
c. 1,000
d. 10,000
e. 100,000
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
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39. A small orchid plant that is found only on a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of
Florida, has been listed as an endangered species. Which agency was responsible for listing this plant
as endangered?
a. National Marine Fisheries Service
b. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
c. U.S. Botanical Survey
d. International Commission on Rare Plants
e. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
40. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) addresses all of the following
except
a. It restricts international trade of roughly 5,000 species of animals.
b. It restricts international trade of roughly 28,000 species of plants.
c. It focuses on ecosystems rather than individual species.
d. It has helped to reduce international trade on elephant ivory.
e. It has been signed by 174 member countries, including the United States.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
41. Living just off the coast of California, a rare dolphin is listed as an endangered species. What agency
or group was responsible for studying the status of this animal, and subsequently listing it as
endangered?
a. The animal would have been studied by the National Marine Fisheries Service, but would
have to be listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
b. Because of its location in ocean waters, it would have been listed by CITES.
c. The National Marine Fisheries Service would list it.
d. The Convention on Biological Diversity would list it.
e. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would study and list it.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
42. The International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling was imposed in 1986.
Following this:
a. Worldwide commercial whaling was completely eliminated.
b. There was no change in the number of whales killed outside U.S. waters.
c. Whale killing declined, and only 1,400 whales were killed in 2008, compared to over
42,000 in 1970.
d. Even Japan stopped commercial whaling.
e. Commercial whaling actually increased in some areas outside the U.S.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
43. Japan contends that current scientific eestimates of _________________whales does not support a ban
on commercial whaling.
a. sperm, pilot and minke
b. blue
c. sperm and minke
d. pilot and minke
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e. grey and sperm
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 8-4 HOW CAN WE PROTECT WILD SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION?
TRUE/FALSE
1. Gene banks, zoos, and aquariums are sanctuaries being used to protect wild species.
4. Pollution from human activities primarily affects human health; its effect on the environment is small.
6. Alien species thrive in new ecosystems because they have long generation times.
7. The primary reason polar bear population are declining is the lack of food, since their prey species
(seals) habitat is declining.
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8. A slow reproduction rate makes a species especially vulnerable to biological extinction.
9. The world’s wild species provide natural resources and natural services that keep us alive and support
human economies.
10. It is estimated that from one-fourth to one-half of the world’s plant and animal species will suffer
premature extinction during this century.
11. The primary threat to polar bears is pollution from oil spills in Arctic waters.
12. The African honeybee, or killer bee, is a deliberately introduced invasive species
13. Because of the lucrative ecotourism trade, both mature male lions and elephants bring in more money
as tourist attractions than if they are poached for their hide or ivory.
14. Ecosystems that do not undergo periodic fires are much more vulnerable to invader species.
16. There has been some success in the war against Argentine fire ants by using parasitic flies that make
the heads of the ants fall off.
17. The United States Endangered Species Act offers protection only for species located within United
States boundaries.
COMPLETION
1. ____________________ are environmental indicators because they live in every climate and biome,
respond quickly to environmental changes in their habitats, and are fairly easy to track and count.
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ANS: Birds
2. By the end of this century, polar bears might be found only in ___________.
ANS: zoos
ANS: DDT
5. The United States has signed the international treaty called CITES but has not signed/ratified the treaty
called ____________________.
ANS:
CBD
Convention on Biological Diversity
6. Biologists conservatively estimate that the current extinction rate is ____________________ times the
normal background extinction rate.
ANS: 100
7. Scientists believe that human activities that cause ____________________ and climate change will
have a serious impact on premature extinctions.
8. ____________________ is a process by which chemicals entering the food chain in lower organisms
become concentrated as they move to animals at higher trophic levels.
ANS:
Biomagnification
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bioaccumulation
9. ____________________ is a mysterious disease that causes adult bees to disappear from their hives
without a trace.
ANS:
habitat
suitable habitat
11. The two groups with the largest percentage of endangered species are the ____________ and the
_____________.
ANS:
plants, fishes
fishes, plants
12. The United States currently has about ____________________ invasive species that were accidentally
or deliberately introduced.
ANS: 7,100
13. It can be said that, of the species now listed under the Endangered Species Act, more than half have
populations that are either ____________________ or ____________________.
ANS:
stable, improving
improving, stable
ANS: snail
15. The common sense thought of “better safe than sorry” when applied to preventing species extinction is
called the____________________.
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ANS: precautionary principle
16. Chemical warfare against the invasive fire ant, during the 1950s and 1960s, actually hastened the
advance of this ant by __________________native ant populations.
ANS: reducing
17. ____________________ is the best way to reduce threats from invasive species.
ANS: Prevention
MATCHING
For the list of animals, select the characteristic that would most likely contribute to its possible
premature extinction.
a. low reproductive rate e. rare
b. specialized niche f. fixed migratory pattern
c. narrow distribution g. commercially valuable
d. feeds at a high trophic level h. large territory
1. African violet
2. snow leopard
3. giant panda
4. Florida panther
5. elephant seal
6. Everglades kite
7. bald eagle
8. whooping crane
9. sea turtle
Select the human activity or program that has proven to be the most effective for protecting each of the
listed species:
a. international regulatory laws
b. U.S. regulatory laws
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c. wildlife refuges
d. botanical gardens
e. captive breeding programs
10. gray wolf
11. peregrine falcon
12. butterflies
13. California condor
14. Florida’s key deer
15. whales
16. American bison
SHORT ANSWER
1. Would you support legislation that would allocate monetary compensation to land owners to help
protect endangered species that occur on their property? Why or why not?
ANS:
Answers can be variable, but some possibilities are:
Pro: Private land owners should not bear the burden alone of protecting species. Loss of use of their
property to generate income is an undue punishment for a situation that they did not bring about.
Con: Private land owners should not be responsible for the financial burden of protecting species that
occur, by random chance, on their property, and the government should not support this. Those species
should be exempt from federal laws. We should only protect the endangered species that occur on
public land or government-owned land.
2. List five things that you do that can contribute to the loss of the world's wild species?
ANS:
Answers will be quite variable, but some possible choices are:
1. Purchase a home in a new housing subdivision that is on land that was wild.
2. Purchase an exotic bird and keep it as a pet.
3. Dump used motor oil into a storm drain that drains to a river.
4. Purchase products from endangered species (furs, ivory carvings, rugs, shoes, hats,
mounted specimens, jewelry).
5. Purchase exotic imported fish for a household aquarium.
6. Use pesticides in your garden.
7. Drive an off-road vehicle through undisturbed habitats.
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8. Vote against legislation to protect wild species and natural areas.
3. A biologist wishes to see threatened bird species on her vacation, assuming that these species may not
be around much longer. She decides to travel to the two countries with the highest density of
threatened species per square kilometer. Which countries will she be visiting?
ANS:
Haiti and Cambodia
4. The traveling biologist decides to contribute money to the two developing countries that seems to be
doing the most for its threatened bird species, based on the percentage of land area that is set aside for
conservation. What two countries will be recipients of her donations?
ANS:
Costa Rica and Cambodia
5. Briefly describe what a Japanese company has done in the U.S. state of Alabama with kudzu.
ANS:
A Japanese firm has built a large kudzu farm and processing plant in Alabama that ships the extracted
starch to Japan, where it is used in gourmet confections, beverages and herbal remedies.
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ESSAY
1. As an example of how individuals matter in the efforts to save wild species, describe how poachers in
Thailand became part of the ecotourism industry.
ANS:
Pilai Poonswad, a native Thai, visited poachers in their villages and explained how the hornbill was
worth more alive, as an ecotourist attraction, than dead as a poached animal. Today some of these ex-
poachers are employed in the ecotourist industry and also help to protect the birds from other poachers.
2. Explain the concept of a habitat island. In particular, discuss how a national park can be a habitat
island.
ANS:
A national park is typically a protected area with a particular habitat that is surrounded by different
habitats that are not protected. This makes the park a “habitat island.” Often the surrounding habitats
are damaged by human activities such as logging, mining, coal-burning power plants, and industrial
activities.
3. Protecting biodiversity is no longer simply a matter of passing and enforcing endangered species laws
and setting aside parks and preserves. It will also require slowing climate change, which will affect the
polar bear and many other species.
Consider the above quote from the chapter, and comment on the implications of this statement as it
applies to separate countries, and the world as a whole.
ANS:
Answers will vary. A possible answer would be:
The mechanisms for protecting biodiversity have been difficult enough for individual countries to
accomplish. Even developed, affluent countries, such as the United States, have meager funding for
enforcing endangered species laws and funding reserves. However, now that controlling climate
change has become an issue in preserving biodiversity, the situation has become much more complex
and more difficult because, among other things, it requires cooperation among nations. Solving the
problem has switched from a national problem to an international problem.
ANS:
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In 1988, a giant African snail was imported into Brazil as a substitute for conventional escargot. When
export prices for escargot fell, breeders dumped these snails in natural systems in Brazil. It is now
widespread in Brazil and devours native plants and food crops. It also can carry rat lungworm, which
causes meningitis in humans and it carries another parasite that can rupture human intestines. So far,
the snail has been unstoppable.
5. If you take a driving vacation to an area in Mexico and then return to the United States in your car, you
will be stopped at the border while U.S. agents ask you if you are carrying such items as plants or
animals. If you are carrying such items, they may likely be confiscated. If you have any native plants
with soil on them, this will be confiscated. You probably have not committed a crime, but
nevertheless there is a benefit to this process. What is that benefit?
ANS:
Answers will vary. Some possible answers are:
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