BIOL 1442 Exam 3 Sixth Extinction Questions and other stuff

What is an ammonite?

a type of zooplankton (small aquatic heterotroph)

a hard-shelled mollusk closely related to a squid

a small dinosaur

a type of phytoplankton (small aquatic photoautotroph)

a hard-shelled mollusk closely related to a squid

Name the key biological concept that "did not crop up during the Middle Ages or during the Renaissance..." but rather came to light during the 1700s, as a means to explain the existence of certain fossils. 

uniformitarianism

transmutation

taxonomy

extinction

extinction

In this story, the "luck of the ammonites" was

No answer text provided.

neither good nor bad

good luck

bad luck

bad luck

Match each scientist with his perspective or historical contribution.

1, Georges Cuvier

2. Jean Baptiste Lamarck

3. Charles Lyell

4. Carl Linnaeus

1. catastrophism

2. transmutation (transformisme)

3. uniformitarianism

4. binomial nomenclature and taxonomic categories

An extinct flightless bird that Kolbert nicknamed "the original penguin" is actually called

a kiwi

an auk

a dodo

a puffin

an auk

The "original penguin" 

was the only species known to survive a mass extinction event

was thought to be extinct, until a remnant population was recently rediscovered.

was overhunted to extinction by humans.

went extinct with the non-avian dinosaurs.

was overhunted to extinction by humans.

Ammonites 

were thought to be extinct until a remnant population was recently discovered.

were overhunted to extinction by humans

survived the mass extinction event that killed the non-avian dinosaurs.

went extinct with the non-avian dinosaurs

went extinct with the non-avian dinosaurs

Identify the creature locally celebrated in the town of El Valle, Panama (where an institute called EVACC was established to prevent the extinction of this animal and its close relatives).

the golden frog

a rare type of crow

a flightless bird called an auk

a type of coral

the golden frog

Choose the most appropriate description for this image.

ocean upwelling

bioaccumulation

seasonal turnover in a lake

biomagnification

seasonal turnover in a lake

What do the “Out of Africa” hypothesis & “Frog Leg Soup” hypothesis have in common? 

toxic pollution

climate change

habitat destruction

an invasive species

an invasive species

This man discovered extinction but disagreed with "the notion that animals could change their body types when convenient." 

Jean Baptiste Lamarck

Carl Linnaeus

Charles Lyell

Georges Cuvier

Georges Cuvier

Elizabeth Kolbert recalls her visit to an unusual natural phenomenon at Castello Aragonese in the Gulf of Naples:  "When we get close enough, I start to see bubbles rising from the sea floor, like beads of quicksilver.  Beds of seagrass wave beneath us."  Identify the gas that produces the bubbles described by the author: 

Oxygen

Methane

Nitrogen

Carbon Dioxide

Hydrogen Sulfide

Carbon Dioxide

Castello Aragonese in the Gulf of Naples provides a natural experiment where scientists can study the effects of differing pH levels on the biology of the local marine ecosystem.  Kolbert claims that  "Here it is possible to swim... in the seas of tomorrow today."  What does she mean by this?  Why would the pH of the oceans change dramatically in many places across the world?

Human activities are accelerating the Carbon Cycle, causing an average increase in global temperatures.

Invasive species are causing unprecedented change in marine systems.

Deforestation is resulting in unprecedented rates of soil erosion.

Human activities are causing unprecedented levels of acid precipitation.

Agricultural pollution is resulting in nutrient run-off and eutrophication.

Human activities are accelerating the Carbon Cycle, causing an average increase in global temperatures.

Which group of organisms is most directly affected by human activities that accelerate the Carbon Cycle and cause acidification?

sea grass

corals

sponges

fishes

marine mammals

corals

In the 1990s, the first strong clues to indicate a link between Carbon Dioxide levels and the effects of acidification on marine life came from

a sea life aquarium in Texas.

a coral reef in the Florida Keys.

the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

an indoor biosphere experiment in Arizona.

the lobster industry in Maine.

an indoor biosphere experiment in Arizona.

Which of the following groups would be most likely to exhibit uniform dispersion?

cattails, which grow primarily at edges of lakes and streams

red squirrels, which actively defend territories

lake trout, which seek out deep water

dwarf mistletoes, which parasitize particular species of forest tree

moths in a city at night, which are attracted to light sources

red squirrels, which actively defend territories

You initially trap and mark 100 sunfish in a lake. You return one week later and capture 200 fish. But only 50 were marked. The estimated population size is:

400

100

5

200

400

Where in the world would you find a place called "One Tree Island" with an isolated research station accessible only by boat?

Iceland

Australia

Italy

Fiji

Mexico

Australia

All species are equally important to the overall function of an ecosystem.

True

False

False

For most groups, species diversity most often 

increases from the poles to the tropics.

is high at the equator and the poles, and lowest at temperate latitudes.

increases from the tropics to the poles.

is low at the equator and the poles, and peaks at temperate latitudes.

increases from the poles to the tropics.

What kind of organism might a biologist study using the “ring and fling” sampling method?

frogs

fungi

insects

large trees

birds

birds

Chapter 10 of The Sixth Extinction is called "The New Pangaea," which is a reference to the supercontinent that existed from about 335 million years ago until about 175 million years ago.  This metaphor of a modern supercontinent applies to which modern ecological crisis?

Human activities are accelerating the Carbon Cycle, causing an average increase in global temperatures.

Deforestation is resulting in unprecedented rates of soil erosion.

Invasive species are causing unprecedented change in terrestrial ecosystems.

Agricultural pollution is resulting in nutrient run-off and eutrophication.

Invasive species are causing unprecedented change in terrestrial ecosystems.

This chapter features a captive animal at a facility run by the San Diego Zoo.  “Kinohi” is a rare species of Hawaiian

fruit fly.

happy face spider.

rodent.

crow.

hummingbird.

crow

A long-term ecological study in Brazil resulted from collaboration between the government, scientists, conservationists, and landowners engaged in...

shade grown coffee farms

Christmas tree farms

cattle ranching

development of residential housing

mining operations

cattle ranching

“Suci” was a star creature at the Cincinnati Zoo, with a “prodigious backside.”  Suci was a(n)… 

gelada baboon

hippopotamous

Asian elephant

Sumatran rhinocerous

Florida manatee

Sumatran rhinocerous

A Kentucky State Park called “Big Bone Lick” is famous for its fossils from the…

Jurassic period

Pleistocene ice age

Devonian period

Anthropocene epoch

Cretaceous period

Pleistocene ice age

South America has one surviving species of bear.

True

False

True

Which factor has probably contributed most toward the loss of biodiversity known as the Holocene Extinction?

overharvesting

habitat destruction

population growth of humans

invasive species

habitat destruction

What did scientists at the San Diego Zoo need from an endangered Hawaiian animal named Kinohi?

DNA

blood samples

semen

sound recordings

tissue samples

semen

"In Ecology, rules are hard to come by.  One of the few that's universally accepted is..."

catastrophism

the species area relationship (SAR)

uniformitarianism

game theory

the "ghost of competition past"

the species area relationship (SAR)

“Stop Aquatic Hitchikers! … Clean all recreational equipment.”    This sign “shows a picture of a boat entirely coated in: _____."

mud dauber nests

barnacles

snail eggs

an invasive species of algae

zebra mussels

zebra mussels

Which of the following is a correct statement about MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeography equilibrium model?

As the number of species on an island increases, the emigration rate decreases.

Competitive exclusion is less likely on an island that has large numbers of species.

Islands closer to the mainland have higher extinction rates.

Small islands receive and/or maintain few new immigrant species.

Small islands receive and/or maintain few new immigrant species.

The premise of Kolbert's entire book (that we are currently experiencing a sixth mass extinction event precipitated by the actions of our own species) is best encapsulated by which term?

The Pleistocene Epoch

The Neolithic (or Agricultural) Revolution

The Anthropocene Epoch

The Industrial Revolution

The Holocene Epoch

The Anthropocene Epoch

Canada's boreal forest has been identified by the scientific community as a "hot spot" of biological diversity.

True

False

False

“A particularly famous—and ghastly—instance” of a biological invasion involves the Island of Guam, and…

zebra mussels

hairy tarantulas

killer fruit flies

brown tree snakes

little brown bats

brown tree snakes

The equilibrium model of island biogeography predicts that, once equilibrium is reached, an island will be occupied 

by an unchanging number of species, but extinctions and immigrations will continue.

by an unchanging set of species as extinctions and immigrations stop.

by a steadily increasing number of species.

only by species that evolved on that island.

by an unchanging number of species, but extinctions and immigrations will continue.

The Sixth Mass Extinction featured in the title of Elizabeth Kolbert's book corresponds with which event mentioned in Openstax Biology 2e chapter 47?

The End-Cretaceous Extinction

The End-Permian Extinction

The Holocene Extinction

The End-Ordovician Extinction

The Holocene Extinction

The equilibrium model of island biogeography predicts 

both the rate of extinction is greater for small islands and the rate of immigration is greater for near islands.

the rate of extinction is greater for small islands.

 the rate of immigration is greater for near islands.

the rate of immigration is greater for far islands.

both the rate of extinction is greater for small islands and the rate of immigration is greater for near islands.

How does inefficient transfer of energy among trophic levels result in the typically high endangerment status of many top predators?

Predators are more disease-prone than animals at lower trophic levels.

Predators exhibit clumped dispersion patterns.

Predators have relatively large population sizes.

Predators have short life spans and short reproductive periods.

Top-level predators are destined to have small populations that are sparsely distributed.

Top-level predators are destined to have small populations that are sparsely distributed.

In 2007 New York state biologist received a frantic phone call from his staff, “Holy shit, there’s dead bats everywhere[!]”  Which one of the following statements accurately represents what we now understand about this event?

climate change had altered the temperature in the cave and killed the bats

human vandals had entered the cave and sprayed the bats with insecticide

these bats were early victims in the spread of a mysterious fungus called “white nose syndrome”

the bats had starved to death as a result of competition with an invasive South American bat

the bats had been shocked by sound waves from military airplanes passing overhead

these bats were early victims in the spread of a mysterious fungus called “white nose syndrome”

Arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species.  Examine this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem. Species C is toxic to predators. Which species is most likely to benefit from being a mimic of C?

D

E

A

B

B

Arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species.  Examine this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem. Which organism is a primary producer?

C

B

D

A

A

What would happen to a temperate grassland biome without droughts and/or fires?

eutrophication
habitat fragmentation
biomagnification
ecological succession

ecological succession

In chapter 9 of The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert compares patches of the Amazon rainforest to "islands on dry land". She proceeds to describe a long term research project called the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, which is the result of a collaboration between

local farmers and a Hollywood producer

several South American nations

local indigenous tribes and the Brazilian government

cattlemen and conservationists

cattlemen and conservationist

In Chapter 11 of The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert tells the story of a Sumatran rhino named Suci, and in Chapter 13, she tells the story of a Hawaiian crow called Kinohi. Suci and Kinohi are both examples of:

species so rare, their future depends on the success of captive breeding programs

species that represent conservation success stories

species acutely affected by global climate change

generalist species that have broad ecological niches

species so rare, their future depends on the success of captive breeding programs

An estimate of one per million species per year (E/MSY) is best described as

the current extinction rate

background extinction rate

a mass extinction

a biological invasion

background extinction rate

defining and describing where in space and time different organisms live on earth is best described as a subdiscipline of:

ecosystem ecology

biogeography

community ecology

behavioral ecology

biogeography

In Chapter 10 of The Sixth Extinction, ("The New Pangaea"), Elizabeth Kolbert discusses a population of North American species called the little brown bat. This chapter is a cautionary tale about

a) habitat destruction
b) invasive species
c) overharvesting
d) global warming

invasive species