CES Ecological Risk Assessment & Biodiversity

Question 1

What is an ecological risk assessment?

Accepted Answer

A process that evaluates the likelihood of adverse ecological effects from exposure to environmental stressors

Answer

A census of all animal species in a region

Answer

A financial analysis of environmental cleanup costs

Answer

A review of building permits for environmental compliance

Question 2

What is a biological indicator (bioindicator) species?

Accepted Answer

An organism whose presence, abundance, or condition reflects environmental quality

Answer

Any species that is commercially harvested

Answer

A species that has been genetically modified for research

Answer

The most common species in any ecosystem

Question 3

What is the Endangered Species Act (ESA) designed to protect?

Accepted Answer

Species at risk of extinction and the ecosystems on which they depend

Answer

All animal species regardless of population status

Answer

Only mammal species in national parks

Answer

Agricultural crops from pest species

Question 4

What is bioaccumulation in environmental science?

Accepted Answer

The gradual accumulation of a substance in an organism over time because the organism absorbs it faster than it can eliminate it

Answer

The rapid reproduction of bacteria in contaminated water

Answer

The natural decomposition of organic matter in soil

Answer

The seasonal migration of species to new habitats

Question 5

What is the difference between an endangered species and a threatened species under the ESA?

Accepted Answer

An endangered species is in immediate danger of extinction; a threatened species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future

Answer

There is no legal difference between the two classifications

Answer

Threatened species have larger populations than endangered species in all cases

Answer

Endangered species are found only in the US while threatened species are found globally

Question 6

What is biomagnification and how does it differ from bioaccumulation?

Accepted Answer

Biomagnification is the increasing concentration of a substance at each successive trophic level in a food chain, while bioaccumulation occurs within a single organism

Answer

They are the same process described by different terms

Answer

Biomagnification only affects aquatic ecosystems

Answer

Bioaccumulation occurs in food chains while biomagnification occurs in individual organisms