Climate Change Biodiversity & Ecosystem Protection 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ocean phenomenon, intensified by climate change, causes mass coral bleaching events?
- El Niño-driven marine heatwaves (Correct answer)
- Increased ocean salinity
- Rising sea floor pressure
- Deepwater current reversal
Correct answer: El Niño-driven marine heatwaves
Marine heatwaves associated with El Niño events, now more intense due to climate change, raise sea surface temperatures enough to trigger widespread coral bleaching.
Question 2: What is 'range shift' in the context of climate change and biodiversity?
- Species moving to higher latitudes or elevations as temperatures rise (Correct answer)
- Loss of genetic diversity within a population
- Invasive species displacing native ones
- Reduction in a species' breeding territory
Correct answer: Species moving to higher latitudes or elevations as temperatures rise
Range shift describes the movement of species toward cooler poles or higher altitudes in response to warming temperatures.
Question 3: Which U.S. law provides the primary legal framework for protecting species threatened by climate-driven habitat loss?
- Endangered Species Act (Correct answer)
- Clean Air Act
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act
Correct answer: Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires federal agencies to protect listed species and their critical habitats, including from climate-related threats.
Question 4: How does ocean acidification most directly threaten marine biodiversity?
- It dissolves calcium carbonate shells and skeletons of marine organisms (Correct answer)
- It reduces sunlight penetration into the water
- It increases mercury concentrations in fish
- It lowers oxygen levels in surface waters
Correct answer: It dissolves calcium carbonate shells and skeletons of marine organisms
Rising CO₂ dissolves into seawater forming carbonic acid, lowering pH and corroding the shells and skeletons of mollusks, corals, and other calcifying organisms.
Question 5: What is a 'biodiversity hotspot' and why are they particularly vulnerable to climate change?
- Regions with high species endemism that are losing habitat rapidly (Correct answer)
- Areas where invasive species are most concentrated
- Locations with the highest annual species migration
- Zones where industrial pollution is most severe
Correct answer: Regions with high species endemism that are losing habitat rapidly
Biodiversity hotspots are regions with exceptional concentrations of endemic species already facing habitat loss, making climate-driven shifts especially devastating.
Question 6: Which process describes how climate change can cause local extinctions even when a species' global range remains intact?
- Habitat fragmentation preventing migration to suitable new ranges (Correct answer)
- Increased predation in warming environments
- Faster reproductive cycles reducing genetic diversity
- Greater UV exposure at higher elevations
Correct answer: Habitat fragmentation preventing migration to suitable new ranges
Fragmented landscapes block species from migrating to track shifting climate zones, leading to local extinctions even if suitable habitat exists elsewhere.
Question 7: What does the term 'phenological mismatch' mean in ecological terms?
- A timing disconnect between species that depend on each other, caused by climate change (Correct answer)
- The failure of seeds to germinate in warmer soils
- A mismatch between rainfall patterns and river flow
- Discrepancy in population counts between surveys
Correct answer: A timing disconnect between species that depend on each other, caused by climate change
Phenological mismatch occurs when warming shifts the timing of events like flowering or insect emergence out of sync with the species that depend on them.
Climate Change Biodiversity & Ecosystem Protection 2
Which ocean phenomenon, intensified by climate change, causes mass coral bleaching events?