Biodiversity and Conservation Flashcards
7 cards from real Ecology practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Biodiversity and Conservation flashcards as text
Which global agreement sets the framework for 'access and benefit sharing' related to genetic resources found in biodiversity?
Answer: The Nagoya Protocol
The Nagoya Protocol (2010) under the Convention on Biological Diversity establishes rules for fair sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources with the countries of origin.
Which factor most strongly explains the latitudinal gradient in species richness—higher diversity near the equator?
Answer: Higher solar energy input driving greater productivity and niche diversification near the equator
Greater solar energy at the equator fuels higher productivity, supports more ecological niches, and allows more species to coexist, though the exact mechanisms remain debated.
A species with a very narrow ecological niche and high habitat specificity is described as a:
Answer: Stenotypic (specialist) species
Stenotypic or specialist species tolerate only a narrow range of environmental conditions, making them highly vulnerable to habitat loss or environmental change.
Trophic cascades demonstrate that removing a top predator from an ecosystem typically leads to:
Answer: Herbivore population increase, overgrazing, and reduced plant diversity
Without top predators, herbivore populations grow unchecked, increasing grazing pressure on plants and reducing vegetation diversity and cover—a classic trophic cascade.
Which metric is used to estimate the number of species expected to go extinct relative to habitat loss, based on species-area relationships?
Answer: Extinction debt calculation using the species-area curve
The species-area relationship (S = cA^z) predicts that habitat loss will eventually cause species extinctions proportional to the area lost, allowing estimation of 'extinction debt.'
Which human activity has been identified as the leading direct driver of global biodiversity loss?
Answer: Land-use change (habitat destruction)
Land-use change—converting natural habitats to agriculture, urban areas, and infrastructure—is recognized by IPBES as the single largest direct driver of species loss globally.
What is 'extinction debt' in conservation biology?
Answer: The future extinctions committed by current habitat loss that have not yet occurred
Extinction debt refers to species that are locally or globally committed to eventual extinction because their habitats have already been reduced below the threshold needed to sustain them long-term.