Ecology Biodiversity and Conservation 3

Question 1

Which biodiversity hotspot is home to the greatest number of endemic plant species relative to its area?

Accepted Answer

Cape Floristic Region of South Africa

Answer

The Cape Floristic Region has exceptional plant endemism—over 6,200 endemic species—in a relatively small area, making it one of the most botanically diverse places on Earth.

Question 2

Which ecological concept explains why island biogeography predicts more species on larger islands?

Accepted Answer

Larger islands have greater habitat diversity and support larger populations less prone to stochastic extinction

Answer

Larger islands offer more habitat types and sustain larger populations, reducing extinction probability and allowing more species to coexist.

Question 3

What is 'bioprospecting' in the context of biodiversity?

Accepted Answer

Searching wild organisms for commercially valuable compounds like medicines or enzymes

Answer

Bioprospecting is the systematic search of biodiversity for biological resources with potential commercial value, raising ethical questions about access and benefit sharing.

Question 4

The Allee effect describes a situation in which:

Accepted Answer

A population's per-capita fitness or growth rate decreases at very low population sizes

Answer

The Allee effect occurs when individuals in small or sparse populations have reduced fitness due to difficulty finding mates, cooperative defense failure, or inbreeding.

Question 5

Which measure best captures functional biodiversity rather than species richness alone?

Accepted Answer

Trait diversity across species in a community

Answer

Functional diversity quantifies the range of ecological roles (traits) present in a community, reflecting how species contribute to ecosystem processes.

Ecology Practice Test

Ecology Practice Test

Ecology Biodiversity and Conservation 3