Preserving Nature
1. The first national park in the United States was (p. 319)
A. Yosemite Park.
B. Central Park.
C. Yellowstone Park.
D. Smoky Mountains.
E. none of the above.
2. The ecological integrity of parks like Yosemite, the Everglades, and Cape Cod National Seashore is now being threatened by (p. 320)
A. land use patterns outside the park.
B. off road vehicles.
C. overcrowding.
D. pressures for more development.
E. all of the above.
3. Gray wolf reintroduction to areas in the West, including Yellowstone Park, (p. 321)
A. has been opposed by ranchers.
B. has been endorsed by ranchers.
C. is an example of how little wildlife managers know about low trophic level predators.
D. A and C.
E. none of the above.
4. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the protected areas that should be allowed the greatest degree of human impact are (p. 322)
A. natural monuments and archeological sites.
B. ecological reserves.
C. wilderness areas.
D. cultural or scenic landscapes.
E. habitat and wildlife management areas.
5. One of the biggest problems with managing national parks is that (p. 324)
A. they often are low in species diversity.
B. their boundaries are based on political rather than ecological considerations.
C. it is so easy to get new parks that there is a shortage of employees.
D. A and B.
E. all of the above.
6. Which of the following geographic areas has the lowest percentage of protected lands for their percentage of the world's land mass? (p. 325)
A. Oceania
B. North and Central America
C. Europe
D. former USSR
E. Africa
7. Which of these biomes is badly underrepresented in the total percentage of the world's protected land areas? (p. 325)
A. grasslands and wetlands
B. tropical dry forests
C. tundra
D. deserts
E. tropical humid forests
8. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) proposed a world conservation strategy for natural resources that includes (p. 326)
A. maintaining ecological processes such as soil regeneration, recycling nutrients, and cleansing waters.
B. preserving genetic diversity.
C. ensuring that any use of species and ecosystems is sustainable.
D. A and C.
E. all of the above.
9. To preserve intact ecosystems, researchers believe it is (p. 326)
A. better to preserve several small areas so as many species can be saved as possible.
B. better to preserve a large area so as to minimize edge effects.
C. better to preserve a large area so as to maximize edge effects.
D. better to preserve several small areas so as to maximize the core.
E. none of the above.
10. An interesting experiment on reserve size is being conducted in the Brazilian rainforest by the Smithsonian Institution and the World Wildlife Fund. Their findings indicate (p. 327)
A. that smaller size reserves tend to favor higher trophic level predators.
B. that larger size reserves tend to favor sun loving plants that require increased light to survive.
C. that larger sized reserves tend to have greater species diversity than smaller sized reserves.
D. that smaller sized reserves tend to have greater species diversity than larger sized reserves.
E. none of the above.
11. Many of the currently most threatened of species and ecosystems are in (p. 328)
A. North America.
B. Europe.
C. Russia.
D. developing countries.
E. tundra areas.
12. According to the United Nations Man and Biosphere program's model for protecting ecologically sensitive regions, the biome that is the target for protection should (p. 329)
A. be entirely reserved as pristine space.
B. be divided into areas with different purposes, including economic development.
C. be almost entirely developed so as to improve the lives of Third World residents.
D. should contain the critical ecosystem on the periphery.
E. none of the above.
13. The 1964 Wilderness Protection Act uses what criteria for determining whether an area could qualify as a wilderness area? (pp. 331-332)
A. that it be roadless
B. that it contain land primarily affected by the forces of nature
C. that it contain areas of ecological, geological, scientific, or historical value
D. that it possess outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation
E. all of the above
14. Wildlife refuges were first set up by President Theodore Roosevelt to protect wildlife. Current activities allowed to take place on wildlife refuges include (p. 333)
A. hunting and trapping.
B. oil exploration and drilling.
C. a bombing and gunnery range.
D. cattle grazing.
E. none of the above.
F. all of the above.
15. International wildlife refuges, such as the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, face serious problems such as (p. 333)
A. poachers.
B. increasing rainfall.
C. too large increases in top predators.
D. legitimate hunters.
E. all of the above.
16. Worldwide, the countries with the largest wetland areas are (p. 334)
A. Switzerland and Austria.
B. Brazil and Venezuela.
C. Russia and Canada.
D. Sudan and Chile.
E. none of the above.
17. Which of the following is an important function of wetlands? (p. 334)
A. removing silt
B. absorbing nutrients
C. storing flood waters
D. providing habitat for a disproportionate number of endangered species
E. all of the above
18. In the United States, plains states prairie potholes (p. 335)
A. serve as breeding spots and migratory stopping places for waterfowl.
B. serve as important sources of fresh water for human inhabitants.
C. are gradually increasing in number as they are discovered.
D. are in danger of flooding almost 25% of all Midwestern farm fields and cattle yards.
E. none of the above.
19. The Section 404 provision in the 1972 Clean Water Act (pp. 334-335)
A. requires that wetlands not be filled or polluted unless an exception be granted.
B. has been very successful at stopping wetland degradation.
C. has been routinely embraced by farmers and real estate developers.
D. A and C.
E. all of the above.
20. Flood control efforts on the Mississippi River has (p. 336)
A. cost $25 billion.
B. destroyed wetlands.
C. caused a faster current on the river and deeper waters.
D. protected many towns that were built on the floodplain.
E. A and D.
F. all of the above.