Biodiversity & Ethics
Tuesday & Thursday Week 14

Tuesday:

• Debate!

Thursday:

• Review & Closing session

• Final PowerPoint

• To study for the exam, I recommend you use ALL of the many resources available to you!!  These include:

  • Questions from the 2 mini-exams!  Exam keys are posted on Moodle, or HERE:

    • Mini-Exam 1 Key

    • Mini-Exam 2 Key

  • Moodle Quiz questions

  • Outline of the major points & topics we've covered in class: a start on this is provided for you in the PowerPoint from Thursday's class (see link above)

  • Practice answering the questions you created in class - they are listed below (but don't limit your studying to only these questions!!)

  • in creating your 1 page (2 sided if you like) of notes for the final, be systematic in going through topics; try making your notes in outline form

Bio 125 – Final Exam Sample Questions

Part I. – Biodiversity:

• What are the 8 levels of the taxonomic hierarchy? (D,K,P,C,O,F,G,S)

• What are the 3 Domains of biological diversity?  Within Domain Eukarya, what are the 4 Kingdoms?

• What are the 3 levels at which we study biodiversity?

• How does habitat diversity impact/relate to species diversity?

• What are the goals of conservation biology?

• Using what you learned about the methods of science and the coyote case study, give an example of what the dependent variable was, an example of an independent variable and an example of a control.

Part II. – Origins:

• How does the genotype of a species affect its phenotype?

• Give an example of both natural selection and artificial selection.

• How does speciation occur?

• Can a species be altered so much by natural selection as to be changed into a different species?

• How do Hawaiian birds’ beaks relate to their lifestyles?

• Be able to identify the selective agent in an example of evolution (e.g. mosquitos from the Kolbert book)

Part III. – Threats:

• Explain the impacts of the edge effect on a habitat, and how it affects biodiversity.

• Explain the danger of small population sizes using a diagram. What term could be used to define this process?

• What two theories have been proposed to explain the extinction of the mega-fauna at the end of the Pleistocene era?

• How does habitat loss affect biodiversity?

• What are the 3 main threats to biodiversity today?  Give examples.

• How many mass extinctions have there been in Earth’s lifetime?  Be able to name the probable cause of at least 2 of these events.

• What effect will the current environmental conditions have on biodiversity? 

• What are some lines of evidence for climate change?  How is it that we can use ice core data to re-construct paleo-climate? (how do the oxygen isotopes work?)

Part IV. – Solutions:

• What are the guidelines for the minimum viable population? (definition)

• How does Island Biogeography Theory help us in designing habitat preserves?

• What is an example of a restoration project that preserves a natural habitat by removing an exotic species?

•  Talk about the effectiveness of corridors and linking National Parks.

•  Discuss when habitat restoration is not viable to save a rare species.

• What solutions to the biodiversity crisis have already been taken?

• Should we manage for preservation of species or ecosystems?  Give 3 examples of why your answer is more effective at preserving species.

•  What is the difference between in-situ & ex-situ preservation of species?  Give 2 examples for each type.