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Ch. 54 - Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology
All textbooksFreeman 8th EditionCh. 54 - Biodiversity and Conservation EcologyProblem 10
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Chapter 53, Problem 10

Human impacts such as habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution are causing a rapid decline in insect diversity. Pose an argument for why conservation efforts to preserve plant diversity, like Homegrown National Park, are essential for conserving insect diversity.

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Identify the relationship between plant diversity and insect diversity. Explain how plants provide essential resources such as food, shelter, and breeding grounds for various insect species, and how different plants support different insect communities.
Discuss the impact of human activities like habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution on plant habitats. Explain how these activities lead to a decrease in plant diversity and subsequently affect the insects that depend on these plants for survival.
Introduce the concept of Homegrown National Park and similar conservation efforts. Describe how these initiatives aim to restore native plant species and create habitats that support both plant and insect diversity.
Argue the ecological benefits of maintaining insect diversity, such as pollination, nutrient cycling, and serving as a food source for other wildlife. Explain how conserving plant diversity indirectly supports these ecological roles by sustaining the insect populations that perform them.
Conclude by emphasizing the interconnectedness of biodiversity. Highlight that conserving plant diversity through efforts like Homegrown National Park is not only crucial for the plants themselves but is also essential for maintaining healthy and diverse insect populations, which in turn supports broader ecosystem health and resilience.
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Textbook Question

The population size of mountain pine beetles in the American Northwest has long been held in check by freezing temperatures during the winters. As winters warm, populations of pine beetles are increasing, killing whitebark pine forest. Grizzly bears rely on the nuts of whitebark pine trees. Do you think climate change is affecting the fitness of the grizzly bear population?


a. No, because climate change is affecting the beetles, not the bears.

b. Yes, because climate change is decreasing the food supply of the bears, which means they will be less strong.

c. Yes, because climate change is decreasing the food supply of the bears, which is likely to reduce their ability to survive or reproduce.

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Textbook Question

The maps shown here chronicle the loss of old-growth forest (more than 200 years old) that occurred in the United States. In your opinion, under what conditions is it ethical for conservationists who live in the United States to lobby government officials in Brazil, Indonesia, and other tropical countries to slow the rate of loss of old-growth forest?

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Textbook Question

During the Carboniferous period, plant growth was extensive but rates of decomposition slowed (probably due to the formation of vast, oxygen-poor swamp habitats). As a result, large amounts of biomass accumulated in terrestrial environments (much of this biomass is now coal). The fossil record indicates that atmospheric oxygen increased, atmospheric carbon dioxide decreased, and global temperatures dropped. Explain why.

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Textbook Question

Scientists around the world are collaborating to understand how deforestation, climate change, and natural processes will interact to affect one of the most productive and biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. a. temperate forest b. tropical dry forest c. tropical grassland d. tropical wet forest

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Textbook Question

Do you drink coffee? A lot of people do—coffee is a major tropical crop, valued at over $100 billion per year. The most popular species of coffee, Coffea arabica, originated in Africa and is now planted extensively in Central and South America. The pest called the coffee berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampeii) moved along with the coffee and is a major problem for coffee farmers, sometimes destroying half of the coffee crop in mature plantations. Based on what you have learned in this chapter about global trends in terrestrial ecosystems, what is currently the largest threat to the wet tropical forests in Central America? a. habitat destruction, such as the clearing of forests for coffee plantations b. exotic species, such as the introduction of coffee berry borers c. pollution, such as the use of pesticides in coffee plantations d. climate change, such as changes in precipitation patterns

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Textbook Question

Do you drink coffee? A lot of people do—coffee is a major tropical crop, valued at over $100 billion per year. The most popular species of coffee, Coffea arabica, originated in Africa and is now planted extensively in Central and South America. The pest called the coffee berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampeii) moved along with the coffee and is a major problem for coffee farmers, sometimes destroying half of the coffee crop in mature plantations. Pesticides are generally ineffective in killing coffee berry borers. Ecologist Daniel Karp and colleagues conducted a study in Costa Rica to determine if natural predators like birds reduce the beetle population. The researchers selected 12 control plots and used nets to exclude birds from 12 similar treatment plots. What is the take-home message of the graph? (Remember, * means P 6 0.05)

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