Conservation Biology and Global Change

Starting with the molecular level in Figure 1.3, write a sentence that includes components from the previous (lower) level of biological organization; for example: “A molecule consists of atoms bonded together.” Continue with organelles while moving up in the biological hierarchy.

Question: In what way do the membranes of a eukaryotic cell vary?

1. Phospholipids are found only in certain membranes.
2. Certain proteins are unique to each membrane. 
3. Only certain membranes of the cell are selectively permeable.

      4. Only certain membranes are constructed from amphipathic molecules. 

How does the reduced genetic diversity of small populations make them more vulnerable to extinction?

What is a biodiversity hot spot?

Plot the data for each of the three years on one graph (producing three curves). Select a type of graph that is appropriate for these data, and choose a vertical axis scale that allows you to clearly see the patterns of CO2 concentration changes, both during each year and from decade to decade. (For additional information about graphs, see the Scientific Skills Review in Appendix F.)

How can the addition of excess mineral nutrients to a lake threaten its fish population?

What is meant by the term sustainable development?

One characteristic that distinguishes a population in an extinction vortex from most other populations is that 

(A) it is a rare, top-level predator. 

(B) its effective population size is lower than its total population size. 

(C) its genetic diversity is very low. 

(D) it is not well adapted to edge conditions.

Question: The immediate energy source that drives ATP synthesis by ATP synthase during oxidative phosphorylation is the 

1. oxidation of glucose and other organic compounds.
2. flow of electrons down the electron transport chain 
3. H⁺ concentration gradient across the membrane holding ATP synthase.
4. transfer of phosphate to ADP.

Compared with a basic solution at pH 9, the same volume of an acidic solution at pH 4 has ________ times as many hydrogen ions (H⁺).

Compare and contrast the structure and function of axons and dendrites.

How do zoned reserves provide economic incentives for long-term conservation of protected areas?

Within each year, what is the pattern of change in CO2 concentration? Why might this pattern occur?

There are vast stores of organic matter in the soils of northern coniferous forests and tundra around the world. Suggest an explanation for why scientists who study global warming are closely monitoring these stores (see Figure 55.14).

How might biophilia influence us to conserve species and restore ecosystems?

The main cause of the increase in the amount of CO₂ in Earth’s atmosphere over the past 150 years is 

(A) increased worldwide primary production. 

(B) increased worldwide standing crop. 

(C) an increase in the amount of infrared radiation absorbed by the atmosphere. 

(D) the burning of larger amounts of wood and fossil fuels.

Question: Which metabolic pathway is common to both fermentation and cellular respiration of a glucose molecule?

1. the citric acid cycles
2. the electron transport chain
3. glycolysis
4. reduction of pyruvate to lactate

For each non-human species, what per cent of its amino acids are identical to the human sequence of β-globin? 

Use your results from question 1 to evaluate the effectiveness of vancomycin and teixobactin.

In Exercises 9–20, identify which of these types of sampling is used: random, systematic, convenience, stratified, or cluster. 

Highway Strength The New York State Department of Transportation evaluated the quality of the New York State Thruway by testing core samples collected at regular intervals of 1 mile.

In 2005, at least ten grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem were killed through contact with people. Most of these deaths resulted from three things: collisions with automobiles, hunters (of other animals) shooting when charged by a female grizzly bear with cubs nearby, and conservation managers killing bears that attacked livestock repeatedly. If you were a conservation manager, what steps might you take to minimize such encounters in Yellowstone?

Suppose a developer proposes to clear-cut a forest that serves as a corridor between two parks. To compensate, the developer also proposes to add the same area of forest to one of the parks. As a professional ecologist, how might you argue for retaining the corridor?

The measurements taken at Mauna Loa represent average atmospheric CO2 concentrations for the Northern Hemisphere. Suppose you could measure CO2 concentrations under similar conditions in the Southern Hemisphere. What pattern would you expect to see in those measurements over the course of a year? Explain.

Mutagens are chemical and physical agents that induce mutations in DNA (see Concept 17.5). How does reduced ozone concentration in the atmosphere increase the likelihood of mutations in various organisms?

Suppose a new fishery is discovered, and you are put in charge of developing it sustainably. What ecological data might you want on the fish population? What criteria would you apply for the fishery’s development?

What is the single greatest threat to biodiversity? 

(A) overharvesting of commercially important species 

(B) habitat alteration, fragmentation, and destruction 

(C) introduced species that compete with native species 

(D) novel pathogens

Question: The final electron acceptor of the electron transport chain that functions in aerobic oxidative phosphorylation is

1. oxygen
2. water
3. NAD⁺
4. pyruvate

Which of the following best demonstrates the unity among all organisms?

a. Emergent properties

b. Descent with modification

c. The structure and function of DNA 

d. Natural selection

WHAT IF? How might a sudden and dramatic change in your diet affect the diversity of prokaryotic species that live in your digestive tract?

A mole is the number of particles of a substance with a mass equivalent to its molecular (or atomic) mass in daltons. There are $6.022\times {10}^{23}$molecules (or atoms) in 1.0 mole (Avogadro’s number; see Concept 3.2). The data table shows the “molar ratios" of some of the products from the Miller H₂S experiment. In a molar ratio, each unit’s value is expressed relative to a standard for that experiment. Here, the standard is the number of moles of the amino acid glycine, which is set to a value of 1.0. For instance, serine has a molar ratio of $3.0\times {10}^{-2}$, meaning that for every mole of glycine, there is $3.0\times {10}^{-2}$ mole of serine. 

(a) Give the molar ratio of methionine to glycine and explain what it means. 

(b) How many molecules of glycine are present in 1.0 mole? 

(c) For every 1.0 mole of glycine in the sample, how many molecules of methionine are present? (Recall that to multiply two numbers with exponents, you add their exponents; to divide them, you subtract the exponent in the denominator from that in the numerator.)

In addition to the changes within each year, what changes in CO2 concentration occurred between 1990 and 2010? Calculate the average CO2 concentration for the 12 months of each year. By what percentage did this average change from 1990 to 2000 and from 1990 to 2010?

Which of the following is a consequence of biological magnification? 

(A) Toxic chemicals in the environment pose greater risk to top-level predators than to primary consumers. 

(B) Populations of top-level predators are generally smaller than populations of primary consumers. 

(C) The biomass of producers in an ecosystem is generally higher than the biomass of primary consumers. 

(D) Only a small portion of the energy captured by producers is transferred to consumers.

Question: In mitochondria, exergonic redox reactions

1. are the sources of energy driving prokaryotic ATP synthesis.
2. provide the energy that establishes the proton gradient.
3. reduce carbon atoms to carbon dioxide.
4. are coupled via phosphorylated intermediates to endergonic processes.

Question: Based on Figure 7.18, which of these experimental treatments would increase the rate of sucrose transport into a plant cell?

1. decreasing extracellular sucrose concentration
2. decreasing extracellular pH 
3. decreasing cytoplasmic pH
4. Adding a substance that makes the membrane more permeable to hydrogen ions 

Which of the following strategies would most rapidly increase the genetic diversity of a population in an extinction vortex? 

(A) Establish a reserve that protects the population’s habitat. 

(B) Introduce new individuals transported from other populations of the same species. 

(C) Sterilize the least fit individuals in the population. 

(D) Control populations of the endangered population’s predators and competitors.

Which of the following statements best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science?

a. Theories are hypotheses that have been proved.

b. Hypotheses are guesses; theories are correct answers.

c. Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.

d. Theories are proved true; hypotheses are often contradicted by experimental results.

Question: What is the oxidizing agent in the following reaction?

1. oxygen
2. NADH
3. lactate
4. pyruvate

A slice of pizza has 500 kcal. If we could burn the pizza and use all the heat to warm a 50-L container of cold water, what would be the approximate increase in the temperature of the water? (Note: A liter of cold-water weighs about 1 kg.) 

(A) The option, “50°C is false.

(B) The option, “5°Cis false.

(C) The option, “100°C”, is false.

(D) The option, “10°C”, is true. 

Of the following statements about protected areas that have been established to preserve biodiversity, which one is not correct? 

(A) About 25% of Earth’s land area is now protected. 

(B) National parks are one of many types of protected areas.

(C) Management of a protected area should be coordinated with management of the land surrounding the area. 

(D) It is especially important to protect biodiversity hot spots.

Question: When electrons flow along the electron transport chain of mitochondria, which of the following changes occurs?

1. The pH of the matrix increases.
2. ATP synthase pumps protons by active transport.
3. The electrons gain free energy.
4. NAD⁺ is oxidized

DRAW IT Suppose that you are managing a forest reserve, and one of your goals is to protect local populations of woodland birds from parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird. You know that female cowbirds usually do not venture more than about 100 m into a forest and that nest parasitism is reduced when woodland birds nest away from forest edges. The reserve you manage extends about 6,000 m from east to west and 3,000 m from north to south. It is surrounded by a deforested pasture on the west, an agricultural field for 500 m in the southwest corner, and intact forest everywhere else. You must build a road, 10 m by 3,000 m, from the north to the south side of the reserve and construct a maintenance building that will take up 100 m² in the reserve. Draw a map of the reserve, showing where you would put the road and the building to minimize cowbird intrusion along edges. Explain your reasoning.

Combining the data from both graphs, estimate the number of mice caught in moonlight versus no-moonlight conditions. Which condition is optimal for predation by the owl? Explain.

Question: Most CO₂ from catabolism is released during 

1. glycolysis.
2. citric acid cycle 
3. lactate fermentation
4. electron transport

In patients with non-resistant strains of the tuberculosis bacterium, antibiotics can relieve symptoms in a few weeks. However, it takes much longer to halt the infection, and patients may discontinue treatment while bacteria are still present. Explain how this could result in the evolution of drug-resistant pathogens.

EVOLUTION CONNECTION The fossil record indicates that there have been five mass extinction events in the past 500 million years (see Concept 25.4). Many ecologists think we are on the verge of entering a sixth mass extinction event. Briefly discuss the history of mass extinctions and the length of time it typically takes for species diversity to recover through the process of evolution. Explain why this should motivate us to slow the loss of biodiversity today.

Question: Step 3 in Figure 9.9 is a significant point of regulation of glycolysis. ATP and related molecules allosterically regulate the enzyme phosphofructokinase (see Concept 8.5). Considering the overall result of glycolysis, would you expect ATP to inhibit or stimulate the activity of this enzyme? Explain. (Hint: Make sure you consider the role of ATP as an allosteric regulator, not as a substrate of the enzyme.)

Question: The proton pump shown in Figures 7.17 ad 7.18 is a type of ATP synthase (see Figure 9.14). Compare the processes shown in the two figures, and say whether they are involved in active or passive transport (see Concepts 7.3 and 7.4).

WRITE ABOUT A THEME: INTERACTIONS One factor favoring rapid population growth by an introduced species is the absence of the predators, parasites, and pathogens that controlled its population in the region where it evolved. In a short essay (100–150 words), explain how evolution by natural selection in a region of introduction would influence the rate at which native predators, parasites, and pathogens attack an introduced species.

Question: This computer model shows the four parts of ATP synthase. Each part consists of several polypeptide subunits (the structure in gray is still an area of active research). Using Figure 9.14 as a guide, label the rotor, stator, internal rod, and catalytic knob of this molecular motor.

Big cats, such as the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigrisaltaica) shown here, are one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world. Based on what you’ve learned in this chapter, discuss some of the approaches you would use to help preserve them.