Visualizing Environmental Science

0

20

40

60

Percentage of area disturbed

80

100

forestTemperate deciduousforestTemperate evergreenTemperate grasslandsTropical dry forestCold desertWarm desertTropical rain forestTropical grasslandBoreal forestTundraBa

sed on data from The Nature Con

servancy.

Ryan von Linden/NY Dept of EnvironmantalCon

servation/AP Photo

Critical and Creative Thinking Questions 395

Key Terms

biodiversity hotspots 380
biological diversity 375
conservation biology 386
ecosystem services 376

endangered species 378

endemic species 379

extinction 378

invasive species 384

restoration ecology 387

species richness 374

threatened species 378

What is happening

in this picture?

This little brown bat is suffering from white-nose syndrome—characterized by
the frosting of fungus on its nose—a disease that has killed millions of bats in
the United States and Canada, wiping out entire populations at many sites.

How might bats’ living habits affect the spread of disease?

Bats are voracious predators of insects. In areas where bat populations have
vanished, what could be some effects on the ecosystem? on the local economy?

What do affected bats have in common with many bees and frogs?

✓✓THE PLANNER

11. What are the goals of restoration ecology? Are there any
    disadvantages associated with restoring disturbed areas?
    The Nature Conservancy evaluated the extent of human-caused
    habitat disturbance in the world’s various biomes. Use the data in
    the graph below to answer questions 12 and 13.


12. On which global region have humans had the greatest
    impact—polar, temperate, or tropical? Suggest why human
    impact has been greatest in this region, and describe
    specifically how this impact likely affects biodiversity there.


13. Which biome has had the lowest percentage of habitat
    disturbance? Suggest two possible reasons why human
    impacts on this biome may increase greatly in the future.

Critical and Creative Thinking Questions

1. Is biological diversity a renewable or nonrenewable
   resource? Could it be seen both ways? Explain.


2. List at least five important ecosystem services provided by
   living organisms.


3. Describe factors affecting species richness and explain how
   and why the species richness of a wheat field might differ
   from that of a coral reef.


4. What are the four main causes of species endangerment and
   extinction? Which do biologists consider most important?


5. What are invasive species? How might their presence
   particularly affect biodiversity hotspots?


6. Incorporate what you have learned about disappearing frogs
   and other declining species to compare threatened and
   endangered species and define extinction.

Sustainable Citizen Question

7. If you had the assets and authority to take any measure
   to protect and preserve biological diversity, but could
   take only one, what would it be?


8. How would stabilizing the human population affect biological
   diversity?


9. In A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There,
   Aldo Leopold wrote, “To keep every cog and wheel is the
   first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” How does his
   statement relate to this chapter?


10. Why do you suppose the Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway is
    called the “Doomsday vault”? How is this name reflected in
    the vault’s location, buried in a frozen hillside?