Target: 10 questions in 10 minutes
1. What is biodiversity?
  • A. The total number of different species living in a defined area or ecosystem
  • B. The variety of different habitats in an ecosystem
  • C. The range of genetic material present in a gene pool
  • D. All of the above
2. Which of the following best describes the concept of ecosystem diversity?
  • A. The variety of different species present in an ecosystem
  • B. The range of genetic material present in a gene pool
  • C. The number of niches in an ecosystem
  • D. The abundance of individuals within each species in an ecosystem
3.  Which of the following tools measures biodiversity?
  • A. Simpson Reciprocal Index
  • B. Lincoln Index
  • C. Biotic Index
  • D. Mitotic Index

Q4&5: Consider the following data for six different species in ecosystems X and Y:

Table 1 – Ecosystem X:

Species Abundance
1 5
2 9
3 55

Table 2 – Ecosystem Y:

Species Abundance
4 28
5 24
6 26
4. Which of the following is true with regards to species evenness in ecosystems X and Y?
  • A. Ecosystem X has higher species evenness.
  • B. Ecosystem Y has higher species evenness.
  • C. Both ecosystems have equal species evenness.
  • D. It is not possible to determine the species evenness from the given data.
5. Which of the following is true with regards to species richness in ecosystems X and Y?
  • A. Ecosystem X has higher species richness.
  • B. Ecosystem Y has higher species richness.
  • C. Both ecosystems have equal species richness.
  • D. It is not possible to determine the species richness since different species exist in X and Y.

6. The image here shows an illustration of the North Island giant moa (Dinornis novaezealandiae).

North Island giant moa
What was not a cause of extinction for the North Island giant moa?
  • A. Hunting by the Māori people
  • B. Deforestation for farming
  • C. Climate change and environmental shifts
  • D. Habitat loss
7. What was/were the reason(s) for the extinction of the Caribbean monk seal?
  • A. Overfishing and habitat disturbance
  • B. Hunting for fur, meat, and oil
  • C. Capture for display in museums and zoos
  • D. All of the above

8. Which of the following should be kept in mind when designing nature reserves?

I. Smaller habitats promote biodiversity
II. The nature reserve should be actively managed, for example removing invasive species
III. Habitat corridors between fragmented parts of a habitat can enhance genetic diversity
  • A. II only
  • B. II and III only
  • C. I and III only
  • D. I, II and III
9. What is the primary focus of the EDGE of Existence conservation programme?
  • A. Protecting threatened species that have relatively unique evolutionary histories.
  • B. Promoting sustainable ecotourism to generate funding for endangered species conservation.
  • C. Reintroducing captive-bred individuals of the world's rarest species into the wild.
  • D. Advocating for the creation of new national parks and protected areas.

10. Which of the following applies to the loss of mixed dipterocarp forests in Southeast Asia?

I. Deforestation disrupts water cycles and increases soil erosion
II. Planting of oil palm trees helps with rewilding
III. Has been caused by anthropogenic factors
IV. Disrupts indigenous communities and leads to loss of cultural heritage
  • A. I, III and IV only
  • B. II and IV only
  • C.  II and III only
  • D. I, II, III and IV