- 1. What is another name for the Holocene extinction?
A) The Pleistocene extinction
B) The Capitanian extinction
C) The sixth extinction
D) The fifth extinction
- 2. Which of these factors is NOT a driver of the Holocene extinction?
A) Overfishing
B) Natural volcanic activity
C) Anthropogenic climate change
D) Deforestation
- 3. What is the estimated current extinction rate compared to natural background rates?
A) 5,000 to 10,000 times higher
B) 10 to 20 times higher
C) 100 to 1,000 times higher
D) 50 to 500 times higher
- 4. Which regions have recorded major extinction events during the Holocene?
A) Australia and Antarctica
B) Only Africa and Asia
C) All continents including Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America, and various islands
D) North America and Europe only
- 5. What did the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services estimate about species at risk?
A) About one million species are currently at risk of extinction within decades because of human activities
B) Less than half a million species are at risk
C) Only marine species are at risk
D) No species are at risk due to natural causes
- 6. What percentage of Earth's terrestrial surface remains ecologically and faunally intact according to a 2021 study?
A) About 50%
B) Nearly 10%
C) Around 3%
D) Over 25%
- 7. Which of the following is NOT listed as a primary driver of the global extinction crisis in a 2022 IPBES report?
A) Logging
B) Hunting
C) Global warming
D) Unsustainable fishing
- 8. What did Edward Osborne Wilson predict about Earth's higher lifeforms in 2002?
A) Half could be extinct by 2100 if current trends continue
B) All would be extinct by 2050
C) None would be extinct by 2100
D) Only marine species would be affected
- 9. Which study estimated that around two million species are threatened with extinction?
A) A 2023 study published in PLOS One
B) A 2022 study in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
C) A 2019 IPBES report
D) The 1998 American Museum of Natural History survey
- 10. What is the estimated time it would have taken for certain genera to disappear naturally without human impact?
A) 1,800 years
B) 1.8 million years
C) 180 years
D) 18,000 years
- 11. Which of the following is a consequence of rising meat production mentioned in the text?
A) Increased biodiversity
B) Decreased deforestation
C) Reduction in carbon emissions
D) Destruction of critical habitats
- 12. What did a 2023 study published in PNAS conclude about generic extinction rates?
A) Human impact has no effect on extinction rates
B) Current rates are 35 times higher than expected background rates without human impacts
C) Generic extinction rates have decreased over time
D) Extinction rates are similar to those of the last ice age
- 13. What percentage of species were estimated to be globally threatened or driven extinct since 1500 according to a 2022 study?
A) Roughly 30%
B) About 10%
C) Less than 5%
D) Over 50%
- 14. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor contributing to the Holocene extinction?
A) Anthropogenic climate change
B) Deforestation
C) Overfishing
D) Natural predator-prey dynamics
- 15. What did Barnosky et al. (2011) and Hull et al. (2015) note about past mass extinction rates?
A) Extinction rates during past mass extinctions cannot be fully determined due to gaps in the fossil record
B) Past mass extinction rates were lower than current rates
C) There is complete data on past mass extinction rates
D) Current rates are not as severe as past mass extinctions
- 16. Which study suggested that up to 7% of Earth's species may already be extinct?
A) A 2023 PLOS One study
B) The 1998 American Museum of Natural History survey
C) The 2021 Economics of Biodiversity review
D) A 2015 study on Hawaiian snails
- 17. What did the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services say about organized human existence?
A) It is only threatened in developing countries
B) It is unaffected by biodiversity loss
C) It will improve with current trends
D) It is jeopardized by rapidly increasing destruction of life-supporting systems
- 18. What did a 2023 PNAS study estimate about the number of genera that have gone extinct since 1500?
A) No genera
B) Over 200 genera
C) At least 73 genera
D) Less than 10 genera
- 19. Which study found that only around 3% of the planet's terrestrial surface remains ecologically and faunally intact?
A) The 2019 Global Assessment Report
B) A 2021 study
C) A 1998 survey by the American Museum of Natural History
D) A 2022 IPBES report
- 20. What did the 2023 PLOS One study reveal about species threatened with extinction?
A) The number of threatened species has decreased
B) Fewer species are threatened than previously thought
C) No new estimates were provided
D) Around two million species are threatened, double the estimate from the 2019 IPBES report
- 21. What did the 2021 Economics of Biodiversity review assert about biodiversity?
A) Only marine biodiversity is declining
B) It is stable and not a concern
C) It is declining faster than at any time in human history
D) It has improved due to conservation efforts
- 22. Which scientist asserts that the sixth mass extinction 'is something that hasn't happened yet—we are on the edge of it.'?
A) Stuart Pimm
B) Paul R. Ehrlich
C) Barnosky et al.
D) Rodolfo Dirzo
- 23. According to the WWF's 2020 Living Planet Report, by how much have wildlife populations declined since 1970?
A) 30%
B) 80%
C) 68%
D) 50%
- 24. What percentage of bird species are threatened with extinction?
A) 5%
B) 12%
C) 25%
D) 50%
- 25. According to a 2023 study in Biological Reviews, what percentage of monitored species are experiencing population declines due to anthropogenic pressures?
A) 10%
B) 75%
C) 48%
D) 25%
- 26. In which year was the term 'anthropocene' introduced?
A) 1999
B) 2016
C) 2000
D) 2024
- 27. When was the proposal to include 'Anthropocene' in Earth's timeline rejected?
A) 2024
B) 2000
C) 1999
D) 2016
- 28. When did the peak of the Anthropocene typically begin, according to researchers?
A) 2000
B) 2016
C) Mid-20th century
D) Industrial Revolution
- 29. How much has the biomass of wild mammals decreased since the dawn of human civilization, according to a 2018 study?
A) 15%
B) 83%
C) 50%
D) 60%
- 30. What percentage of mammalian biomass on Earth is made up by livestock?
A) 36%
B) 4%
C) 60%
D) 30%
- 31. What percentage of the biomass of all mammals on Earth is comprised of humans?
A) 15%
B) 83%
C) 36%
D) 60%
- 32. How much has the biomass of marine mammals decreased since human civilization began?
A) 80%
B) 60%
C) 15%
D) 50%
- 33. What percentage of birds are domesticated, such as poultry?
A) 83%
B) 50%
C) 70%
D) 30%
- 34. How much has the biomass of plants decreased since human civilization began?
A) 50%
B) 15%
C) 60%
D) 80%
- 35. What percentage of mammals on Earth is made up by wild mammals?
A) 36%
B) 4%
C) 60%
D) 83%
- 36. How much has the biomass of fish decreased since human civilization began?
A) 80%
B) 15%
C) 50%
D) 60%
- 37. By what percentage has the average body size of wildlife fallen over the past 125,000 years due to prehistoric human actions?
A) 10%
B) 14%
C) 5%
D) 20%
- 38. What type of diversity in birds has declined more than phylogenetic diversity over the past 130,000 years?
A) Phylogenetic diversity
B) Avian functional diversity
C) Genetic diversity
D) Species richness
- 39. What is one of the human causes related to the extinction event?
A) Deforestation
B) Natural forest fires
C) Earthquakes
D) Solar flares
- 40. Which activity contributes to extinctions through habitat conversion for agriculture?
A) Urbanization alone
B) Natural climate variations
C) Widespread habitat conversion
D) Industrial pollution
- 41. What is one of the main theories explaining early Holocene extinctions?
A) Natural disasters
B) Introduction of invasive species
C) Historic climate change
D) Human overpopulation
- 42. Which hypothesis suggests that comet impacts cooled global temperatures and contributed to the Holocene extinction?
A) Pleistocene overkill hypothesis
B) Climate change theory
C) Neoliberal paradigm
D) Younger Dryas impact hypothesis
- 43. What term describes ecological communities depleted of large vertebrates?
A) Defaunation
B) Extinction
C) Habitat fragmentation
D) Biodiversity loss
- 44. Which big cat population is estimated to have decreased from 450,000 to 25,000?
A) Leopards
B) Cheetahs
C) Lions
D) Tigers
- 45. What percentage of food crops rely on pollinators?
A) 25%
B) 75%
C) 50%
D) 90%
- 46. What percentage of mammals are threatened with extinction?
A) 50%
B) 10%
C) 5%
D) 25%
- 47. What could biodiversity loss rates trigger according to a 2023 study?
A) Stabilization of ecosystems
B) Reversal of climate change
C) Increased species diversity
D) Total ecosystem collapse
- 48. What is the cut-off year used by the IUCN to define 'recent' extinctions?
A) 1600
B) 1800
C) 1700
D) 1500
- 49. Which species is known to be extinct in the wild but survives in captivity?
A) Leatherback sea turtle
B) Père David's deer
C) Gray whale
D) Hawaiian crow
- 50. What percentage of Earth's ice-free land surface is used as row-crop agricultural sites?
A) 4%
B) 50%
C) 13%
D) 26%
- 51. What percentage decline has been observed in migratory freshwater fish populations since 1970?
A) 30%
B) 76%
C) 50%
D) 60%
- 52. What is cited as a significant driver of biodiversity loss, particularly affecting plant life?
A) Urbanization
B) Overfishing
C) Deforestation
D) Climate change
- 53. How does rising carbon dioxide levels affect marine organisms with calcium carbonate shells?
A) Has no significant impact
B) Enhances shell growth
C) Reduces their reproductive rates
D) Increases ocean acidity, causing physiological pressure
- 54. What is a consequence of increased ocean acidity on coral reefs?
A) Increased biodiversity
B) Higher growth rates
C) Thicker shells
D) Coral bleaching
- 55. Which organization asserts that trophy hunters are contributing to giraffe decline?
A) PETA
B) IFAW
C) WWF
D) Greenpeace
- 56. By what year could African elephants become extinct if poaching continues at current rates?
A) 2025
B) 2035
C) 2040
D) 2050
- 57. In a worst-case scenario, what percentage of marine megafauna could go extinct over the next century?
A) 40%
B) 60%
C) 25%
D) 10%
- 58. What percentage of oceanic shark and ray populations have been destroyed by overfishing from 1970 to 2018?
A) 71%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 85%
- 59. What percentage of sharks and rays around coral reefs are threatened with extinction?
A) One-third
B) Almost two-thirds
C) None
D) Half
- 60. What is the primary driver of ocean defaunation?
A) Climate change
B) Habitat destruction
C) Overfishing
D) Pollution
- 61. Which fungal infection has caused severe population drops in over 500 amphibian species?
A) Colony collapse disorder
B) White-nose syndrome
C) Chytridiomycosis
D) Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
- 62. What is the cause of white-nose syndrome in bats?
A) Varroa mites
B) Chytridiomycosis
C) A fungal infection
D) Pollution
- 63. Which amphibian species went extinct due to Chytridiomycosis in Costa Rica?
A) Gastric-brooding frog
B) Panamanian golden frog
C) Rabb's fringe-limbed treefrog
D) Golden toad
- 64. Which vertebrate group is currently the most endangered?
A) Amphibians
B) Bees
C) Bats
D) Birds
- 65. Which frog species is extinct in the wild due to Chytridiomycosis in Panama?
A) Gastric-brooding frog
B) Golden toad
C) Rabb's fringe-limbed treefrog
D) Panamanian golden frog
- 66. What is a similar infection threatening salamanders?
A) Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
B) White-nose syndrome
C) Colony collapse disorder
D) Chytridiomycosis
- 67. Which country has seen a predicted extinction of at least one bat species due to white-nose syndrome?
A) Panama
B) Australia
C) Costa Rica
D) United States
- 68. What is colony collapse disorder in bees characterized by?
A) Bees developing immunity to diseases
B) Worker bees abandoning the queen
C) Bees migrating to new habitats
D) Bees dying from fungal infections
- 69. Which of these is NOT a proposed cause for colony collapse disorder?
A) Infections with Varroa mites
B) Changing beekeeping practices
C) Malnutrition
D) Genetic factors
- 70. Which amphibian species went extinct in Australia due to Chytridiomycosis?
A) Gastric-brooding frog
B) Panamanian golden frog
C) Golden toad
D) Rabb's fringe-limbed treefrog
- 71. Which country's bats appear to be immune to white-nose syndrome?
A) Australian
B) African
C) American
D) European countries
- 72. Which megafauna species was notably affected by the conversion of mammoth steppe to mire?
A) Steppe bison
B) Woolly mammoth
C) Hippopotamus
D) Giraffe
- 73. What previously governed the trend of vegetation dynamics in southern China before human land use?
A) Human activity.
B) Animal migration patterns.
C) Temperature.
D) Precipitation.
- 74. What is lacking regarding the extinction of terrestrial species on the Channel Islands?
A) Evidence that humans arrived there.
B) Fossil records of these species.
C) Proof of climate change.
D) Direct evidence for an anthropogenic cause.
- 75. What is a characteristic of Australia's fauna?
A) Insects only
B) Plants as dominant species
C) Primarily marsupial mammals
D) Dinosaurs
- 76. What percentage of its mammal species has Australia lost since European colonization?
A) 20%
B) 10%
C) 5%
D) 15%
- 77. What process did humans in New Guinea intensify during the Holocene?
A) Interference with vegetation succession patterns
B) Climatic changes
C) Volcanic eruptions
D) Introduction of invasive species
- 78. What was used by humans in New Guinea following major eruptions?
A) Fertile plains
B) Freshwater lakes
C) Mineral-rich sand
D) Volcanically fertilised soil
- 79. Which genus of sloth was the largest in the Caribbean?
A) Neocnus
B) Acratocnus
C) Imagocnus
D) Megalocnus
- 80. How many land snail species became extinct on eastern Madeira Island after humans arrived?
A) Five
B) Nine
C) Fifteen
D) Twelve
- 81. What was a leading driver of extinction on Madeira following its discovery by humans?
A) Overfishing
B) Introduced mice
C) Climate change
D) Volcanic eruptions
- 82. What type of forests in the Canary Islands fared better despite human impact?
A) Laurel forests
B) Coniferous forests
C) Mangrove forests
D) Thermophilous woodlands
- 83. What was the greatest ecological destruction in Cabo Verde due to European settlers?
A) Desert landscapes
B) Mountain regions
C) The archipelago's thermophilous woodlands
D) Marine ecosystems
- 84. Which group of turtles became extinct immediately following the first human arrivals in Vanuatu?
A) Giant tortoises
B) Freshwater turtles
C) Sea turtles
D) Endemic megafaunal meiolaniid turtles
- 85. What is the estimated percentage drop in bird biodiversity worldwide due to extinctions in the Pacific?
A) 20%
B) 30%
C) 10%
D) 40%
- 86. Which island's ecological collapse led to its abandonment by Polynesians?
A) Henderson Island
B) Rapa in the Austral Archipelago
C) Mangaia in the Cook Islands
D) Lord Howe Island
- 87. Which bird became extinct within 200 years of human arrival in New Zealand?
A) The moa
B) Adzebills
C) Kiwi
D) Kākāpō
- 88. What was the primary predator of the moa that also went extinct?
A) New Zealand falcon
B) European settlers
C) Haast's eagle
D) Polynesian rat
- 89. Which year did the UN Convention on Biological Diversity draft a plan similar to the Paris Agreement to address biodiversity and ecosystem collapse?
A) 2019
B) January 2020
C) December 2022
D) November 2018
- 90. How many biodiversity targets were partially achieved by 2020 according to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets?
A) Six
B) Twenty
C) None
D) Ten
- 91. What percentage of Earth's terrestrial surface must be conserved to prevent further biodiversity loss, according to a 2022 Science report?
A) 50%
B) 30%
C) 60%
D) 44%
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