Biodiversity Evidence & Conservation Design — Practice · Grade 10 Science

Chapter: Ecosystems & Conservation Decisions

What this practice covers

By the end of Biodiversity Evidence & Conservation Design you should be able to:

8 questions, numeric, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: species richness, evenness, constraint.

Problem 1

A sample records counts 8, 4, 2, and 0 for four named species. How many were observed?
Answer and explanation

3 species

Only three have nonzero observed counts.

Problem 2

Which strengthens a before/after project evaluation?
  1. Comparable untreated sites and consistent sampling
  2. Changing methods every visit
  3. Only an expected result
  4. Removing all uncertainty statements
Answer and explanation

Comparable untreated sites and consistent sampling

Comparison sites help account for other changes.

Problem 3

Why might a cheaper conservation design not be the best choice?
Answer and explanation

It may fail important outcomes or impose other costs; compare criteria and constraints.

Problem 4

Site A yields 12 species in 1 h; B yields 18 in 4 h. Can you confidently rank their richness? Explain the reasoning in your own words.
Answer and explanation

No confident ranking follows from these counts alone.

Sampling effort differs and rare species need time to detect.

Use comparable effort or a method that accounts for detection before ranking.

Response criteria

  • Use the stated conditions.
  • Show the evidence or calculation.
  • Explain the conclusion and any stated limitation.

Problem 5

Why repeat surveys at comparable seasons and effort? Show the reasoning, not just the conclusion.
Hints

Observed count is not automatically total species present.

Answer and explanation

It improves comparability and helps distinguish real change from detection or timing effects.

Problem 6

A corridor is proposed for a pollution-driven decline. What must be checked?
Hints

State what the supplied observations or conditions establish, and separate that from any assumption.

Answer and explanation

Whether isolation is actually a limiting mechanism; the design must address the documented cause and measure relevant outcomes.

Problem 7

Monitoring criteria should be defined before results are inspectedMonitoring criteria should be defined before results are inspectedComparable habitat-use index0102030400123YearsIntervention siteReference site
Original matched-monitoring illustration, not an estimate of a real restoration effect.
Interpret the supplied visual. Why should failure/revision criteria be written before the outcome is known?
Answer and explanation

This limits selecting only favorable measures afterward and makes the evaluation transparent and testable.

A monitoring criterion states what result would support progress, reveal failure or trigger revision. Reference sites help distinguish intervention effects from broader changes, though they need comparable conditions and sampling. A before–after difference can be misleading when weather, detection or other pressures also change. Record methods, repeated observations and uncertainty before selecting favorable outcomes. A project’s activity count, such as materials installed, is not automatically evidence that the desired ecological mechanism occurred.

This limits selecting only favorable measures afterward and makes the evaluation transparent and testable.

Response criteria

  • Read the structures, axes, directions and units correctly.
  • Connect the evidence with the biological mechanism.
  • Respect stated model assumptions and distinguish an observation from a further inference.

Problem 8

Two equal-area reserves have dimensions 100×100 m and 200×50 m. Find their perimeters and explain why shape alone cannot select the best design.
Answer and explanation

Their areas are 10,000 m² and perimeters 400 versus 500 m. Boundary exposure and width differ, but species, habitat quality, connectivity, disturbance, costs and goals determine the useful comparison.

Their areas are 10,000 m² and perimeters 400 versus 500 m. Boundary exposure and width differ, but species, habitat quality, connectivity, disturbance, costs and goals determine the useful comparison.

Response criteria

  • Use the stated measurements or conditions, with correct units.
  • Connect the result to the biological mechanism or evidence relationship.
  • Identify the assumption, model limit or further evidence requested.

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