Practice 3.3 Threats to biodiversity with authentic IB Environmental systems and societies (ESS - Old) exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2 structure, covering key topics like ecosystems, human impact, and sustainability. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
Explain how habitat fragmentation can lead to biodiversity loss.
Using named examples, distinguish between the concept of a “charismatic” (flagship) species and a keystone species.
Explain the role of two historical influences who shaped the development of the environmental movement.
Discuss the role of environmental value systems in the protection of tropical biomes.
Describe two ways in which the wildlife trade threatens biodiversity.
Define the term "biodiversity loss" and explain its three main levels.
Explain how the following factors can make island species particularly vulnerable to extinction:
Small population size
Limited genetic diversity
Explain the concept of the "extinction debt" and its implications for conservation.
Figure 1: Fact file on the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Figure 2:The round goby and mottled sculpin
Using Figure 1 and 2, identify one feature of the round goby that shows it is an r-selected species.
With reference to Figure 1, outline how the round goby both positively and negatively affects the St Lawrence River ecosystem.
With reference to Figure 1, explain why the realized niche of the mottled sculpin has changed in recent years.
Describe four major threats to biodiversity.
Explain how overexploitation can lead to the extinction of a species. Provide an example.
Explain how feedback loops are involved in alternate stable states and the tipping points between them.
Earth’s atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide reached 400 ppm in 2016. Outline the potential impacts of high levels of greenhouse gases on human societies in different locations.
Discuss the consequences of changing global per capita meat consumption on the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity.