The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Monitors

question 15

Multiple Choice

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) monitors changes in global biodiversity. It is a network that is composed of both government and nongovernment organizations. The IUCN collects data on the status of the natural world and uses these data to make conservation and sustainable development recommendations. One widely recognized metric for evaluating organismal conservation is the IUCN Red List. This list uses several criteria to calculate the survival probability of organisms throughout the world. The aggregate Red List survival probability for birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, and cycads in different geographic regions is summarized in the table.
Table 1. Aggregate survival probabilities for birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, and cycads according to the IUCN Red List.
$\begin{array} { | l | l | l | } \hline \text { Region } & 1993 & 2016 \\\hline \text { Southern Asia } & 0.77 & 0.68 \\\hline \text { Southeastern Asia } & 0.83 & 0.72 \\\hline \text { Latin America and the Caribbean } & 0.79 & 0.74 \\\hline \text { Eastern Asia } & 0.83 & 0.75 \\\hline \text { Sub-Saharan Africa } & 0.82 & 0.75 \\\hline \text { Oceania } & 0.88 & 0.80 \\\hline \text { Western Asia } & 0.88 & 0.82 \\\hline \text { Northern Africa } & 0.92 & 0.86 \\\hline \text { Caucasus and Central Asia } & 0.92 & 0.91 \\\hline \text { Developed regions } & 0.88 & 0.82 \\\hline \text { Developing regions } & 0.81 & 0.73 \\\hline \text { World } & 0.82 & 0.74 \\\hline\end{array}$ Source: United Nations Statistics Division Statistical Services Branch. (n.d.) . Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/Goal-15.
-Which region had the least amount of change in species survival from 1993 to 2016?

• A) Caucasus and Central Asia
• B) Southern Asia
• C) Northern Africa
• D) Developing regions

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Definitions:

Clitoris

A small, sensitive organ located at the anterior part of the vulva, involved in female sexual pleasure.

Fallopian Tubes

A pair of tubes along which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus, and the site where fertilization usually occurs.

Seminal Vesicles

A pair of convoluted tubes that lie behind the bladder. These tubes secrete a fluid that provides nutrition for the sperm.

Bulbourethral Glands

Small glands located near the male urethra that produce a pre-ejaculate fluid to lubricate the urethra and neutralize acidity before semen passes during ejaculation.