Question

Which of the following scenarios provides the best example of the edge effect?a) A new species of fish is accidentally introduced to a pond and begins taking resources from native species;b) Pollution from a road next to crop fields causes many of the crops to wither and die;c) The overhavesting of wild berries from a region causes a corresponding drop in the populations of animals that feed on those berries;d) Logging a large section of a forest exposes the underlying vegetation to more sunlight and wind than it is accustomed to receiving;e) The construction of a mountainside resort frigthens away many organisms native to the area.

Answer 1

The edge effect is a term used when there is considerable changes in a population or a community occuring at the boundary of two habitats. This effect can impact the habitats because it creates kinds of fragmented habitats. So, it is not related to the introduction of new species and alternative a) is wrong. It is also not about the effects of polution in an entire population, therefore alternative b) is also wrong. Overhasting can affect all of the relations between different species in a specific environment, but it is not what the edge effect is about, so alternative c) is incorrect as well. The effect is not directly related to constructions, such as a resort. It is related to different biomes and the areas where communities inhabit both of them. So e) is incorrect as well. Alternative d) is correct, because logging would cause deforestation, changing the natural conditions.