Background: Habitat destruction has played a key role in extinctions, especially in relation to tropical forest destruction. Factors contributing to habitat loss include: overconsumption, overpopulation, land use change, deforestation, pollution (air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination) and global warming or climate change.Habitat size and numbers of species are systematically related. Physically larger species and those living at lower latitudes or in forests or oceans are more sensitive to reduction in habitat area. Conversion to "trivial" standardized ecosystems (e.g., monoculture following deforestation) effectively destroys habitat for the more diverse species that preceded the conversion. Even the simplest forms of agriculture affect diversity – through clearing/draining land, discouraging weeds and "pests", and encouraging just a limited set of domesticated plant and animal species. In some countries lack of property rights or lax law/regulatory enforcement necessarily leads to biodiversity loss (degradation costs having to be supported by the community).A 2007 study conducted by the National Science Foundation found that biodiversity and genetic diversity are codependent—that diversity among species requires diversity within a species and vice versa. "If any one type is removed from the system, the cycle can break down and the community becomes dominated by a single species."

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: In which tropical forest is the extinction of an animal species more likely?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: In which tropical forest is the extinction of an animal species less likely?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: In which tropical forest will the number of species be lower?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: In which tropical forest will the number of species be higher?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: Will the number of species in Tropical Forest A be larger or smaller than the number of species in Tropical Forest B?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: Will the number of species in Tropical Forest B be larger or smaller than the number of species in Tropical Forest A?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: In which tropical forest will biodiversity and genetic diversity of species be higher?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: In which tropical forest will biodiversity and genetic diversity of species be lower?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: Will the biodiversity and genetic diversity of species in Tropical Forest A be higher or lower than in Tropical Forest B?

Situation: Sam is curious about the effects of human population on natural animal habitats in tropical forests. In order to study this, he has taken observations from two tropical forest regions. Tropical Forest A is a natural habitat that has been largely untouched by humans. Tropical Forest B is an area that used to be a large natural habitat but has recently been greatly reduced in size due to an increase of humans settling in and developing the area.

Question: Will the biodiversity and genetic diversity of species in Tropical Forest B be higher or lower than in Tropical Forest A?