Deck 9: Properties of Populations

Question 1

Populations can be divided into three ecologically important age classes: pre-reproductive, reproductive, and ________.

Answer 1

post-reproductive

Question 2

A sampling method that is commonly used to study plants or other sessile animals involves ________.

Answer 2

quadrats

Question 3

In most cases, population density must be estimated by ________.

Answer 3

sampling

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a feature of a population?

A)size
B)density
C)number of species
D)distribution

Question 5

What is meant by a species' geographic range? What circumstances will allow for expansion of the range?

Question 6

A group of individuals of the same species living in a given area is called a

A)genet.
B)population.
C)community.
D)ramet.

Question 7

The three common distribution patterns of a population within a habitat are ________, ________, and ________.

Question 8

When individuals move out of a subpopulation, it is referred to as ________.

Question 9

In most mammalian populations, the ________ sex ratio at birth is often weighted toward males.

Question 10

An individual organism produced by sexual reproduction is called a

A)genet.
B)ramet.
C)clone.
D)module.

Question 11

The ________ of a population describes its spatial location.

Question 12

An ________ is the proportion of individuals in the various age classes for any one year.

Question 13

A module developed asexually from a genet is known as a ________.

Question 14

A group of individuals of the same species inhabiting a given area is called a(n)________.

Question 15

A graph that compares the relative size of different age groups within a population is called a(n)________.

Question 16

The primary factors driving the dynamics of population abundance are the demographic processes of ________ and ________.

Question 17

A round-trip movement of an individual from one place to another and back again is called ________.

Question 18

________ defines the size of a population.

Question 19

When referring to a population, it is important to explicitly define its ________.

Question 20

Population ________ is the number of individuals per unit area, or per unit volume.

Question 21

The most common spatial distribution of individuals within a population is

A)homogeneous.
B)clumped.
C)random.
D)uniform.

Question 22

A population reaches a stable-age distribution when

A)the population stops growing.
B)the birthrate is less than the deathrate.
C)the net reproductive rate (R₀)is zero.
D)the proportion of individuals in each age group remains the same.

Question 23

The age of a tree is commonly determined by

A)estimating tree height.
B)assessing the rate of CO₂ consumption.
C)measuring the diameter of a trunk at breast height (dbh).
D)counting the number of leaves.

Question 24

The movement of individuals in space is called

A)distribution.
B)migration.
C)dispersal.
D)density.

Question 25

The area inhabited by all individuals of a particular species is known as this population's

A)geographic range.
B)distribution.
C)ecosystem.
D)habitat.

Question 26

The most widely used technique to estimate the size of animal populations is

A)quadrat sampling.
B)mark-recapture.
C)counts of animal scat.
D)direct counts of all individuals.

Question 27

Intentional, directional movement between two locations or habitats is called

A)migration.
B)dispersal.
C)relocation.
D)cyclic movement.

Question 28

Which of the following is a graphical depiction of the age structure of a population?

A)phase plane plot
B)life table
C)age pyramid
D)age tower

Question 29

Abundance is a function of

A)the area over which the population is distributed.
B)temperature.
C)population density and temperature.
D)population density and area of distribution.

Question 30

Which of the following would NOT be expected to change with the age of individuals in a population?

A)sex ratio
B)reproductive output
C)probability of survival
D)species identity

Question 31

A ramet possesses the exact same genetic makeup as its parent.

Question 32

Which of the following is a modular organism?

A)frog
B)coral
C)cat
D)butterfly

Question 33

The population is a genetic unit.

Question 34

Organisms that compete with each other for territory or resources tend to distributed in a ________ fashion.

A)random
B)uniform
C)clumped
D)disorganized

Question 35

A population will decrease in size when the number of individuals born exceeds the number of individuals that die.

Question 36

The clumping of individuals into scattered groups can result from all the following, EXCEPT

A)resource availability.
B)social behaviour.
C)electromagnetic force.
D)geography.

Question 37

An example of an intentionally introduced species that is a serious threat to diversity in Canadian wetlands is the

A)gypsy moth.
B)purple loosestrife.
C)leafy spurge.
D)zebra mussel.

Question 38

An individual plant is often more difficult to recognize than an individual animal.

Question 39

A collective of local subpopulations is called a(n)

A)genet.
B)ramet.
C)metapopulation.
D)ecogroup.

Question 40

Jack Pine and Black Spruce have extended their ranges ________ since the end of the last ice age.

A)northward
B)southward
C)eastward
D)westward

Question 41

The distribution of a population is influenced by suitable habitat availability, while the abundance of a population is not.

Question 42

For plants, the distribution of age classes in an age pyramid is often highly skewed.

Question 43

Describe several approaches used by ecologists to establish age structure for plant and animal populations.

Question 44

Some animals migrate daily while others migrate seasonally. Give an example of each migration pattern and explain the benefit of this lifestyle to the organisms that you present.

Question 45

Unlike the one-way movement of an individual in emigration and immigration, migration is a round-trip.

Question 46

The age of a fish can be determined by counting the annual rings of otoliths (ear stones).

Question 47

Explain the three common spatial dispersal patterns and when they would occur.

Question 48

Describe several ways that plants disperse.

Question 49

All animals disperse actively, while all plants disperse passively.

Question 50

Using examples, discuss the impact of increased human travel in the 20th century on long-distance dispersal of plants and animals. Describe how and why introduced species typically alter native ecosystems.

Question 51

The most common approach to sampling animal population size is to count every individual.

Question 52

Provide the mark-recapture equation used for estimating population size and define the terms of the equation. Why is mark-recapture such a popular and effective method for determining animal population densities?

Question 53

Ecological density is a measure of the number of individuals per unit of available living space.

Question 54

Most properties of a population do not change with the age of individuals.

Question 55

The sex ratio in a population is usually fixed and does not vary among age classes.

Question 56

Discuss the three distribution patterns of individuals within a population and explain the conditions that give rise to each pattern.

Question 57

A uniform distribution of individuals within a population occurs if each individual's position is independent of others' positions.

Question 58

The distribution of species is rarely determined by minimum and maximum temperature tolerances.

Question 59

Give an example of how environmental variation affects the distribution of a population.

Question 60

Individuals are usually distributed as one large population across the landscape and not as separate disjunctive subpopulations in patches.