Deck 6: Population Biology

Question 1

Which of the following types of population curves would best represent a group of elephants that enter a new, open habitat and become a stable part of that ecosystem?

A)Norm-shaped curve
B)S-shaped curve
C)J-shaped curve
D)Cyclic oscillation-shaped curve
E)Survivorship curve

Answer 1

S-shaped curve

Question 2

Exponential growth would be represented by a ____ curve?

A)J-shaped
B)S-shaped
C)straight
D)bimodal
E)linear

Answer 2

J-shaped

Question 3

An organism with ___________ "strategies" would be considered to have __________ natality.

A)K-adapted; high
B)R-adapted; high
C)K-adapted; low
D)R-adapted; low
E)R-adapted; high AND K-adapted

Answer 3

R-adapted; high AND K-adapted

Question 4

An organism's biotic potential is the maximum number of offspring that _________.

A)survive to adulthood
B)Its habitat can support
C)It produces at one time
D)It actually produces over its lifetime

Question 5

Which of the following types of population growth patterns would best represent a group of elephants that enter a new, open habitat and become a stable part of that ecosystem?

A)Exponential growth
B)Irruptive growth
C)Malthusian growth
D)Chaotic or catastrophic growth
E)Logistic growth

Question 6

Carrying capacity is the population or biomass

A)That an environment can support in an optimal year
B)Of a species that an environment can support on a long-term basis
C)That remains after a catastrophic dieback has occurred
D)Of a species without limiting factors
E)Of a species without predators

Question 7

_____________ growth rate describes a predictable rate of change at discrete points in time.

A)Feedback
B)Logistic
C)Exponential
D)Geometric
E)Overshoot

Question 8

Natality is usually

A)Constant in a population
B)Constant for a species
C)Constant in an ecosystem
D)Variable, depending on the number of recent deaths
E)Variable, depending on environmental conditions

Question 9

Logistic growth rates are those in which a population

A)Grows very slowly when conditions are good and when conditions are not optimal
B)Grows rapidly when conditions are good, then slows as it approaches carrying capacity
C)Overshoots and dies back repeatedly
D)Remains significantly below carrying capacity
E)Grows at a constant rate of increase per unit time

Question 10

The ability to produce rapid population overshoots can be a useful strategy for a species that tends to

A)Colonize new territory
B)Maintain a firm position in its current habitat
C)Be part of a climax community
D)Develop intricate niche relationships
E)Be part of a complex ecosystem

Question 11

You are studying an organism that is fairly large, matures slowly, lives fairly long, and cares for its offspring.This organism probably has a(n) _________________ population growth strategy.

A)K-adapted
B)R-adapted
C)Irregular
D)Catastrophic
E)R-adapted and irregular

Question 12

A dieback or population crash, often occurs after a species ________ its environmental carrying capacity.

A)Meets
B)Undershoots
C)Overshoots
D)Oscillates around
E)Decreases

Question 13

In the real world, many factors determine the numbers of organisms in any one population.Yet, a "superfly" with unlimited food and no mortality would show what type of growth?

A)Geometric increase
B)Irruptive growth
C)Exponential growth
D)Logistic growth
E)Malthusian growth

Question 14

You are studying an organism that is an opportunistic pioneer species and does not care for its offspring.This organism probably has a(n) _________________ population growth strategy.

A)K-adapted
B)R-adapted
C)Irregular
D)Catastrophic
E)R-adapted and irregular

Question 15

When the similarities in population increases and decreases in prey and predators, it lead us to the conclusion that

A)The abundance of only the predator species can affect another species.
B)The abundance of only the prey species can affect another species.
C)The abundance of both the prey and predator can affect the other species.
D)There is no relationship between the abundances of predator and prey species.

Question 16

Density-independent population control factors cause mortality

A)When the population becomes too large
B)When the density becomes too high
C)When the population becomes too small
D)When the density becomes too low
E)Regardless of population size

Question 17

An island has formed off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has determined that there is enough land area for a herd of 100 elk, yet they say the carrying capacity is only 60 elk.This inequality can best be explained by the fact that the

A)DNR is probably being careful not to overestimate
B)DNR must have added up the environmental resistance incorrectly
C)Elk population will probably fluctuate between 60 and 100 animals
D)Physical factor of space is only one of the determiners for population size in a community
E)Law of limiting factors determines the maximum growth rate for a given population

Question 18

In the real world, population explosion is usually followed by

A)A continuation of high population levels indefinitely
B)A gradual decrease in population as food supplies dwindle
C)A tremendous increase in genetic diversity
D)A gradual increase in population due to the availability of mates
E)A population crash

Question 19

Widespread starvation is an example of _________ population control.

A)Predator-caused
B)Biotic
C)Density-dependent
D)Density-independent
E)Abiotic

Question 20

In cases of exponential growth rates, a population ________ each year.

A)Increases at the same rate
B)Is multiplied by a constant number
C)Doubles
D)Triples
E)Increases by a constant number (one, ten, one hundred, etc.), depending on the system

Question 21

Use the following information. DNA studies suggest that all existing cheetahs share a single male ancestor that survived in the not-too-distant past. Generally, all male cheetahs are now nearly genetically identical and have abnormal sperm with decreased reproductive success. The population is extremely vulnerable and genetically, may be headed for extinction.
The first part of this scenario describes

A)The founder effect or a demographic bottleneck
B)Inbreeding
C)Malthusian strategies
D)Inbreeding or a genetic drift

Question 22

Which of the following is a biotic population control mechanism?

A)Nutrients
B)Precipitation
C)Day length
D)Climate
E)Pathogens

Question 23

Island biogeography explains the phenomenon of _______ terrestrial species on islands small and far from the mainland when compared to larger islands that are closer to the mainland and have __________ terrestrial species.

A)Fewer; more
B)More; fewer
C)Larger; smaller
D)Smaller; larger
E)Larger; about the same number of

Question 24

The highest number of game or commercial species that can be harvested in a single season without limiting growth for future seasons is the maximal sustainable yield.

Question 25

How does island biogeography apply to ecosystems other than islands?

A)Relatively rare ecosystems such as coastal areas are more stable if they have high species diversity
B)Habitats that are large and close to development are more adversely affected than smaller fragmented habitats
C)Habitat fragmentation has formed islands of habitat in "oceans" of development
D)Along with islands in oceans and lakes, the principles of island biogeography apply only to wetland areas
E)Island biogeography is only concerned with islands in oceans and lakes

Question 26

Genetic diversity is lost in a small population when

A)The ecological diversity is high
B)Genetic mutations cause some individuals in a population to be different in coloration or size
C)Individuals from other populations are introduced into the population and the genes are diluted
D)Only a few individuals survive a catastrophe
E)Genetic mutations cause most individuals in a population to have similar genetic makeup

Question 27

Which of the following is an intraspecific interaction?

A)Mutualism
B)Territoriality
C)Parasitism
D)Predation
E)All of these are examples of intraspecific interactions

Question 28

Predation is considered to be a(n) _______________ factor.

A)Extrinsic
B)Intrinsic
C)Abiotic
D)Biotic
E)Extrinsic and biotic

Question 29

If there is no migration, the size of a population is limited solely by interaction between

A)Natality and fertility
B)Mortality and fecundity
C)Mortality and survivorship
D)Natality and mortality
E)Life expectancy and survivorship

Question 30

White-tailed deer populations are at about the same levels as they were a century ago.

Question 31

The world's most destructive insect is the cockroach.

Question 32

Which of the following is an abiotic population control mechanism?

A)Predation
B)Disease
C)Water shortages
D)Prey shortages
E)Competition

Question 33

In general, abiotic regulatory factors tend to be ___________ while biotic factors tend to be _____________.

A)Interspecific; intraspecific
B)Intraspecific; interspecific
C)Density-dependent; density-independent
D)Density-independent; density-dependent
E)Interspecific; density-independent

Question 34

Life expectancy is the

A)Maximum life span that an individual of a given species could reach
B)Number of individuals in a population that survive in a given year
C)Number of years an individual of a certain age will probably live
D)Probability that an individual will survive infancy
E)All of these are descriptions of life expectancy

Question 35

Which of the following is not a density-dependent population control factor?

A)Stress
B)Overcrowding
C)Predation
D)Drought
E)Competition

Question 36

The most common factor that affects birth and death rates within a population independently of density is

A)Fire
B)Competition
C)Weather
D)Stress
E)None of these is correct

Question 37

The longest period of life that a given type of organism can reach is known as

A)Survivorship
B)Life span
C)Life expectancy
D)Mortality
E)Fecundity

Question 38

The term "fecundity" refers to an organism's ____________ while fertility is ______________.

A)Physical ability to reproduce; the actual number of offspring produced
B)Actual number of offspring produced; the physical ability to reproduce
C)Average life span; the physical ability to reproduce
D)Replacement level of reproduction; the actual number of offspring produced
E)Physical ability to reproduce; the replacement level of reproduction

Question 39

A collection of separate populations that interact with each other is called a metapopulation.

Question 40

Survivorship is determined by

A)The percentage of a cohort that survives to a certain age
B)The number of individuals in a population that survive in a given year
C)The number of years an individual of a certain age will probably live
D)The probability that an individual will survive infancy
E)The maximum life span that an individual of a given species could reach