A laboratory experiment followed the growth of a flour beetle (Tribolium sp.) population over time. At first, the population increased dramatically, but later the growth slowed and the population size leveled off. Although food (the wheat flour in which they live) was still abundant, the flour beetles resorted to eating their own eggs when population densities got high. What can we conclude about cannibalism in this species?
A) It is a density-independent means of population control.
B) We cannot reach any conclusions based on the information provided.
C) It is clearly maladaptive, as populations always do best when their densities increase as much as possible.
D) It has no effect on the growth of the population, as food scarcity is clearly the limiting factor.
E) It is a density-dependent means of population control.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cannibalism in this context acts as a density-dependent means of population control because it occurs more frequently as the population density increases, helping to regulate the population size when it becomes too high, despite the abundance of their primary food source.

A Laboratory Experiment Followed the Growth of a Flour Beetle