A population of white-footed mice becomes severely overpopulated in a habitat that has been disturbed by human activity. Sometimes intrinsic factors cause the population to increase in mortality and lower reproduction rates to occur in reaction to the stress of overpopulation. Which of the following is an example of intrinsic population control?
A) Owl populations frequent the area more often because of increased hunting success.
B) Females undergo hormonal changes that delay sexual maturation and many individuals suffer depressed immune systems and die due to the stress of overpopulation.
C) Clumped dispersion of the population leads to increased spread of disease and parasites, resulting in a population crash.
D) All of the resources (food and shelter) are used up by overpopulation and much of the population dies of exposure and/or starvation.
E) Because the individuals are vulnerable they are more likely to die off if a drought or flood were to occur.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Intrinsic population control refers to factors within the population that regulate growth and population size. In this case, the stress of overpopulation leads to physiological changes that lower reproduction rates and increase mortality, which is an example of intrinsic population control. The other choices describe extrinsic population controls, which are factors outside of the population that regulate growth and population size.

A Population of White-Footed Mice Becomes Severely Overpopulated in a Habitat