Question 1

Which of the following series correctly represents the hierarchical organization within ecology?
A) ecosystem $\rightarrow$ population $\rightarrow$community $\rightarrow$biosphere
B) biosphere $\rightarrow$ community $\rightarrow$population $\rightarrow$ecosystem
C) community $\rightarrow$population $\rightarrow$ecosystem $\rightarrow$ biosphere
D) population $\rightarrow$ community $\rightarrow$ecosystem $\rightarrow$ biosphere
E) population $\rightarrow$ ecosystem $\rightarrow$community $\rightarrow$ biosphere

Accepted Answer

The correct hierarchy is population $\rightarrow$ community $\rightarrow$ ecosystem $\rightarrow$ biosphere.

Question 2

Communities are composed of:
A) all of the communities of all the different populations that live together within an area.
B) all of the ecosystems within the biosphere.
C) all of the populations of all the different species that live together within an area.
D) all of the various dispersal patterns of the different species within a given area.
E) all of the population's females' combined reproductive capabilities within the same given unit of time.

Accepted Answer

Communities consist of all the populations of different species that live together in a specific area, interacting with each other.

Question 3

Clumped dispersion is often influenced by all of the following except:
A) the presence of family groups.
B) asexual reproduction in plants or invertebrates.
C) limited seed dispersal in plants.
D) a patchy distribution of resources.
E) nesting territoriality.

Accepted Answer

Nesting territoriality typically leads to uniform dispersion, not clumped dispersion.

Question 4

Which of the following consists of organisms all of which share a common gene pool?
A) a community
B) a population
C) a biosphere
D) an ecosystem
E) a landscape

Accepted Answer

A population consists of individuals of the same species living in the same area and sharing a common gene pool. A community refers to different populations of species living in the same area, while an ecosystem includes both living and non-living components. The biosphere refers to the global sum of all ecosystems, and a landscape is a broader scale concept that includes multiple ecosystems and their interactions.

Question 5

When r = 0.00001, the population size:
A) will increase.
B) will decrease.
C) is stable.
D) may increase or decrease, depending on K.
E) may increase or decrease, depending on i.

Accepted Answer

When r (the intrinsic rate of natural increase) is greater than 0, it indicates that the population size will increase, regardless of other factors.

Question 6

What would be the growth rate (r) of an island population of 1000 that has 30 births per 100 population, 20 death per 100 population, 5 immigrants per 100 population, and 10 emigrants per 100 population?
A) +5
B) -50
C) +50
D) -150
E) +150

Accepted Answer

The answer of What would be the growth rate (r)...

Question 7

Which of the following organisms would have the highest intrinsic rate of increase?
A) bacteria
B) blue whales
C) red grouse
D) elephants
E) humans

Accepted Answer

Bacteria have the highest intrinsic rate of increase due to their ability to reproduce quickly and in large numbers. They have short generation times and can adapt quickly to changing environmental conditions, leading to rapid population growth. In contrast, organisms like blue whales, elephants, and humans have longer generation times, slower reproductive rates, and are more limited by environmental factors, leading to slower population growth rates.

Question 8

Figure 53-1
Use the figure to answer the corresponding question(s). 
-The graph in Figure 53-1 would best be described as:
A) being characteristic of exponential growth.
B) being characteristic of arithmetic growth.
C) an S-shaped curve.
D) a J-shaped curve.
E) being a J-shaped curve characteristic of exponential growth.

Accepted Answer

The graph is described as a J-shaped curve, which is characteristic of exponential growth, indicating rapid increase without any limiting factors.

Question 9

Biologists in which of the following applied disciplines must understand population ecology?
A) forestry
B) agronomy
C) wildlife management
D) forestry and agronomy
E) forestry, agronomy, and wildlife management

Accepted Answer

Biologists in forestry, agronomy, and wildlife management all work with populations of living organisms and need to understand population ecology in order to effectively manage and sustain these populations.

Question 10

__________ is the least frequent of the dispersal patterns seen in nature.
A) Random dispersion
B) Aggregated distribution
C) Uniform dispersion
D) Density-dependent distribution
E) Clumped dispersion

Accepted Answer

The answer of __________ is the least frequent of the...

Question 11

Which of the following would not increase population size?
A) natality
B) mortality
C) immigration
D) r greater than 1
E) r greater than 2

Accepted Answer

Mortality refers to the death rate, which would decrease population size rather than increase it.

Question 12

Which of the following sets of values would result in a population with a growth rate of zero?
A) b = 1000, d = 500, i = 750, e = 1000
B) b = 1000, d = 500, i = 1000, e = 1000
C) b = 1000, d = 500, i = 1500, e = 1000
D) b = 1000, d = 500, i = 0, e = 1000
E) b = 1000, d = 500, i = 500, e = 1000

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following sets of values...

Question 13

When the size of a population greatly exceeds K, it would be expected the population will:
A) rapidly increase.
B) slowly increase.
C) slowly decrease.
D) rapidly decrease.
E) stabilize.

Accepted Answer

When a population exceeds its carrying capacity (K), resources become limited, leading to a rapid decrease in population size due to increased mortality and decreased birth rates.

Question 14

The logistic equation:
A) models a J-shaped growth curve.
B) takes into account the carrying capacity of the environment.
C) predicts continued exponential growth.
D) would characterize the uncontrolled growth of a population.
E) models a K-shaped growth curve.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The logistic equation:
A) models a J-shaped growth...

Question 15

Natural selection acts most directly on:
A) populations.
B) communities.
C) ecosystems.
D) the biosphere.
E) K-selected organisms.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection acts on the characteristics of individuals within a population, and over time, those traits that are advantageous for survival and reproduction become more prevalent in that population. Natural selection can lead to changes in the genetic makeup of the population over time.

Question 16

Which of the following examples is incorrectly paired?
A) schooling fish-aggregated distribution
B) nesting seabirds-random dispersion
C) grove of aspen-clumped dispersion
D) flour beetle larvae-random dispersion
E) adult sand pine-uniform dispersion

Accepted Answer

Nesting seabirds typically exhibit a uniform dispersion due to territorial behavior, not random dispersion.

Question 17

The best definition of population density is:
A) the number of individuals of all species in a given area.
B) the number of individuals of one species in a given area.
C) the number of individuals in a given area at a given time.
D) the number of individuals of all species in a given area at a given time.
E) the number of individuals of one species in a given area at a given time.

Accepted Answer

Population density refers to the number of individuals of one species in a given area at a given time.

Question 18

The term referring to the rate at which organisms produce offspring is:
A) doubling time.
B) natality.
C) emigration.
D) stasis.
E) survivorship.

Accepted Answer

Natality refers to the rate at which organisms produce offspring.

Question 19

The organisms associated with patches of floating ocean vegetation would be an example of:
A) random dispersion
B) aggregated distribution
C) uniform dispersion
D) density-dependent distribution
E) clumped dispersion

Accepted Answer

The answer of The organisms associated with patches of floating...

Question 20

When r = -0.00057, the population size:
A) will increase.
B) will decrease.
C) is stable.
D) may increase or decrease, depending on K.
E) may increase or decrease, depending on i.

Accepted Answer

A negative growth rate (r) indicates that the population size will decrease over time.

Quiz 53: Introduction to Ecology: Population Ecology

Which of the following series correctly represents the hierarchical organization within ecology?

Communities are composed of:

Clumped dispersion is often influenced by all of the following except:

Which of the following consists of organisms all of which share a common gene pool?

When r = 0.00001, the population size:

What would be the growth rate (r) of an island population of 1000 that has 30 births per 100 population, 20 death per 100 population, 5 immigrants per 100 population, and 10 emigrants per 100 population?

Which of the following organisms would have the highest intrinsic rate of increase?

Figure 53-1 Use the figure to answer the corresponding question(s) . -The graph in Figure 53-1 would best be described as:

Biologists in which of the following applied disciplines must understand population ecology?

__________ is the least frequent of the dispersal patterns seen in nature.

Which of the following would not increase population size?

Which of the following sets of values would result in a population with a growth rate of zero?

When the size of a population greatly exceeds K, it would be expected the population will:

The logistic equation:

Natural selection acts most directly on:

Which of the following examples is incorrectly paired?

The best definition of population density is:

The term referring to the rate at which organisms produce offspring is:

The organisms associated with patches of floating ocean vegetation would be an example of:

When r = -0.00057, the population size: