Question 1

The following questions refer to the figure below,which depicts the age structure of three populations.
  
-Which population(s)appear(s)to be stable?

Accepted Answer

A) I 
B) II 
C) III 
D) I and II 
E) II and III 
A) I 
B) II 
C) III 
D) I and II 
E) II and III

Question 2

Population ecologists follow the fate of same-age cohorts to

Accepted Answer

A) determine a population's carrying capacity. 
B) determine the birth rate and death rate of each group in a population. 
C) determine if a population is regulated by density-dependent processes. 
D) determine the factors that regulate the size of a population. 
E) determine if a population's growth is cyclic. 
A) determine a population's carrying capacity. 
B) determine the birth rate and death rate of each group in a population. 
C) determine if a population is regulated by density-dependent processes. 
D) determine the factors that regulate the size of a population. 
E) determine if a population's growth is cyclic.

Question 3

The following questions refer to the description below.
Theoretically,under ideal conditions,species can grow exponentially.In reality,however,species cannot maintain exponential growth indefinitely.Introducing species to habitats where conditions are optimal for that species often results in initial exponential growth.
-While exponential growth is problematic in an invasive species,when dealing with endangered species exponential growth is desirable.In the 1940s,the whooping crane was critically endangered.Implementation of strict conservation efforts resulted in whooping crane numbers increasing from approximately 21 individuals to over 300 individuals by 2007.Which of the following characteristics of exponential growth rate would be most desirable in aiding the recovery of the whooping crane or any endangered species?

Accepted Answer

A) The intrinsic rate of increase should be zero, so the population increases slowly and steadily. 
B) The intrinsic rate of increase, rmₐₓ, should be positive and large. 
C) The rmₐₓ should be slightly above 0 so the population does not become inbred too fast. 
D) The smaller the rmₐₓ, the steeper the slope of the curve and the faster the population will grow. 
E) The rmₐₓ should be allowed to fluctuate so the population can adjust to the availability of resources. 
A) The intrinsic rate of increase should be zero, so the population increases slowly and steadily. 
B) The intrinsic rate of increase, rmₐₓ, should be positive and large. 
C) The rmₐₓ should be slightly above 0 so the population does not become inbred too fast. 
D) The smaller the rmₐₓ, the steeper the slope of the curve and the faster the population will grow. 
E) The rmₐₓ should be allowed to fluctuate so the population can adjust to the availability of resources.

Question 4

Please read the paragraph below and review the figure to answer the following question.
Researchers in the Netherlands studied the effects of parental care given in European kestrels over five years.The researchers transferred chicks among nests to produce reduced broods (three or four chicks),normal broods (five or six chicks),and enlarged broods (seven or eight chicks).They then measured the percentage of male and female parent birds that survived the following winter.(Both males and females provide care for chicks.)
   
Brood size manipulations in the kestrel: Effects on offspring and parent survival.
-Which of the following is a likely graphic outcome of a population of deer introduced to an island with an adequate herbivory and without natural predators,parasites,or disease?

Accepted Answer

A)    
B)    
C)    
D)    
E)    
A)    
B)    
C)    
D)    
E)

Question 5

Imagine that you are managing a large game ranch.You know from historical accounts that a species of deer used to live there,but they have been extirpated.You decide to reintroduce them.After doing some research to determine what might be an appropriately sized founding population,you do so.You then watch the population increase for several generations,and graph the number of individuals (vertical axis)against the number of generations (horizontal axis).The graph will likely appear as

Accepted Answer

A) a diagonal line, getting higher with each generation. 
B) an "S," increasing with each generation. 
C) an upside-down "U." 
D) a "J," increasing with each generation. 
E) an "S" that ends with a vertical line. 
A) a diagonal line, getting higher with each generation. 
B) an "S," increasing with each generation. 
C) an upside-down "U." 
D) a "J," increasing with each generation. 
E) an "S" that ends with a vertical line.

Question 6

The following questions refer to the figure below,which depicts the age structure of three populations.
  
-Assuming these age-structure diagrams describe human populations,in which population is unemployment likely to be a societal issue in the future?

Accepted Answer

A) I 
B) II 
C) III 
D) No differences in the magnitude of future unemployment would be expected among these populations. 
E) It is not possible to infer anything about future social conditions from age-structure diagrams. 
A) I 
B) II 
C) III 
D) No differences in the magnitude of future unemployment would be expected among these populations. 
E) It is not possible to infer anything about future social conditions from age-structure diagrams.

Question 7

Which of the following causes populations to shift most quickly from an exponential to a logistic population growth?

Accepted Answer

A) increased birth rate 
B) removal of predators 
C) decreased death rate 
D) competition for resources 
E) favourable climatic conditions 
A) increased birth rate 
B) removal of predators 
C) decreased death rate 
D) competition for resources 
E) favourable climatic conditions

Question 8

The following questions refer to the figure below,which depicts the age structure of three populations.
  
-Which population(s)is (are)in the process of decreasing?

Accepted Answer

A) I 
B) II 
C) III 
D) I and II 
E) II and III 
A) I 
B) II 
C) III 
D) I and II 
E) II and III

Question 9

An ecologist recorded 12 white-tailed deer,Odocoileus virginianus,per square mile in one woodlot and 20 per square mile in another woodlot.What was the ecologist comparing?

Accepted Answer

A) density 
B) dispersion 
C) carrying capacity 
D) cohorts 
E) range 
A) density 
B) dispersion 
C) carrying capacity 
D) cohorts 
E) range

Question 10

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions.
  
-Which curve best describes survivorship in a marine crustacean that moults?

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E

Question 11

Which of the following assumptions have to be made regarding the capture-recapture estimate of population size?
I.Marked and unmarked individuals have the same probability of being trapped.
II.The marked individuals have thoroughly mixed with the population after being marked.
III.No individuals have entered or left the population by immigration or emigration,and no individuals have been added by birth or eliminated by death during the course of the estimate.

Accepted Answer

A) I only 
B) II only 
C) I and II only 
D) II and III only 
E) I, II, and III 
A) I only 
B) II only 
C) I and II only 
D) II and III only 
E) I, II, and III

Question 12

Which variables define the ecological life history of a species?

Accepted Answer

A) the age at which reproduction begins, frequency of reproduction, and the number of offspring for each reproductive episode 
B) the ratio of females to males, the length of the breeding season, and the number of offspring for each reproductive episode 
C) the number of offspring produced over a lifetime by a breeding pair and the survivability of the offspring 
D) timing breeding sessions with optimal environmental conditions and the number of offspring produced during each breeding session 
E) the amount of parental care given after birth, the number of reproductive episodes per year, and the number of years females are capable of producing viable offspring 
A) the age at which reproduction begins, frequency of reproduction, and the number of offspring for each reproductive episode 
B) the ratio of females to males, the length of the breeding season, and the number of offspring for each reproductive episode 
C) the number of offspring produced over a lifetime by a breeding pair and the survivability of the offspring 
D) timing breeding sessions with optimal environmental conditions and the number of offspring produced during each breeding session 
E) the amount of parental care given after birth, the number of reproductive episodes per year, and the number of years females are capable of producing viable offspring

Question 13

Which of the following is the best example of uniform distribution?

Accepted Answer

A) bees collecting pollen in a wildflower meadow 
B) snails in an intertidal zone at low tide 
C) territorial songbirds in a mature forest during mating season 
D) mushrooms growing on the floor of an old growth forest 
E) a cultivated cornfield in the Midwest 
A) bees collecting pollen in a wildflower meadow 
B) snails in an intertidal zone at low tide 
C) territorial songbirds in a mature forest during mating season 
D) mushrooms growing on the floor of an old growth forest 
E) a cultivated cornfield in the Midwest

Question 14

Your friend comes to you with a problem.It seems his shrimp boats aren't catching nearly as much shrimp as they used to.He can't understand why because he used to catch all the shrimp he could handle.Each year he added a new boat,and for a long time each boat caught tons of shrimp.As he added more boats,there came a time when each boat caught somewhat fewer shrimp,and now,each boat is catching a lot less shrimp.Which of the following topics might help your friend understand the source of his problem?

Accepted Answer

A) density-dependent population regulation and intrinsic characteristics of population growth 
B) exponential growth curves and unlimited environmental resources 
C) density-independent population regulation and chance occurrence 
D) pollution effects of a natural environment and learned shrimp behaviour 
E) a K-selected population switching to an r-selected population 
A) density-dependent population regulation and intrinsic characteristics of population growth 
B) exponential growth curves and unlimited environmental resources 
C) density-independent population regulation and chance occurrence 
D) pollution effects of a natural environment and learned shrimp behaviour 
E) a K-selected population switching to an r-selected population

Question 15

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions.
  
-Which curve best describes survivorship in elephants?

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E

Question 16

Which of the following statements regarding ecological footprints is/are true?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's carrying capacity would increase if per capita meat consumption increased. 
B) Current demand by industrialized countries for resources is much smaller than the ecological footprint of those countries. 
C) Ecological footprints and carbon footprints measure the same variables. 
D) The ecological footprint of Canada is large because per capita resource use is high. 
E) All of the above 
A) Earth's carrying capacity would increase if per capita meat consumption increased. 
B) Current demand by industrialized countries for resources is much smaller than the ecological footprint of those countries. 
C) Ecological footprints and carbon footprints measure the same variables. 
D) The ecological footprint of Canada is large because per capita resource use is high. 
E) All of the above

Question 17

A recent study of ecological footprints concluded that

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's carrying capacity for humans is about 10 billion. 
B) Earth's carrying capacity would increase if per capita meat consumption increased. 
C) current demand by industrialized countries for resources is much smaller than the ecological footprint of those countries. 
D) it is not possible for technological improvements to increase Earth's carrying capacity for humans. 
E) the ecological footprint of Canada is large because per capita resource use is high. 
A) Earth's carrying capacity for humans is about 10 billion. 
B) Earth's carrying capacity would increase if per capita meat consumption increased. 
C) current demand by industrialized countries for resources is much smaller than the ecological footprint of those countries. 
D) it is not possible for technological improvements to increase Earth's carrying capacity for humans. 
E) the ecological footprint of Canada is large because per capita resource use is high.

Question 18

During the spring,you are studying the mice that live in a field near your home.The population density is high,but you realize that you rarely observe any reproductive female mice.This most likely indicates

Accepted Answer

A) that there is selective predation on female mice. 
B) that female mice die before reproducing. 
C) that this habitat is a good place for mice to reproduce. 
D) that you are observing immigrant mice. 
E) that the breeding season is over. 
A) that there is selective predation on female mice. 
B) that female mice die before reproducing. 
C) that this habitat is a good place for mice to reproduce. 
D) that you are observing immigrant mice. 
E) that the breeding season is over.

Question 19

Consider two forests: one is an undisturbed old-growth forest,while the other has recently been logged.In which forest are species likely to experience exponential growth,and why?

Accepted Answer

A) old growth, because of stable conditions that would favour exponential growth of all species in the forest 
B) old growth, because each of the species is well established and can produce many offspring 
C) logged, because the disturbed forest affords more resources for increased specific populations to grow 
D) logged, because the various populations are stimulated to a higher reproductive potential 
E) Exponential growth is equally probable in old-growth and logged forests. 
A) old growth, because of stable conditions that would favour exponential growth of all species in the forest 
B) old growth, because each of the species is well established and can produce many offspring 
C) logged, because the disturbed forest affords more resources for increased specific populations to grow 
D) logged, because the various populations are stimulated to a higher reproductive potential 
E) Exponential growth is equally probable in old-growth and logged forests.

Question 20

To construct a reproductive table for a sexual species,one needs to

Accepted Answer

A) assess sperm viability for the males in the population. 
B) keep track of all of the offspring of a cohort. 
C) keep track of the females in a cohort. 
D) keep track of all of the offspring of the females in a cohort. 
E) analyze the ratio of deaths to births in a cohort. 
A) assess sperm viability for the males in the population. 
B) keep track of all of the offspring of a cohort. 
C) keep track of the females in a cohort. 
D) keep track of all of the offspring of the females in a cohort. 
E) analyze the ratio of deaths to births in a cohort.

Exam 53: Population Ecology

The following questions refer to the figure below,which depicts the age structure of three populations. -Which population(s)appear(s)to be stable?

Population ecologists follow the fate of same-age cohorts to

The following questions refer to the figure below,which depicts the age structure of three populations. -Assuming these age-structure diagrams describe human populations,in which population is unemployment likely to be a societal issue in the future?

Which of the following causes populations to shift most quickly from an exponential to a logistic population growth?

The following questions refer to the figure below,which depicts the age structure of three populations. -Which population(s)is (are)in the process of decreasing?

An ecologist recorded 12 white-tailed deer,Odocoileus virginianus,per square mile in one woodlot and 20 per square mile in another woodlot.What was the ecologist comparing?

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions. -Which curve best describes survivorship in a marine crustacean that moults?

Which variables define the ecological life history of a species?

Which of the following is the best example of uniform distribution?

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions. -Which curve best describes survivorship in elephants?

Which of the following statements regarding ecological footprints is/are true?

A recent study of ecological footprints concluded that

During the spring,you are studying the mice that live in a field near your home.The population density is high,but you realize that you rarely observe any reproductive female mice.This most likely indicates

Consider two forests: one is an undisturbed old-growth forest,while the other has recently been logged.In which forest are species likely to experience exponential growth,and why?

To construct a reproductive table for a sexual species,one needs to

Introduction: Evolution and Themes of Biology

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

DNA Tools and Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Plant Structure,Growth,and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons,Synapses,and Signalling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

Animal Behaviour

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Conservation Biology and Global Change

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