Question 1

Which pair of terms most accurately describes life history traits for a stable population of wolves?

Accepted Answer

A) semelparous; r-selected 
B) semelparous; K-selected 
C) iteroparous; r-selected 
D) iteroparous; K-selected 
E) iteroparous; N-selected 
A) semelparous; r-selected 
B) semelparous; K-selected 
C) iteroparous; r-selected 
D) iteroparous; K-selected 
E) iteroparous; N-selected

Question 2

During exponential growth, a population always

Accepted Answer

A) grows by thousands of individuals. 
B) grows at its maximum per capita rate. 
C) quickly reaches its carrying capacity. 
D) cycles through time. 
E) loses some individuals to emigration. 
A) grows by thousands of individuals. 
B) grows at its maximum per capita rate. 
C) quickly reaches its carrying capacity. 
D) cycles through time. 
E) loses some individuals to emigration.

Question 3

Uniform spacing patterns in plants such as the creosote bush are most often associated with

Accepted Answer

A) chance. 
B) patterns of high humidity. 
C) the random distribution of seeds. 
D) competitive interaction between individuals of the same population. 
E) the concentration of nutrients within the population's range. 
A) chance. 
B) patterns of high humidity. 
C) the random distribution of seeds. 
D) competitive interaction between individuals of the same population. 
E) the concentration of nutrients within the population's range.

Question 4

Which of the following best defines a cohort?

Accepted Answer

A) a group of individuals that inhabits a small isolated region within the range for the species 
B) all of the individuals that are annually added to a population by birth and immigration 
C) the reproductive males and females within the population 
D) a group of the individuals from the same age group, from birth until they are all dead 
E) the number of individuals that annually die or emigrate out of a population 
A) a group of individuals that inhabits a small isolated region within the range for the species 
B) all of the individuals that are annually added to a population by birth and immigration 
C) the reproductive males and females within the population 
D) a group of the individuals from the same age group, from birth until they are all dead 
E) the number of individuals that annually die or emigrate out of a population

Question 5

Natural selection involves energetic trade-offs between

Accepted Answer

A) choosing how many offspring to produce over the course of a lifetime and how long to live. 
B) producing large numbers of gametes when employing internal fertilization versus fewer numbers of gametes when employing external fertilization. 
C) the emigration of individuals when they are no longer reproductively capable or committing suicide. 
D) increasing the number of individuals produced during each reproductive episode with a corresponding decrease in parental care. 
E) high survival rates of offspring and the cost of parental care. 
A) choosing how many offspring to produce over the course of a lifetime and how long to live. 
B) producing large numbers of gametes when employing internal fertilization versus fewer numbers of gametes when employing external fertilization. 
C) the emigration of individuals when they are no longer reproductively capable or committing suicide. 
D) increasing the number of individuals produced during each reproductive episode with a corresponding decrease in parental care. 
E) high survival rates of offspring and the cost of parental care.

Question 6

A population's carrying capacity

Accepted Answer

A) may change as environmental conditions change. 
B) can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model. 
C) generally remains constant over time. 
D) increases as the per capita growth rate (r)decreases. 
E) can never be exceeded. 
A) may change as environmental conditions change. 
B) can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model. 
C) generally remains constant over time. 
D) increases as the per capita growth rate (r)decreases. 
E) can never be exceeded.

Question 7

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 8

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions.
  
-Which of the following graphs illustrates the population growth curve of single bacterium growing in a flask of ideal medium at optimum temperature over a 24-hour period?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

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 10

In July 2008, the United States had a population of approximately 302 000 000 people. How many Americans were there in July 2009, if the estimated 2008 growth rate was 0.88%?

Accepted Answer

A) 2 700 000 
B) 5 500 000 
C) 303 000 000 
D) 304 000 000 
E) 2 710 800 000 
A) 2 700 000 
B) 5 500 000 
C) 303 000 000 
D) 304 000 000 
E) 2 710 800 000

Question 11

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 12

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 13

As N approaches K for a certain population, which of the following is predicted by the logistic equation?

Accepted Answer

A) The growth rate will not change. 
B) The growth rate will approach zero. 
C) The population will show an Allee effect. 
D) The population will increase exponentially. 
E) The carrying capacity of the environment will increase. 
A) The growth rate will not change. 
B) The growth rate will approach zero. 
C) The population will show an Allee effect. 
D) The population will increase exponentially. 
E) The carrying capacity of the environment will increase.

Question 14

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 15

Why did the 2009 U.S. population continue to grow even though the United States had essentially established a zero population growth?

Accepted Answer

A) emigration 
B) immigration 
C) better sanitation 
D) baby boomer reproduction 
E) the 2007-2009 economic recession 
A) emigration 
B) immigration 
C) better sanitation 
D) baby boomer reproduction 
E) the 2007-2009 economic recession

Question 16

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 17

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?

Accepted Answer

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. 
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 18

In 2008, the population of New Zealand was approximately 4 275 000 people. If the birth rate was 14 births for every 1000 people, approximately how many births occurred in New Zealand in 2008?

Accepted Answer

A) 6000 
B) 42 275 
C) 60 000 
D) 140 000 
E) 600 000 
A) 6000 
B) 42 275 
C) 60 000 
D) 140 000 
E) 600 000

Question 19

Which pattern of reproduction is correctly paired with a species?

Accepted Answer

A) iteroparity-Pacific salmon 
B) iteroparity-elephant 
C) semelparity-oak tree 
D) semelparity-rabbit 
E) semelparity-polar bear 
A) iteroparity-Pacific salmon 
B) iteroparity-elephant 
C) semelparity-oak tree 
D) semelparity-rabbit 
E) semelparity-polar bear

Question 20

Scientific study of the population cycles of the snowshoe hare and its predator, the lynx, has revealed that

Accepted Answer

A) the prey population is controlled by predators alone. 
B) hares and lynx are so mutually dependent that each species cannot survive without the other. 
C) hare populations would probably not cycle in the Canadian north if predators were not present. 
D) both hare and lynx populations are regulated mainly by abiotic factors. 
E) the hare population is r-selected and the lynx population is K-selected. 
A) the prey population is controlled by predators alone. 
B) hares and lynx are so mutually dependent that each species cannot survive without the other. 
C) hare populations would probably not cycle in the Canadian north if predators were not present. 
D) both hare and lynx populations are regulated mainly by abiotic factors. 
E) the hare population is r-selected and the lynx population is K-selected.

Exam 53: Population Ecology

Which pair of terms most accurately describes life history traits for a stable population of wolves?

During exponential growth, a population always

Uniform spacing patterns in plants such as the creosote bush are most often associated with

Which of the following best defines a cohort?

Natural selection involves energetic trade-offs between

A population's carrying capacity

A recent study of ecological footprints concluded that

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions. -Which of the following graphs illustrates the population growth curve of single bacterium growing in a flask of ideal medium at optimum temperature over a 24-hour period?

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?

In July 2008, the United States had a population of approximately 302 000 000 people. How many Americans were there in July 2009, if the estimated 2008 growth rate was 0.88%?

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

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

As N approaches K for a certain population, which of the following is predicted by the logistic equation?

Population ecologists follow the fate of same-age cohorts to

Why did the 2009 U.S. population continue to grow even though the United States had essentially established a zero population growth?

In 2008, the population of New Zealand was approximately 4 275 000 people. If the birth rate was 14 births for every 1000 people, approximately how many births occurred in New Zealand in 2008?

Which pattern of reproduction is correctly paired with a species?

Scientific study of the population cycles of the snowshoe hare and its predator, the lynx, has revealed that

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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