Question 1

Which of the following life history traits is incorrectly matched?

Accepted Answer

A) r selection-density dependent selection 
B) semelparity-a one-shot, large reproductive effort 
C) iteroparity-relatively few but large offspring are produced at each reproduction 
D) semelparity-recorded in Pacific salmon 
E) life history traits-are trade-offs between conflicting demands 
A) r selection-density dependent selection 
B) semelparity-a one-shot, large reproductive effort 
C) iteroparity-relatively few but large offspring are produced at each reproduction 
D) semelparity-recorded in Pacific salmon 
E) life history traits-are trade-offs between conflicting demands

Question 2

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions.
  
-Which statement best explains survivorship curve B?

Accepted Answer

A) It is likely a species that provides little postnatal care, but lots of care for offspring during midlife as indicated by increased survivorship. 
B) This curve is likely of a species that produces lots of offspring, only a few of which are expected to survive. 
C) It is likely a species where no individuals in the cohort die when they are at 60-70% relative age. 
D) There was a mass emigration of young to middle-aged individuals in this cohort. 
E) Survivorship can only decrease; therefore, this curve could not happen in nature. 
A) It is likely a species that provides little postnatal care, but lots of care for offspring during midlife as indicated by increased survivorship. 
B) This curve is likely of a species that produces lots of offspring, only a few of which are expected to survive. 
C) It is likely a species where no individuals in the cohort die when they are at 60-70% relative age. 
D) There was a mass emigration of young to middle-aged individuals in this cohort. 
E) Survivorship can only decrease; therefore, this curve could not happen in nature.

Question 3

Often the growth cycle of one population has an effect on the cycle of another. As moose populations increase, for example, wolf populations also increase. Thus, if we are considering the logistic equation for the wolf population, dN/dt = rN   ,
Which of the factors accounts for the effect on the moose population?

Accepted Answer

A) r 
B) N 
C) rN 
D) K 
E) dt 
A) r 
B) N 
C) rN 
D) K 
E) dt

Question 4

Population ecologists are primarily interested in

Accepted Answer

A) studying interactions among populations of organisms that inhabit the same area. 
B) understanding how biotic and abiotic factors influence the density, distribution, size, and age structure of populations. 
C) how humans affect the size of wild populations of organisms. 
D) how populations evolve as natural selection acts on heritable variations among individuals and changes in gene frequency. 
E) the overall vitality of a population of organisms. 
A) studying interactions among populations of organisms that inhabit the same area. 
B) understanding how biotic and abiotic factors influence the density, distribution, size, and age structure of populations. 
C) how humans affect the size of wild populations of organisms. 
D) how populations evolve as natural selection acts on heritable variations among individuals and changes in gene frequency. 
E) the overall vitality of a population of organisms.

Question 5

Which of the following is most likely to contribute to density-dependent regulation of populations?

Accepted Answer

A) the removal of toxic waste by decomposers 
B) intraspecific competition for nutrients 
C) earthquakes 
D) floods 
E) fires 
A) the removal of toxic waste by decomposers 
B) intraspecific competition for nutrients 
C) earthquakes 
D) floods 
E) fires

Question 6

Which of the following is the most important assumption for the capture-recapture method to estimate the size of wildlife populations?

Accepted Answer

A) All females in the population have the same litter size. 
B) More individuals emigrate from, as opposed to immigrate into, a population. 
C) Over 50% of the marked individuals need to be trapped during the recapture phase. 
D) There is a 50:50 ratio of males to females in the population before and after trapping and recapture. 
E) Marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked individuals during the recapture phase. 
A) All females in the population have the same litter size. 
B) More individuals emigrate from, as opposed to immigrate into, a population. 
C) Over 50% of the marked individuals need to be trapped during the recapture phase. 
D) There is a 50:50 ratio of males to females in the population before and after trapping and recapture. 
E) Marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked individuals during the recapture phase.

Question 7

The Allee effect is used to describe a population that

Accepted Answer

A) has become so small that it will have difficulty surviving and reproducing. 
B) has become so large that it will have difficulty surviving and reproducing. 
C) is viable and stable at its carrying capacity. 
D) has exceeded its carrying capacity. 
E) is in crash decline. 
A) has become so small that it will have difficulty surviving and reproducing. 
B) has become so large that it will have difficulty surviving and reproducing. 
C) is viable and stable at its carrying capacity. 
D) has exceeded its carrying capacity. 
E) is in crash decline.

Question 8

Refer to the figure below to answer the following questions.
   
Infant mortality and life expectancy at birth in developed and developing countries (data as of 2005).
-To measure the population of lake trout in a 250-hectare lake, 400 individual trout were netted and marked with a fin clip, then returned to the lake. The next week, the lake was netted again, and out of the 200 lake trout that were caught, 50 had fin clips. Using the capture-recapture estimate, the lake trout population size could be closest to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) 160 
B) 200 
C) 400 
D) 1600 
E) 80 000 
A) 160 
B) 200 
C) 400 
D) 1600 
E) 80 000

Question 9

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 10

Exponential growth of a population is represented by dN/dt =

Accepted Answer

A)    
B) rN 
C) rN (K + N) 
D) rN   
E) rN   
A)    
B) rN 
C) rN (K + N) 
D) rN   
E) rN

Question 11

Long-term studies of Belding's ground squirrels show that immigrants move nearly 2 km from where they are born and become 1%-8% of the males and 0.7%-6% of the females in other populations. On an evolutionary scale, why is this significant?

Accepted Answer

A) These immigrants make up for the deaths of individuals, keeping the other populations' size stable. 
B) Young reproductive males tend to stay in their home population and are not driven out by other territorial males. 
C) These immigrants provide a source of genetic diversity for the other populations. 
D) Those individuals that emigrate to these new populations are looking for less crowded conditions with more resources. 
E) Gradually, the populations of ground squirrels will move from a clumped to a uniform population pattern of dispersion. 
A) These immigrants make up for the deaths of individuals, keeping the other populations' size stable. 
B) Young reproductive males tend to stay in their home population and are not driven out by other territorial males. 
C) These immigrants provide a source of genetic diversity for the other populations. 
D) Those individuals that emigrate to these new populations are looking for less crowded conditions with more resources. 
E) Gradually, the populations of ground squirrels will move from a clumped to a uniform population pattern of dispersion.

Question 12

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 13

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 14

Pacific salmon and annual plants are excellent examples of

Accepted Answer

A) cohort disintegration. 
B) dispersion. 
C) Allee effect. 
D) iteroparous reproduction. 
E) semelparous reproduction. 
A) cohort disintegration. 
B) dispersion. 
C) Allee effect. 
D) iteroparous reproduction. 
E) semelparous reproduction.

Question 15

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 16

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 17

Which of the following is most key to understanding the demographic transition in human population growth?

Accepted Answer

A) education of global famine 
B) improved worldwide health care 
C) voluntary reduction of family size 
D) improved sanitary conditions in the world's hospitals 
E) reduction of casualties of war 
A) education of global famine 
B) improved worldwide health care 
C) voluntary reduction of family size 
D) improved sanitary conditions in the world's hospitals 
E) reduction of casualties of war

Question 18

Which of the following statements does not apply to the logistic growth model?

Accepted Answer

A) (K-N)/K is the fraction of K that is available for population growth. 
B) When the population is large, then (K-N)/K approaches 0. 
C) When N = K, the per capita rate of increase is small. 
D) The logistic model of population growth produces a sigmoid growth curve. 
E) The model assumes that populations approach K smoothly. 
A) (K-N)/K is the fraction of K that is available for population growth. 
B) When the population is large, then (K-N)/K approaches 0. 
C) When N = K, the per capita rate of increase is small. 
D) The logistic model of population growth produces a sigmoid growth curve. 
E) The model assumes that populations approach K smoothly.

Question 19

Why do populations grow more slowly as they approach their carrying capacity?

Accepted Answer

A) Density-dependent factors lead to fewer births and increased mortality. 
B) Density-independent factors lead to fewer births and increased mortality. 
C) Hormonal changes promote higher death rates in crowded populations. 
D) Individuals voluntarily stop mating so that overcrowding does not occur. 
E) The incoming energy decreases in populations experiencing a high rate of increase. 
A) Density-dependent factors lead to fewer births and increased mortality. 
B) Density-independent factors lead to fewer births and increased mortality. 
C) Hormonal changes promote higher death rates in crowded populations. 
D) Individuals voluntarily stop mating so that overcrowding does not occur. 
E) The incoming energy decreases in populations experiencing a high rate of increase.

Question 20

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.

Exam 53: Population Ecology

Which of the following life history traits is incorrectly matched?

Use the survivorship curves shown below to answer the following questions. -Which statement best explains survivorship curve B?

Population ecologists are primarily interested in

Which of the following is most likely to contribute to density-dependent regulation of populations?

Which of the following is the most important assumption for the capture-recapture method to estimate the size of wildlife populations?

The Allee effect is used to describe a population that

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

Exponential growth of a population is represented by dN/dt =

Long-term studies of Belding's ground squirrels show that immigrants move nearly 2 km from where they are born and become 1%-8% of the males and 0.7%-6% of the females in other populations. On an evolutionary scale, why is this significant?

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

Pacific salmon and annual plants are excellent examples of

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?

Which of the following is most key to understanding the demographic transition in human population growth?

Which of the following statements does not apply to the logistic growth model?

Why do populations grow more slowly as they approach their carrying capacity?

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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