Exam 54: Populations

One population lives in an area with abundant food and allocates a large percentage of its available energy to reproduction.Another lives in an area where resources are scarce.Individuals spend more energy finding food and have fewer offspring.These populations are showing a difference in their _______ strategies.

The Pacific salmon matures in the oceans but migrates to fresh water to breed.The Pacific salmon is semelparous.Other members of the salmon family live their entire lives in fresh water, and are typically iteroparous.What might explain the difference in life history patterns of these different species of salmon?

Species fit along a continuum of r- and K-selection; not all species show purely r traits or purely K traits.For example, sparrows produce several young per year but only live a few years, while the wandering albatross first reproduces at age 10 and then produces a single egg every other year during its 40-year life span.Compared to the albatross, the sparrow is more

In the life table below, survivorship is greatest during which time interval?

A conservationist trying to manage a population of deer within a national forest looks at past life tables of the deer population.To predict future trends in the deer population, the conservationist would likely be most interested in which aspect of the life table?

A group of scientists is studying a population, or pod, of dolphins.They gather information about individual dolphins to determine population characteristics, migration patterns, and other factors.They identify each dolphin by photographing its dorsal fins, providing a photo-ID similar to a fingerprint.Scientists in this study are using which method of studying populations?

Depending on the species, a clumped distribution pattern might be adaptive for a population for all of the following except

Which organism is not correctly matched with its dispersion pattern?

The most likely way that a species' population numbers would be controlled when resources are limiting is by

Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate as far north as northern Canada in the summer but return to Central America each winter.Migration is extremely energy intensive, and ruby-throats nearly double their body weight (from 3.25 to 6 grams) before migrating.When they reach the Gulf Coast they weigh only about 2.25 grams.What adaptive advantage do these tiny birds receive by making this stressful, hazardous journey every year?

In the population growth equation, the main parameters that contribute directly to increases, decreases, or stability in population size are

Geographically distant events would likely have the most impact on populations of

The European gypsy moth was introduced into the eastern United States in the 1860s and spread rapidly.Its caterpillars feed on the leaves of oaks and other trees, and high numbers can defoliate large areas of forest.Recently, a virus specific to gypsy moths has become widespread and has killed large numbers of caterpillars.Before planning a management strategy, foresters want to understand the life history strategies of the species involved in the interaction.What should they conclude about the gypsy moth-oak tree interaction, and about the gypsy moth-virus interaction?

A cohort life table allows population ecologists to do all of the following except

At the beginning of May, 259 butterflies are found in a certain locality.During the month, 45 butterflies emigrate, 10 die, and 67 immigrate into the area.No butterflies hatch.What is the population size at the end of the month?

The black rockfish has indeterminate growth, and female fecundity is directly proportional to size and age.Larvae produced by older females have better nutrition and grow faster.How does the fact that fishermen prefer to catch larger fish affect the management of the rockfish population?

A study population shows more immigration than emigration.However, researchers studying this population have assumed that these factors are equal.If the per capita growth rate is estimated according to the equation r = b − d, the calculation of r may be

Which situation would most likely result in a temporary life history trade-off in which a rabbit population allocates more of its available energy to obtaining nutrients for survival and less to reproduction?

Which pattern of survivorship is most likely for an organism such as the sea urchin, which produces large numbers of very small offspring and provides no parental care?

A metapopulation would be most likely to develop in a situation where