Question 1

Since Malthus wrote his essay on population, the Earth's carrying capacity for humans has

Accepted Answer

A)  not varied by region. 
B)  remained the same worldwide. 
C)  not been influenced by technological advances. 
D)  decreased due to pollution and loss of habitat. 
E)  increased due to better food production and health care. 
A)  not varied by region. 
B)  remained the same worldwide. 
C)  not been influenced by technological advances. 
D)  decreased due to pollution and loss of habitat. 
E)  increased due to better food production and health care.

Question 2

For most mobile organisms, population density can best be estimated by use of the _______ method.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

Sponges, sea anemones, corals, and other marine organisms are sessile as adults but have planktonic (floating) larval stages.As the oceans warm due to climate change, many of these organisms are increasingly unable to live in the ranges they now occupy.How might their larval stages enable them to survive climate change?

Accepted Answer

A)  They may be less subject to predation. 
B)  They may be able to disperse to new locations. 
C)  They may interact more readily with other species. 
D)  They may be able to adapt to higher temperatures. 
E)  They may be less affected by the physical environment. 
A)  They may be less subject to predation. 
B)  They may be able to disperse to new locations. 
C)  They may interact more readily with other species. 
D)  They may be able to adapt to higher temperatures. 
E)  They may be less affected by the physical environment.

Question 4

Reindeer were introduced to Alaska's remote island of St.Matthew in 1944.They were meant to provide emergency food for 19 Coast Guard members, who abandoned the island when World War II ended in 1945.The reindeer remained on the island, which had an abundance of lichen, their favorite food.They had no predators.Their population started at 29, rose to 6,000, and then crashed to 42 in 1966.Which condition does not help explain the drastic change in the reindeer population?

Accepted Answer

A)  The population initially rose dramatically in a habitat without predators. 
B)  As the population increased, humans overhunted the reindeer population. 
C)  Extreme weather, combined with limited food supplies, caused massive mortality. 
D)  The reindeer overgrazed the lichen, changing the vegetation on the island. 
E)  Rising population density increased intraspecific competition in the limited habitat. 
A)  The population initially rose dramatically in a habitat without predators. 
B)  As the population increased, humans overhunted the reindeer population. 
C)  Extreme weather, combined with limited food supplies, caused massive mortality. 
D)  The reindeer overgrazed the lichen, changing the vegetation on the island. 
E)  Rising population density increased intraspecific competition in the limited habitat.

Question 5

Which species of organism is most likely to show survivorship curve A, shown here?

Accepted Answer

A)  Dolphins, which provide their offspring with long-term maternal care 
B)  Robins, which are equally vulnerable to predators throughout their lives 
C)  Frogs, which lay masses of eggs in pond sediment and do not care for them 
D)  Lizards, which lay small masses of eggs and remain prey throughout their lives 
E)  Corals, which produce millions of larvae, most of which serve as food for predators 
A)  Dolphins, which provide their offspring with long-term maternal care 
B)  Robins, which are equally vulnerable to predators throughout their lives 
C)  Frogs, which lay masses of eggs in pond sediment and do not care for them 
D)  Lizards, which lay small masses of eggs and remain prey throughout their lives 
E)  Corals, which produce millions of larvae, most of which serve as food for predators

Question 6

For several small populations to be maintained within a metapopulation without extinctions, which factor must be present among the populations?

Accepted Answer

A)  Common ancestry 
B)  Same r and K values 
C)  Geographic proximity 
D)  A healthy source population 
E)  At least three sink populations 
A)  Common ancestry 
B)  Same r and K values 
C)  Geographic proximity 
D)  A healthy source population 
E)  At least three sink populations

Question 7

A flood wipes out the population of a perennial plant in a lowland area.This is an example of a(n) _______ control on population size.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A flood wipes out the population of...

Question 8

Generally, we would expect a K-strategist, such as a whale, to be associated with all of these factors except

Accepted Answer

A)  iteroparity. 
B)  a long life span. 
C)  a predictable environment. 
D)  large numbers of offspring. 
E)  density-dependent mortality. 
A)  iteroparity. 
B)  a long life span. 
C)  a predictable environment. 
D)  large numbers of offspring. 
E)  density-dependent mortality.

Question 9

Of 100 swan eggs that hatch in a population, 65 survive the first year.Survivorship for the first year is _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of 100 swan eggs that hatch in...

Question 10

Which statement about biological control would be a valid reason for not using it as a management strategy to control a pest population?

Accepted Answer

A)  It can make use of predators as natural enemies. 
B)  It can make use of pathogens as natural enemies. 
C)  It can eliminate the need to use pesticides to control the pest. 
D)  Biological control agents sometimes become pests themselves. 
E)  Biological control agents often come from the pest's native region. 
A)  It can make use of predators as natural enemies. 
B)  It can make use of pathogens as natural enemies. 
C)  It can eliminate the need to use pesticides to control the pest. 
D)  Biological control agents sometimes become pests themselves. 
E)  Biological control agents often come from the pest's native region.

Question 11

Of the categories metapopulation, population, and geographic range, the smallest unit is the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the categories metapopulation, population, and geographic...

Question 12

Which assumption is not made in the development of the logistic growth equation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Resources in the environment are limited. 
B)  Each individual depresses population growth equally. 
C)  Each individual produces equal effects throughout its life cycle. 
D)  An individual exerts its effects on resources immediately at birth. 
E)  There is a substantial time lag between gathering resources and reproduction. 
A)  Resources in the environment are limited. 
B)  Each individual depresses population growth equally. 
C)  Each individual produces equal effects throughout its life cycle. 
D)  An individual exerts its effects on resources immediately at birth. 
E)  There is a substantial time lag between gathering resources and reproduction.

Question 13

The Rocky Mountain Parnassian butterfly lives on separate meadows in Alberta, Canada.Individuals live in a single meadow but can fly among meadows.This arrangement would best be classified as a

Accepted Answer

A)  niche. 
B)  territory. 
C)  population. 
D)  metapopulation. 
E)  geographic range. 
A)  niche. 
B)  territory. 
C)  population. 
D)  metapopulation. 
E)  geographic range.

Question 14

A herd of zebras living on the African savanna is visible from the air.What method would ecologists most likely use to determine the population size of the zebra herd?

Accepted Answer

A)  Quadrat 
B)  Transect 
C)  Full census 
D)  Mark-recapture 
E)  Counting calves 
A)  Quadrat 
B)  Transect 
C)  Full census 
D)  Mark-recapture 
E)  Counting calves

Question 15

Life insurance companies use life tables containing data on thousands of people to calculate their rates for life insurance at different ages.What information would be most useful in determining these rates?

Accepted Answer

A)  Survivorship, allowing prediction of risk of death at each age 
B)  Total fecundity, allowing prediction of the population's future size 
C)  Birth and death rates, showing that these do not vary within a population 
D)  The population growth rate, showing when population growth will level off 
E)  Fecundity within each age class, allowing prediction of offspring per person 
A)  Survivorship, allowing prediction of risk of death at each age 
B)  Total fecundity, allowing prediction of the population's future size 
C)  Birth and death rates, showing that these do not vary within a population 
D)  The population growth rate, showing when population growth will level off 
E)  Fecundity within each age class, allowing prediction of offspring per person

Question 16

The logistic growth equation describes a population that

Accepted Answer

A)  is declining in size. 
B)  grows without limits. 
C)  grows rapidly at first but crashes when resources become limiting. 
D)  rapidly overshoots the carrying capacity and then fluctuates around this number. 
E)  grows rapidly at first, but slows and eventually stops growing as it reaches the carrying capacity. 
A)  is declining in size. 
B)  grows without limits. 
C)  grows rapidly at first but crashes when resources become limiting. 
D)  rapidly overshoots the carrying capacity and then fluctuates around this number. 
E)  grows rapidly at first, but slows and eventually stops growing as it reaches the carrying capacity.

Question 17

An ecologist wishes to study the distribution of a plant species along a gradient of elevation up a mountainside.At various places around the base of the mountain, she attaches ropes, which she extends in a straight line up the mountainside.She then counts the number of plants present along each foot of the rope lines.This method of measuring the plant's population size is known as a(n) _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An ecologist wishes to study the distribution...

Question 18

A city has been trying to control its rat population by poisoning them.This kills up to 50 percent of the population, but the remaining rats then reproduce more rapidly, rebuilding the population.Given this response, a more effective method of rat control might be to

Accepted Answer

A)  set rat traps around garbage bins. 
B)  poison a larger percentage of the rats. 
C)  increase the city's population of feral cats. 
D)  let the rat population reach its carrying capacity. 
E)  drastically reduce the amount of garbage available for food. 
A)  set rat traps around garbage bins. 
B)  poison a larger percentage of the rats. 
C)  increase the city's population of feral cats. 
D)  let the rat population reach its carrying capacity. 
E)  drastically reduce the amount of garbage available for food.

Question 19

Which situation is an example of density-independent population regulation?

Accepted Answer

A)  An early cold spell kills 80 percent of the sparrows in a particular area. 
B)  When lemmings are abundant, arctic foxes switch their primary diet from mice to lemmings. 
C)  Lemming predators search widely for places where lemmings are abundant and concentrate their hunting in those areas. 
D)  A contagious disease sweeps through a dense population of squirrels but leaves a less-dense population relatively untouched. 
E)  An outbreak of an insect species depletes their food supply; the next generation of insects is underfed and produces few offspring. 
A)  An early cold spell kills 80 percent of the sparrows in a particular area. 
B)  When lemmings are abundant, arctic foxes switch their primary diet from mice to lemmings. 
C)  Lemming predators search widely for places where lemmings are abundant and concentrate their hunting in those areas. 
D)  A contagious disease sweeps through a dense population of squirrels but leaves a less-dense population relatively untouched. 
E)  An outbreak of an insect species depletes their food supply; the next generation of insects is underfed and produces few offspring.

Question 20

What piece of information can scientists obtain by using the per capita growth rate, r, that they do not obtain by using the population growth rate, ∆N?

Accepted Answer

A)  The total size of the population 
B)  The carrying capacity of the population 
C)  The change in total population size over time 
D)  The number of individuals entering or leaving the population 
E)  The number of individuals born or dying per individual in the population 
A)  The total size of the population 
B)  The carrying capacity of the population 
C)  The change in total population size over time 
D)  The number of individuals entering or leaving the population 
E)  The number of individuals born or dying per individual in the population

Exam 54: Populations

Since Malthus wrote his essay on population, the Earth's carrying capacity for humans has

For most mobile organisms, population density can best be estimated by use of the _______ method.

Which species of organism is most likely to show survivorship curve A, shown here?

For several small populations to be maintained within a metapopulation without extinctions, which factor must be present among the populations?

A flood wipes out the population of a perennial plant in a lowland area.This is an example of a(n) _______ control on population size.

Generally, we would expect a K-strategist, such as a whale, to be associated with all of these factors except

Of 100 swan eggs that hatch in a population, 65 survive the first year.Survivorship for the first year is _______.

Which statement about biological control would be a valid reason for not using it as a management strategy to control a pest population?

Of the categories metapopulation, population, and geographic range, the smallest unit is the _______.

Which assumption is not made in the development of the logistic growth equation?

The Rocky Mountain Parnassian butterfly lives on separate meadows in Alberta, Canada.Individuals live in a single meadow but can fly among meadows.This arrangement would best be classified as a

A herd of zebras living on the African savanna is visible from the air.What method would ecologists most likely use to determine the population size of the zebra herd?

Life insurance companies use life tables containing data on thousands of people to calculate their rates for life insurance at different ages.What information would be most useful in determining these rates?

The logistic growth equation describes a population that

A city has been trying to control its rat population by poisoning them.This kills up to 50 percent of the population, but the remaining rats then reproduce more rapidly, rebuilding the population.Given this response, a more effective method of rat control might be to

Which situation is an example of density-independent population regulation?

What piece of information can scientists obtain by using the per capita growth rate, r, that they do not obtain by using the population growth rate, ∆N?

Studying Life

Small Molecules and the Chemistry of Life

Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Lipids

Nucleic Acids and the Origin of Life

Cells: the Working Units of Life

Cell Membranes

Cell Communication and Multicellularity

Energy, Enzymes, and Metabolism

Pathways That Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Energy From Sunlight

The Cell Cycle and Cell Division

Inheritance, Genes, and Chromosomes

Dna and Its Role in Heredity

From Dna to Protein: Gene Expression

Gene Mutation and Molecular Medicine

Regulation of Gene Expression

Genomes

Recombinant Dna and Biotechnology

Mechanisms of Evolution

Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies

Speciation

Evolution of Genes and Genomes

The History of Life on Earth

Bacteria, Archaea, and Viruses

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

Plants Without Seeds: From Water to Land

The Evolution of Seed Plants

The Evolution and Diversity of Fungi

Animal Origins and the Evolution of Body Plans

Protostome Animals

Deuterostome Animals

The Plant Body

Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition

Regulation of Plant Growth

Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Plant Responses to Environmental Challenges

Physiology, Homeostasis, and Temperature Regulation

Animal Hormones

Immunology: Animal Defense Systems

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Glia, and Nervous Systems

Sensory Systems

The Mammalian Nervous System: Structure and Higher Functions

Musculoskeletal Systems

Gas Exchange

Circulatory Systems

Nutrition, Digestion, and Absorption

Salt and Water Balance and Nitrogen Excretion

Animal Behavior

The Physical Environment and Biogeography of Life

Species Interactions

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A Changing Biosphere

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