Question 1

Which of the following choices would most likely promote random distribution?

Accepted Answer

A)  territorial species 
B)  species that secrete chemicals to attract or inhibit other individuals 
C)  flocking and schooling behaviors 
D)  spacing during the breeding season 
E)  homogeneous chemical and physical factors in the environment 
A)  territorial species 
B)  species that secrete chemicals to attract or inhibit other individuals 
C)  flocking and schooling behaviors 
D)  spacing during the breeding season 
E)  homogeneous chemical and physical factors in the environment

Question 2

In models of logistic population growth, ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the population growth rate slows dramatically as N approaches K 
B)  new individuals are added to the population most rapidly at the beginning of the population's growth 
C)  new individuals are added to the population as N approaches K 
D)  only density-dependent factors affect the rate of population growth 
E)  carrying capacity is never reached 
A)  the population growth rate slows dramatically as N approaches K 
B)  new individuals are added to the population most rapidly at the beginning of the population's growth 
C)  new individuals are added to the population as N approaches K 
D)  only density-dependent factors affect the rate of population growth 
E)  carrying capacity is never reached

Question 3

Looking at the data in the accompanying figure from the hare/lynx experiment, what conclusion can you draw?
I. Food is a factor in controlling hare population size.
II. Excluding lynx is a factor in controlling hare population size.
III. The effect of excluding predators and adding food in the same experiment is greater than the sum of excluding lynx alone plus adding food alone.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

Based on the accompanying figure, which of the following statements correctly interprets the data?

Accepted Answer

A)  As female density increases, clutch size increases. 
B)  As female density increases, survivorship decreases. 
C)  Clutch size decreases as female density increases. 
A)  As female density increases, clutch size increases. 
B)  As female density increases, survivorship decreases. 
C)  Clutch size decreases as female density increases.

Question 5

Suppose researchers marked 800 turtles and later were able to trap a total of 300 individuals in that population, of which 150 were marked. What is the estimate for total population size?

Accepted Answer

A)  200 
B)  1050 
C)  1600 
D)  2100 
A)  200 
B)  1050 
C)  1600 
D)  2100

Question 6

When the birth rate is equal to each woman producing exactly enough offspring to replace herself and her offspring's father, and the birth rate is sustained for a generation, then ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  r = 0 and there is zero population growth 
B)  0  1 
E)  population size is at carrying capacity 
A)  r = 0 and there is zero population growth 
B)  0  1 
E)  population size is at carrying capacity

Question 7

-Using the life table, how would you describe the population dynamics of L. vivipara?

Accepted Answer

A)  The population is increasing. 
B)  The population is decreasing. 
C)  The population is stable. 
D)  The figure does not provide this information. 
A)  The population is increasing. 
B)  The population is decreasing. 
C)  The population is stable. 
D)  The figure does not provide this information.

Question 8

According to the logistic growth equation,   = rmaxN  
,

Accepted Answer

A)  the number of individuals added per unit time is greatest when N is close to zero. 
B)  the per capita growth rate (r) increases as N approaches K. 
C)  population growth is zero when N equals K. 
D)  the population grows exponentially when K is small. 
E)  the birth rate (b) approaches zero as N approaches K. 
A)  the number of individuals added per unit time is greatest when N is close to zero. 
B)  the per capita growth rate (r) increases as N approaches K. 
C)  population growth is zero when N equals K. 
D)  the population grows exponentially when K is small. 
E)  the birth rate (b) approaches zero as N approaches K.

Question 9

Which of the following could be a density-independent factor limiting human population growth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ebola infections 
B)  earthquakes 
C)  epidemic of measles 
D)  famines 
A)  Ebola infections 
B)  earthquakes 
C)  epidemic of measles 
D)  famines

Question 10

An ecologist recorded 12 white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, per square kilometer in one woodlot and 20 per square kilometer 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 11

What conclusion can you draw from the accompanying figure?

Accepted Answer

A)  Hares control lynx population size. 
B)  Lynx control hare population size. 
C)  Lynx and hare populations are independent of each other. 
D)  The relationship between the populations cannot be determined only from this graph. 
A)  Hares control lynx population size. 
B)  Lynx control hare population size. 
C)  Lynx and hare populations are independent of each other. 
D)  The relationship between the populations cannot be determined only from this graph.

Question 12

Carrying capacity is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  seldom reached by marine producers and consumers because of the vast resources of the ocean 
B)  the maximum population size that a particular environment can support 
C)  fixed for most species over most of their range most of the time 
D)  determined by density and dispersion data 
E)  the term used to describe the stress a population undergoes due to limited resources 
A)  seldom reached by marine producers and consumers because of the vast resources of the ocean 
B)  the maximum population size that a particular environment can support 
C)  fixed for most species over most of their range most of the time 
D)  determined by density and dispersion data 
E)  the term used to describe the stress a population undergoes due to limited resources

Question 13

If 60 snow geese were alive in 1926 and 856 existed in 2001, what is r?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.070 
B)  0.035 
C)  0.094 
A)  0.070 
B)  0.035 
C)  0.094

Question 14

Which of the following scenarios would provide the most relevant data on population density?

Accepted Answer

A)  Count the number of nests of a particular species of songbird and multiply this by a factor that extrapolates these data to actual animals. 
B)  Count the number of pine trees in several randomly selected 10-meter-square plots and extrapolate this number to the fraction of the study area these plots represent. 
C)  Use the mark-recapture method to estimate the size of the population. 
D)  Calculate the difference between all of the immigrants and emigrants to see if the population is growing or shrinking. 
E)  Add the number of births and subtract the individuals that die to see if the population's density is increasing or decreasing. 
A)  Count the number of nests of a particular species of songbird and multiply this by a factor that extrapolates these data to actual animals. 
B)  Count the number of pine trees in several randomly selected 10-meter-square plots and extrapolate this number to the fraction of the study area these plots represent. 
C)  Use the mark-recapture method to estimate the size of the population. 
D)  Calculate the difference between all of the immigrants and emigrants to see if the population is growing or shrinking. 
E)  Add the number of births and subtract the individuals that die to see if the population's density is increasing or decreasing.

Question 15

-In the accompanying figure, which of the following survivorship curves implies that an animal may lay many eggs with the same probability of dying each year of life?

Accepted Answer

A)  curve A 
B)  curve B 
C)  curve C 
A)  curve A 
B)  curve B 
C)  curve C

Question 16

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, ΔN/Δt = rN   , which of the factors accounts for the effect of 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 17

-Assuming that these populations are density dependent, what would be the likely outcome if the system depicted in the previous figure were allowed to continue?

Accepted Answer

A)  Population growth would continue to be discontinuous. 
B)  Individual growth would continue to be indeterminate. 
C)  Population growth would likely decrease. 
D)  Populations would go extinct. 
A)  Population growth would continue to be discontinuous. 
B)  Individual growth would continue to be indeterminate. 
C)  Population growth would likely decrease. 
D)  Populations would go extinct.

Question 18

The figure shown here represents the dynamics of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  metapopulations 
B)  extinction 
C)  emigration 
D)  both metapopulations and extinction 
E)  both extinction and emigration 
A)  metapopulations 
B)  extinction 
C)  emigration 
D)  both metapopulations and extinction 
E)  both extinction and emigration

Question 19

-In the accompanying figure, which of the lines represents the highest per capita rate increase (r)?

Accepted Answer

A)  line A 
B)  line B 
C)  line C 
D)  line D 
A)  line A 
B)  line B 
C)  line C 
D)  line D

Question 20

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.

Exam 51: Population Ecology

Which of the following choices would most likely promote random distribution?

In models of logistic population growth, ________.

Based on the accompanying figure, which of the following statements correctly interprets the data?

Suppose researchers marked 800 turtles and later were able to trap a total of 300 individuals in that population, of which 150 were marked. What is the estimate for total population size?

When the birth rate is equal to each woman producing exactly enough offspring to replace herself and her offspring's father, and the birth rate is sustained for a generation, then ________.

-Using the life table, how would you describe the population dynamics of L. vivipara?

According to the logistic growth equation, = rmaxN ,

Which of the following could be a density-independent factor limiting human population growth?

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

What conclusion can you draw from the accompanying figure?

Carrying capacity is ________.

If 60 snow geese were alive in 1926 and 856 existed in 2001, what is r?

Which of the following scenarios would provide the most relevant data on population density?

-In the accompanying figure, which of the following survivorship curves implies that an animal may lay many eggs with the same probability of dying each year of life?

-Assuming that these populations are density dependent, what would be the likely outcome if the system depicted in the previous figure were allowed to continue?

The figure shown here represents the dynamics of ________.

-In the accompanying figure, which of the lines represents the highest per capita rate increase (r)?

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

Biology and the Tree of Life

Water and Carbon: the Chemical Basis of Life

Protein Structure and Function

Nucleic Acids and the Rna World

An Introduction to Carbohydrates

Ecosystems and Global Ecology

Lipids, Membranes, and the First Cells

Inside the Cell

Energy and Enzymes: an Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cellcell Interactions

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis

Mendel and the Gene

Dna and the Gene: Synthesis and Repair

How Genes Work

Transcription, Rna Processing, and Translation

Control of Gene Expression in Bacteria

Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes

The Molecular Revolution: Biotechnology and Beyond

Genes, Development, and Evolution

Evolution by Natural Selection

Evolutionary Processes

Speciation

Phylogenies and the History of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Green Algae and Land Plants

Fungi

An Introduction to Animals

Protostome Animals

Deuterostome Animals

Viruses

Plant Form and Function

Water and Sugar Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition

Plant Sensory Systems, Signals, and Responses

Plant Reproduction and Development

Animal Form and Function

Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals

Animal Nutrition

Gas Exchange and Circulation

Animal Nervous Systems

Animal Sensory Systems

Animal Movement

Chemical Signals in Animals

Animal Reproduction and Development

The Immune System in Animals

An Introduction to Ecology

Behavioral Ecology

Community Ecology

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

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