Question 1

With respect to the sun,Earth normally rotates once in a 24-hour period.What would be the effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if the rotation increased to 48-hours?

Accepted Answer

A)  Seasons would be longer and more distinct;for example,colder winters and hotter summers.
B)  Smaller ranges between nighttime low and daytime high temperatures would be common.
C)  Large-scale weather events such as hurricanes would no longer be a part of regional climates.
D)  In the Northern and Southern hemispheres,winter precipitation would increase in frequency.
E)  Larger ranges between daytime high and nighttime low temperatures would occur frequently. E

Question 2

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 that can produce offspring
D)  a group of 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 D

Question 3

What is a metapopulation?

Accepted Answer

A)  all of the populations of different species within a community
B)  family units and their patches within a single population
C)  populations that are linked by immigration and emigration
D)  the exponential growth in a population's numbers over time C

Question 4

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)  favorable climatic conditions

Question 5

According to the logistic growth equation
[&*frac*{dN}{dt}|=|rN|thn|*frac*{(K|-|N)}{K}&]

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 increases as N approaches K.
C)  population growth is zero when N equals K.
D)  the population grows exponentially when K is small.

Question 6

Why do some invertebrates,such as lobsters,show a "stair-step" survivorship curve?

Accepted Answer

A)  Many invertebrate species mate and produce offspring on multiyear cycles.
B)  Younger individual species have a higher survivorship than older individuals.
C)  Invertebrates are vulnerable to predation during molting when their shell is soft.
D)  Some species have fluctuating population cycles according to the frequency of sunspots.
E)  The number of fertilized eggs that mature to adult females depends on ambient temperature.

Question 7

Which of the following sets of measurements would best describe a population's physical structure and vital statistics?

Accepted Answer

A)  density,dispersion,and demographics
B)  gene frequency over time a year
C)  annual precipitation averages
D)  annual temperature extremes
E)  ratio of predators to prey in an area

Question 8

Please use the following information to answer the question(s)below.
In areas of permafrost,stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape,whereas other tree species are noticeably absent.Often these stands are referred to as "drunken forests" because many of the black spruce are displaced from their normal vertical alignment.
-What might be the adaptive significance of these unusual forests growing the way they do in this marginal habitat?

Accepted Answer

A)  Needles are adapted to withstand cold Arctic temperatures.
B)  Branches are adapted to absorb more CO2 with this displaced alignment.
C)  Taproot formation is impossible,so trees developed shallow root beds and easily tilt.
D)  Trees are tilted so that snow won't break them or tip them over.
E)  Trees tip so that they do not compete with each other for sunlight.

Question 9

Consider two forests: one is an undisturbed old-growth forest,and the other has recently been logged.In which forest are species likely to experience exponential growth,and why?

Accepted Answer

A)  old growth,because the stable conditions would favor 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)  equally probable in old-growth and logged forests,because disturbed and stable habitats have equal opportunity for tree seedlings to survive

Question 10

A population is correctly defined as having which of the following characteristics?
I.inhabits the same general area
II.belongs to the same species
III.possesses a constant and uniform density and dispersion

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Which of the following is an intrinsic physiological factor that can regulate population size?

Accepted Answer

A)  transmission rate of a disease in a dense area
B)  competition for nutrients within territories
C)  flooding of a flood plain by an adjacent river
D)  hormonal changes in response to aggression

Question 12

In mountainous areas of western North America,which type of plant life would you expect to find on a southern-slope of a mountain?

Accepted Answer

A)  drought-tolerant plants
B)  coniferous pine trees
C)  broadleaf woody trees
D)  cone-bearing trees

Question 13

Please use the following information to answer the question(s)below.
The eight climographs in Figure 40.1 show yearly temperature (line graph and left vertical axis)and precipitation (bar graph and right vertical axis)averages for each month for some locations on Earth.Choose the climograph that best answers the question.
  Figure 40.1
-Which climograph shows the climate for location 5?

Accepted Answer

A)  I
B)  III
C)  IV
D)  V
E)  VIII

Question 14

Figure 40.2 shows a generalized cross section of the marine environment with various zones labeled with letters.Choose the number that best answers the question(s).
  Figure 40.2
-Which zone has the lowest biomass per unit of volume?

Accepted Answer

A)  1
B)  2
C)  3
D)  4
E)  5

Question 15

To construct a life table for a sexual species,you need to

Accepted Answer

A)  assess sperm viability for the males in the population.
B)  keep track of all the offspring of a cohort.
C)  keep track of the female individuals in a cohort.
D)  keep track of all the offspring of females in a cohort.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

A)  yeast converting ethanol to carbohydrates
B)  intraspecific competition for nutrients
C)  lack of chemical territorial boundaries
D)  extrinsic factors regulating reproduction

Question 17

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 factor accounts for the effect of the moose population?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

Which of the following methods would most accurately measure the density of the population being studied?

Accepted Answer

A)  counting the number of prairie dog burrows per square mile
B)  counting the number of coyote droppings per square meter
C)  counting the number of moss plants in one square kilometer
D)  counting the number of zebras from airplane observations

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.

Question 20

Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are dependent on the intensity of solar radiation near the equator.Which of the following correctly states an event that contributes to the creation of these global patterns?

Accepted Answer

A)  rising,warm,moist air masses at 30 degrees north and south
B)  rising air masses that expand and cool in the tropical regions
C)  rising cool,moist air masses at 90 degrees north and south
D)  rising air masses that expand and warm in temperate regions

Exam 40: Population Ecology and the Distribution of Organisms

With respect to the sun,Earth normally rotates once in a 24-hour period.What would be the effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if the rotation increased to 48-hours?

Which of the following best defines a cohort?

What is a metapopulation?

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

According to the logistic growth equation [&frac{dN}{dt}|=|rN|thn|frac{(K|-|N) }{K}&]

Why do some invertebrates,such as lobsters,show a "stair-step" survivorship curve?

Which of the following sets of measurements would best describe a population's physical structure and vital statistics?

Consider two forests: one is an undisturbed old-growth forest,and the other has recently been logged.In which forest are species likely to experience exponential growth,and why?

A population is correctly defined as having which of the following characteristics? I.inhabits the same general area II.belongs to the same species III.possesses a constant and uniform density and dispersion

Which of the following is an intrinsic physiological factor that can regulate population size?

In mountainous areas of western North America,which type of plant life would you expect to find on a southern-slope of a mountain?

Figure 40.2 shows a generalized cross section of the marine environment with various zones labeled with letters.Choose the number that best answers the question(s) . Figure 40.2 -Which zone has the lowest biomass per unit of volume?

To construct a life table for a sexual species,you need to

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

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 factor accounts for the effect of the moose population?

Which of the following methods would most accurately measure the density of the population being studied?

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

Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are dependent on the intensity of solar radiation near the equator.Which of the following correctly states an event that contributes to the creation of these global patterns?

Exam 40: Population Ecology and the Distribution of Organisms

With respect to the sun,Earth normally rotates once in a 24-hour period.What would be the effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if the rotation increased to 48-hours?

Which of the following best defines a cohort?

What is a metapopulation?

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

According to the logistic growth equation [&*frac*{dN}{dt}|=|rN|thn|*frac*{(K|-|N) }{K}&]

Why do some invertebrates,such as lobsters,show a "stair-step" survivorship curve?

Which of the following sets of measurements would best describe a population's physical structure and vital statistics?

Consider two forests: one is an undisturbed old-growth forest,and the other has recently been logged.In which forest are species likely to experience exponential growth,and why?

A population is correctly defined as having which of the following characteristics? I.inhabits the same general area II.belongs to the same species III.possesses a constant and uniform density and dispersion

Which of the following is an intrinsic physiological factor that can regulate population size?

In mountainous areas of western North America,which type of plant life would you expect to find on a southern-slope of a mountain?

Figure 40.2 shows a generalized cross section of the marine environment with various zones labeled with letters.Choose the number that best answers the question(s) . Figure 40.2 -Which zone has the lowest biomass per unit of volume?

To construct a life table for a sexual species,you need to

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

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 factor accounts for the effect of the moose population?

Which of the following methods would most accurately measure the density of the population being studied?

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

Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are dependent on the intensity of solar radiation near the equator.Which of the following correctly states an event that contributes to the creation of these global patterns?

According to the logistic growth equation [&frac{dN}{dt}|=|rN|thn|frac{(K|-|N) }{K}&]