Question 1

The equation ΔN = (B - D) can be used to represent the growth rate of a population.This equation is valid in which situations?

Accepted Answer

A)  All situations 
B)  All situations in nature 
C)  All situations in a laboratory 
D)  Open situations where free immigration and emigration are occurring 
E)  Closed situations where no immigration or emigration are occurring

Question 2

African elephants take many years to reach sexual maturity.A female usually gives birth to one calf at a time and cares for the calf for several years.The best description for an African elephant population is

Accepted Answer

A)  iteroparous and r-strategist. 
B)  iteroparous and K-strategist. 
C)  semelparous and r-strategist. 
D)  semelparous and K-strategist. 
E)  exponential and K-strategist.

Question 3

Given that the amount of space on Earth has not changed since Malthus's time, what space-related factor has most enabled the great increase in the carrying capacity for humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  Domestication of food plants and animals 
B)  Medical advances that decreased disease 
C)  Much greater crop yields on a given piece of land 
D)  Technological advances that allowed industrialization 
E)  People building transport systems and congregating into cities

Question 4

A graph of a population's logistic growth over time resembles which of the following shapes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Linear 
B)  J-shaped 
C)  U-shaped 
D)  S-shaped 
E)  N-shaped

Question 5

Refer to the graph below.  The size of a deer population in an enclosed, protected area was measured over several years and found to be following the red (left) growth curve shown.After several years of drought, its population size more closely followed the blue (right) curve.What factor probably caused the change in the deer's population growth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Emigration 
B)  Immigration 
C)  Genetic alterations 
D)  Food or water limitations 
E)  A flood or hurricane

Question 6

Prey animals like bacteria, yeast, and phytoplankton often undergo "boom and bust" cycles: a population explosion followed by a population crash.Predators might be important to these cycles because they

Accepted Answer

A)  increase the competition of prey. 
B)  prevent asexual reproduction by prey. 
C)  help dampen and stabilize prey populations. 
D)  exploit the food source without affecting the prey. 
E)  cause a crash, disallowing prey numbers to level off slowly.

Question 7

A population can grow at its maximum rate, that is, exponentially, under what circumstances?

Accepted Answer

A)  When competition is the only limiting factor 
B)  When predation is the only limiting factor 
C)  When food is the only limiting factor 
D)  When habitat is the only limiting factor 
E)  When no limiting factors are present

Question 8

A forest manager takes a census of white-tailed deer in a forest during a single week in the spring.He counts all deer seen and divides them into estimated age classes.The life table he builds from these data will be a(n) _______ life table.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A forest manager takes a census of...

Question 9

An r-strategist species typically does not

Accepted Answer

A)  provide parental care. 
B)  have semelparous reproduction. 
C)  have a high per capita birth rate. 
D)  produce large numbers of offspring. 
E)  tolerate a wide range of resource conditions.

Question 10

Refer to the graph below, which shows the change in human life expectancy since 1840.(Values after 2000, indicated by a dashed line, are extrapolated.)  Which statement best expresses the reasons behind this continuing increase in life expectancy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Humans have evolved very rapidly, leading to genetic change that is increasing the life span. 
B)  As in all such changes, genetics and environment are equally responsible for the changes in life span. 
C)  Health care and nutrition have improved greatly, leading to increased life spans within the range of current human genetics. 
D)  Life expectancy is much higher in some countries than in others, causing a wide variation in life expectancy through the century. 
E)  Environmental factors have acted as the catalyst for increased life spans, but some genetic change is necessary to cause the resulting change.

Question 11

The peregrine falcon is widely distributed over all continents except Antarctica, due to its ability to survive a wide range of climatic conditions.This statement describes the peregrine falcon's

Accepted Answer

A)  habitat. 
B)  home range. 
C)  population. 
D)  metapopulation. 
E)  geographic range.

Question 12

Which change in the demographics of the United States is least likely to have an effect on the national rate of population growth?

Accepted Answer

A)  The increasing average age of first-time mothers 
B)  The tendency of individual women to have fewer children 
C)  The increasing incidence of multiple births (twins and triplets) 
D)  The increased likelihood of women having children with different fathers 
E)  The tendency of infertile women to use in vitro fertilization to get pregnant

Question 13

Refer to the mark-recapture equation below.  In an effort to measure the size of a bluegill population in a pond, you capture 40 bluegills, mark each with a tag on the tail fin, and then release them.A week later you return to the pond and catch 40 more bluegills, eight of which have tags on the tail fin.In the equation, n1 is the total number of individuals in the first sample (captured, marked, and released); n2 is the total number of individuals in the second sample; and M is the number of marked individuals recaptured in second sample.Which is the best estimate of the overall size of this bluegill population?

Accepted Answer

A)  100 
B)  160 
C)  200 
D)  320 
E)  400

Question 14

A small group of islands provides habitat for seabirds of a single species.The islands are close together, and although most seabirds usually nest on the same island, some fly from island to island and remain to mate with members of the local population.Would the seabirds on these islands be considered a metapopulation?

Accepted Answer

A)  No, because they live on separate islands. 
B)  No, because they comprise a species, not a population. 
C)  Yes, because most birds nest on the same island every year. 
D)  Yes, because populations interact with those on other islands. 
E)  Only DNA testing could determine this for certain.

Question 15

Europeans brought domesticated honeybees to North America.The bees escaped to the wild and now live throughout the continent.A single queen lives up to 5 years and is the only reproducing female; she produces thousands of eggs over her lifetime.Workers live only for a summer.When the colony becomes too large, the queen goes on a flight (swarm) with some of the workers to locate a new colony site.A young queen takes over the original hive.Of the following honeybee life history characteristics, which is most likely to have contributed to their dispersal success?

Accepted Answer

A)  Iteroparity 
B)  Swarming behavior 
C)  Long life span of queen 
D)  Short life span of workers 
E)  Single reproducing female

Question 16

Refer to the equations shown.  A starting population has 150 animals.During the year, 50 animals are born and 30 die.Ten animals immigrate into the population, and 5 emigrate.At the end of the year, what is the per capita growth rate for this population?

Accepted Answer

A)  r = 0.13 
B)  r = 0.33 
C)  ∆N = 20 
D)  ∆N = 25 
E)  ∆N = 50

Question 17

Members of a bird species defend a specific territory during the breeding season.Each breeding pair builds a nest within their territory and feeds its hatchlings from resources inside the territory.The male of the pair warns off others of the species who get too close.This situation represents which type of population dispersion?

Accepted Answer

A)  Regular 
B)  Random 
C)  Clumped 
D)  Endemic 
E)  Dynamic

Question 18

Thousands of grasshoppers of the same species live on a single plot of land.They feed on plants in the fields and gardens and reproduce within their own group.This group of grasshoppers represents a

Accepted Answer

A)  guild. 
B)  class. 
C)  population. 
D)  community. 
E)  metapopulation.

Question 19

The largest grouping of organisms of one species would be described as its

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Some members of a species live in a cold environment.They spend much of their energy on maintaining body temperature and finding food, and they have few offspring.Members of the same species living in a more moderate environment allocate more of their energy to reproduction and have more offspring.The two species groups are illustrating the use of _______ to optimize their survival in different habitats.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some members of a species live in...

Exam 54: Populations