Exam 53: Populations and Life History Traits

Use the hypothetical or idealized survivorship curves in the figure to answer the following question. Which of the following curves describes survivorship that is most typical in marine fish or mollusks?

In a field of corn or lettuce on a farm, plants are cultivated with uniform spacing that will maximize plant growth. In natural habitats however, a uniform pattern of dispersion is much less common. While exceptions do exist, for example in populations of creosote bush in the desert, which of the following best explains why natural populations of plants usually exhibit clumped or random dispersion patterns?

Which of the following statements regarding the future of populations in developing, less industrialized countries are correct?

Use the graph to answer the following question. In the figure, curves A-D depict per capita rate increases (r). Which of the following best explains the difference between the shapes of these curves?

Use the graph to answer the following question. Based on the data provided, what factor of those listed below appears to be the most important in stabilizing the population from its initial size over the subsequent 100 years?

Which of the following is most consistent with the logistic growth equation, = rN ?

In April 2019, the population in the United States was approximately 328,545,050 people. If the estimated growth rate of the population in 2019 was 0.70%, which of the following is the best estimate of the population in April 2020?

Which of the following is consistent with a recent study of ecological footprints?

In 2019, the United States Census Bureau reported the various components of population change as estimated below. ∙ One birth every 8 seconds ∙ One death every 11 seconds ∙ One international migrant (net of immigrants versus emigrants) every 33 seconds ∙ Net gain of one person every 17 seconds During that year, which of the components was having the second largest effect on population growth?

Use the graphs to answer the following question. Graph (b) in the figure shows the normal fluctuations of a population of grouse, a ground-nesting bird. Assuming graph (a) in the figure is the result of some experimental treatment in the grouse population, what can be concluded?

Which of the following statements about human populations in industrialized countries is correct?

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

A researcher is studying two old-growth forests on the coast of northern California: One is undisturbed, while the other is being disturbed from logging and harvesting of the wood by a lumber company. In which region are more species likely to experience exponential growth, and why?

A population of white-footed mice becomes severely overpopulated in a habitat that has been disturbed by human activity. Sometimes intrinsic factors cause the population to increase in mortality and cause lower reproduction rates to occur in reaction to the stress of overpopulation. Which of the following is an example of intrinsic population control?

Use the figure to answer the following question. In the figure, one could depict a different scenario where the death rate per capita was dependent upon (and positively correlated with) the density of the population, and the birth rate was instead density independent. Which of the following would occur as the density of the population increased?

Use the hypothetical or idealized survivorship curves in the figure to answer the following question. Which statement best explains survivorship curve B?

An undergraduate student research assistant is attempting to help estimate the population size of a prairie dog colony, and completes several counts using mark-recapture methods. Which factors, other than reproductive rate and survivorship, would be necessary to consider when using the data to construct a life table and estimate the population size and future over time?

Use the figures to answer the following question. Based on the age-structure diagrams in the figure and on the large population of baby boomers (a demographic cohort born at a reproductive peak after World War II between 1946-1964 in the United States), which graph best reflects U.S. population in 20 years?

Use the graph to answer the following question. In the figure, which of the following survivorship curves is most consistent with humans who are living in developed countries where most of the population has consistent access to resources such as food, water, shelter and health care?

Which of the following is an energetic trade-off in natural selection?