Question 1

Estes and his colleagues speculate that the decline in otters during the 1990s was due to a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  sudden increase in the numbers of urchins. 
B)  switch in the predation patterns of killer whales (orcas) to include more otters. 
C)  decrease in kelp forests due to global warming. 
D)  infection by hantavirus. 
A)  sudden increase in the numbers of urchins. 
B)  switch in the predation patterns of killer whales (orcas) to include more otters. 
C)  decrease in kelp forests due to global warming. 
D)  infection by hantavirus.

Question 2

What is the most likely reason that polar bears are found in the Arctic but not in Antarctica?

Accepted Answer

A)  Antarctica does not provide a suitable habitat for polar bears. 
B)  Polar bears, which were derived from brown bears that lived in the Northern Hemisphere, are unable to travel long distances. 
C)  Polar bears, which were derived from brown bears that lived in the Northern Hemisphere, can migrate long distances, but they are either unable or unwilling to travel across tropical areas that lie between the Arctic and Antarctica. 
D)  Continental drift prevented the polar bears from going to Antarctica. 
A)  Antarctica does not provide a suitable habitat for polar bears. 
B)  Polar bears, which were derived from brown bears that lived in the Northern Hemisphere, are unable to travel long distances. 
C)  Polar bears, which were derived from brown bears that lived in the Northern Hemisphere, can migrate long distances, but they are either unable or unwilling to travel across tropical areas that lie between the Arctic and Antarctica. 
D)  Continental drift prevented the polar bears from going to Antarctica.

Question 3

Refer to the figure.
   
-Based on the figure, what type of dispersion pattern best describes the location of individuals during the summer breeding season and what type best fits the location of individuals during winter?

Accepted Answer

During the summer, the individ

Question 4

A researcher is asked to determine the population size of redwood trees after a fire. They randomly take 5 aerial photos, each of which represents 1 km2. The total area burned by the fire was 200 km2. The researcher identifies 30, 2, 42, 22, and 104 redwood trees in the photos.Answer the following questions:
(a) What is the population size of redwood trees in the burn area? 
(b) When looking at the data, there is one high and one low outlier. What could cause the numbers to be so different in these two photos? 
(c) How could you confirm that your estimated population size is accurate?

Accepted Answer

(a) There are 8,000 redwood trees in the

Question 5

Lande's theoretical work contributed to the listing of the northern spotted owl as a threatened species in the United States. Which threat to the owl did Lande's work identify?

Accepted Answer

A)  Demographic stochasticity 
B)  Habitat fragmentation 
C)  Dampened oscillations 
D)  Inbreeding 
A)  Demographic stochasticity 
B)  Habitat fragmentation 
C)  Dampened oscillations 
D)  Inbreeding

Question 6

Which principle is illustrated by Lande's theoretical work with spotted owls?

Accepted Answer

A)  If the availability of suitable habitat for a species goes below a critical threshold, the entire metapopulation will collapse. 
B)  Delay of abiotic shuffling can cause population cycles. 
C)  Metapopulations do not vary based on suitable habitat. 
D)  Introducing a small population of competitors helps keep metapopulations connected. 
A)  If the availability of suitable habitat for a species goes below a critical threshold, the entire metapopulation will collapse. 
B)  Delay of abiotic shuffling can cause population cycles. 
C)  Metapopulations do not vary based on suitable habitat. 
D)  Introducing a small population of competitors helps keep metapopulations connected.

Question 7

Which statement about Duggins's urchin removal experiments is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Kelp was abundant in both the urchin-excluded and the control treatments at the start of the experiments. 
B)  Kelp did not become established in the control treatment. 
C)  Kelp did not become established in the urchin-excluded treatment. 
D)  Urchins died in the control treatment due to the presence of kelp. 
A)  Kelp was abundant in both the urchin-excluded and the control treatments at the start of the experiments. 
B)  Kelp did not become established in the control treatment. 
C)  Kelp did not become established in the urchin-excluded treatment. 
D)  Urchins died in the control treatment due to the presence of kelp.

Question 8

A researcher who is interested in the number of individuals in a population of butterflies and their movement patterns would most likely use which method?

Accepted Answer

A)  Area-based counts 
B)  Point sampling 
C)  Line transects 
D)  Mark-recapture 
A)  Area-based counts 
B)  Point sampling 
C)  Line transects 
D)  Mark-recapture

Question 9

The giant panda is listed as vulnerable by IUCN. Suitable panda habitat is usually between 5,000 and 10,000 feet in elevation with a cool wet climate. How could a species distribution model be used to help save the giant panda from extinction?

Accepted Answer

Since researchers know which type of hab

Question 10

King's Lomatia (Lomatia tasmanica) is a most unusual plant. In the wild, only a single genetic individual of this shrub is known to be alive, and this colony has existed for at least 40,000 years. When a branch of this shrub falls to the ground, it sometimes establishes roots, and thus can function as a physiologically independent plant that is genetically identical to all other plants in the colony.
- Which term refers to a clone that is a physiologically independent plant?

Accepted Answer

A)  Biotic 
B)  Gamete 
C)  Ramet 
D)  Genet 
A)  Biotic 
B)  Gamete 
C)  Ramet 
D)  Genet

Question 11

Which statement about Thomas and Jones's work on skipper butterflies is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  The probability of extinction was higher for populations in small patches than for those in large patches. 
B)  The probability of colonization was higher for small patches than for large patches. 
C)  Patches far from another occupied patch had a lower probability of colonization than patches near another occupied patch did. 
D)  Population size affected the chance of colonization. 
A)  The probability of extinction was higher for populations in small patches than for those in large patches. 
B)  The probability of colonization was higher for small patches than for large patches. 
C)  Patches far from another occupied patch had a lower probability of colonization than patches near another occupied patch did. 
D)  Population size affected the chance of colonization.

Question 12

Which of the following is not a biotic feature of the environment that can limit an organism's distribution or abundance?

Accepted Answer

A)  Parasites 
B)  Competitors 
C)  Predators 
D)  Rainfall 
A)  Parasites 
B)  Competitors 
C)  Predators 
D)  Rainfall

Question 13

Refer to the figure.
  
- Based on the figure, describe the geographic range of the humpback whale.

Accepted Answer

The humpback whales' geographic range in

Question 14

Which population dispersion pattern is most commonly observed while conducting field surveys?

Accepted Answer

A)  Regular 
B)  Clumped 
C)  Genet 
D)  Random 
A)  Regular 
B)  Clumped 
C)  Genet 
D)  Random

Question 15

Point sampling is a type of

Accepted Answer

A)  area-based count. 
B)  distance method. 
C)  detection function. 
D)  mark-recapture study. 
A)  area-based count. 
B)  distance method. 
C)  detection function. 
D)  mark-recapture study.

Question 16

Area-based methods often make use of sampling areas of a defined size called

Accepted Answer

A)  GARPs. 
B)  quadrats. 
C)  transects. 
D)  ramets. 
A)  GARPs. 
B)  quadrats. 
C)  transects. 
D)  ramets.

Question 17

In some worm species, the actions of individual worms make the soil more hospitable to other members of the species. Such a phenomenon would tend to encourage which dispersion pattern?

Accepted Answer

A)  Regular 
B)  Clumped 
C)  Genet 
D)  Random 
A)  Regular 
B)  Clumped 
C)  Genet 
D)  Random

Question 18

Refer to the figure.
  Based on the figure, what is the most popular winter breeding ground for humpback whales?

Accepted Answer

A)  Philippines 
B)  Hawaii 
C)  Russia 
D)  Alaska 
A)  Philippines 
B)  Hawaii 
C)  Russia 
D)  Alaska

Question 19

Suppose two populations are very isolated from one another, with several barriers to dispersal. Could these two populations be considered part of the same metapopulation? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

No, they would not be considered part of

Question 20

An entomology research team interested in controlling the spread of winter moths, an insect pest in the northeastern United States, samples a 150-square-meter patch of woodland with four quadrats of 1 meter by 1 meter each. In quadrats A, B, C, and D, respectively, 10, 20, 35, and 15 individual winter moths are found. What is the best estimate for the total number of winter moths in that patch of woodland?

Accepted Answer

A)  80 
B)  2,000 
C)  3,000 
D)  8,000 
A)  80 
B)  2,000 
C)  3,000 
D)  8,000

Exam 9: Population Distribution and Abundance

Estes and his colleagues speculate that the decline in otters during the 1990s was due to a(n)

What is the most likely reason that polar bears are found in the Arctic but not in Antarctica?

Refer to the figure. -Based on the figure, what type of dispersion pattern best describes the location of individuals during the summer breeding season and what type best fits the location of individuals during winter?

Lande's theoretical work contributed to the listing of the northern spotted owl as a threatened species in the United States. Which threat to the owl did Lande's work identify?

Which principle is illustrated by Lande's theoretical work with spotted owls?

Which statement about Duggins's urchin removal experiments is true?

A researcher who is interested in the number of individuals in a population of butterflies and their movement patterns would most likely use which method?

The giant panda is listed as vulnerable by IUCN. Suitable panda habitat is usually between 5,000 and 10,000 feet in elevation with a cool wet climate. How could a species distribution model be used to help save the giant panda from extinction?

Which statement about Thomas and Jones's work on skipper butterflies is false?

Which of the following is not a biotic feature of the environment that can limit an organism's distribution or abundance?

Refer to the figure. - Based on the figure, describe the geographic range of the humpback whale.

Which population dispersion pattern is most commonly observed while conducting field surveys?

Point sampling is a type of

Area-based methods often make use of sampling areas of a defined size called

In some worm species, the actions of individual worms make the soil more hospitable to other members of the species. Such a phenomenon would tend to encourage which dispersion pattern?

Refer to the figure. Based on the figure, what is the most popular winter breeding ground for humpback whales?

Suppose two populations are very isolated from one another, with several barriers to dispersal. Could these two populations be considered part of the same metapopulation? Why or why not?

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