Exam 9: Properties of Populations

Describe several approaches used by ecologists to establish age structure for plant and animal populations.

A group of individuals of the same species living in a given area is called a

A population will decrease in size when the number of individuals born exceeds the number of individuals that die.

The age of a tree is commonly determined by

The most common approach to sampling animal population size is to count every individual.

A uniform distribution of individuals within a population occurs if each individual's position is independent of others' positions.

Provide the mark-recapture equation used for estimating population size and define the terms of the equation. Why is mark-recapture such a popular and effective method for determining animal population densities?

A round-trip movement of an individual from one place to another and back again is called ________.

When referring to a population, it is important to explicitly define its ________.

A collective of local subpopulations is called a(n)

The age of a fish can be determined by counting the annual rings of otoliths (ear stones).

An ________ is the proportion of individuals in the various age classes for any one year.

Using examples, discuss the impact of increased human travel in the 20th century on long-distance dispersal of plants and animals. Describe how and why introduced species typically alter native ecosystems.

Abundance is a function of

The ________ of a population describes its spatial location.

What is meant by a species' geographic range? What circumstances will allow for expansion of the range?

The sex ratio in a population is usually fixed and does not vary among age classes.

The distribution of a population is influenced by suitable habitat availability, while the abundance of a population is not.

Jack Pine and Black Spruce have extended their ranges ________ since the end of the last ice age.

The clumping of individuals into scattered groups can result from all the following, EXCEPT