Exam 51: Population Ecology

Which of the following is the most important assumption for the mark-recapture method to estimate the size of wildlife populations?

The regular fluctuations in size of animal populations are termed ________. I. population cycles II. population dynamics III. growth factors

To measure the population of lake trout in a 250-hectare lake, 400 individual trout were netted and marked with a fin clip, then returned to the lake. The next week, the lake was netted again, and out of the 200 lake trout that were caught, 50 had fin clips. Using the mark-recapture estimate, the lake trout population size could be closest to which of the following?

-As N approaches K for a certain population, which of the following is predicted by the logistic equation?

It is estimated that a flock of wood buffalo crane should be able to sustain an r of 0.085 for the foreseeable future. If the flock currently contains 350 individuals, how long will it take for that population to double?

Use the following abstract from Theoretical Population Biology to answer the question. Abstract: We derive measures for assessing the value of an individual habitat fragment for the dynamics and persistence of a metapopulation living in a network of many fragments. We demonstrate that the most appropriate measure of fragment value depends on the question asked. Specifically, we analyze four alternative measures: the contribution of a fragment to the metapopulation capacity of the network, to the equilibrium metapopulation size, to the expected time to metapopulation extinction and the long-term contribution of a fragment to colonization events in the network. The latter measure is comparable to density-dependent measures in general matrix population theory, though some differences are introduced by the fact that "density dependence" is spatially localized in the metapopulation context. We show that the value of a fragment depends not only on the properties of the landscape but also on the properties of the species. Most importantly, variation in fragment values between the habitat fragments is greatest in the case of rare species that occur close to the extinction threshold, as these species are likely to be restricted to the most favorable parts of the landscape. We expect that the measures of habitat fragment described and analyzed here have applications in landscape ecology and in conservation biology. Copyright © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Otso Ovaskainen and Ilkka Hanski. 2003. How much does an individual habitat fragment contribute to metapopulation dynamics and persistence? Theoretical Population Biology 64:481-95.) One measure for the value of the patch was given by the long-term contribution of a fragment to colonization events in the network. How do the properties of a landscape and the properties of a species affect the value of a patch? The value of the fragment depends ________.

-Using the life table, determine which age class year would hurt the population growth most if it were wiped out by disease.

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

-Which statements about K are correct? I. K varies among populations. II. K varies in space. III. K varies in time. IV. K is constant for any given species.

During exponential growth, a population always ________.

-In the accompanying figure, which of the arrows represents the carrying capacity?

-In the figure, which of the following survivorship curves most applies to humans living in developed countries?

-In the accompanying figure, which of the arrows represents the most rapid population growth?

Why can't a female lizard have both high fecundity and high survival?

Random spacing patterns in plants such as the creosote bush are most often associated with ________.

The study of factors that determine the size and structure of populations through time is called ________.

Which statement is TRUE with regard to human population growth?

Based on the diagrams in the figure shown and on the large population of baby boomers in the United States, which graph best reflects U.S. population in 20 years?

-Using the accompanying life table, calculate the net reproductive rate (R0) for this population.

-A population of ground squirrels has an annual per capita birth rate of 0.06 and an annual per capita death rate of 0.02. Calculate an estimate of the total number of individuals added to (or lost from) a population of 1000 individuals in one year.