Question 1

In which of the following situations would you expect to find the largest number of K-selected individuals?

Accepted Answer

A)  a recently abandoned agricultural field in Ohio 
B)  a shifting sand dune community of south Lake Michigan 
C)  an old-growth forest 
D)  South Florida after a hurricane 
E)  a newly emergent volcanic island 
A)  a recently abandoned agricultural field in Ohio 
B)  a shifting sand dune community of south Lake Michigan 
C)  an old-growth forest 
D)  South Florida after a hurricane 
E)  a newly emergent volcanic island

Question 2

Which of the following is the equation for zero population growth (ZPG)?

Accepted Answer

A)  b = m or r = 0 
B)  dN/dt = rN 
C)  dN/dt = rmax N (K - N)/K 
D)  dN/dt = rmax N 
E)  dN/dt = 1.0N 
A)  b = m or r = 0 
B)  dN/dt = rN 
C)  dN/dt = rmax N (K - N)/K 
D)  dN/dt = rmax N 
E)  dN/dt = 1.0N

Question 3

Use this description to answer the following question.
In areas of permafrost, stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape, whereas other tree species are noticeably absent. Often these stands are referred to as "drunken forests" because many of the black spruce are displaced from their normal vertical alignment.
-What might be the adaptive significance of these unusual forests growing the way they do in this marginal habitat?

Accepted Answer

A)  Needles are adapted to withstand cold arctic temperatures. 
B)  Branches are adapted to absorb more CO2 with this displaced alignment. 
C)  Taproot formation is impossible, so trees developed shallow root beds and easily tilt. 
D)  Trees are tilted so that snow won't break them or tip them over. 
E)  Trees tip so that they do not compete with each other for sunlight. 
A)  Needles are adapted to withstand cold arctic temperatures. 
B)  Branches are adapted to absorb more CO2 with this displaced alignment. 
C)  Taproot formation is impossible, so trees developed shallow root beds and easily tilt. 
D)  Trees are tilted so that snow won't break them or tip them over. 
E)  Trees tip so that they do not compete with each other for sunlight.

Question 4

Carrying capacity is

Accepted Answer

A)  seldom reached by marine producers and consumers because of the vast resources of the ocean. 
B)  the maximum population size that a particular environment can support. 
C)  fixed for most species over most of their range most of the time. 
D)  determined by density and dispersion data. 
E)  the term used to describe the stress a population undergoes due to limited resources. 
A)  seldom reached by marine producers and consumers because of the vast resources of the ocean. 
B)  the maximum population size that a particular environment can support. 
C)  fixed for most species over most of their range most of the time. 
D)  determined by density and dispersion data. 
E)  the term used to describe the stress a population undergoes due to limited resources.

Question 5

Which of the following is the best natural example of uniform distribution?

Accepted Answer

A)  bees collecting pollen in a wildflower meadow 
B)  snails in an intertidal zone at low tide 
C)  territorial songbirds in a mature forest during mating season 
D)  mushrooms growing on the floor of an old-growth forest 
E)  a cultivated cornfield in the Midwest 
A)  bees collecting pollen in a wildflower meadow 
B)  snails in an intertidal zone at low tide 
C)  territorial songbirds in a mature forest during mating season 
D)  mushrooms growing on the floor of an old-growth forest 
E)  a cultivated cornfield in the Midwest

Question 6

Use the survivorship curves in Figure 40.3 to answer the following questions.
   Figure 40.3
-Which curve best describes survivorship in a marine crustacean that molts?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  E 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  E

Question 7

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

Accepted Answer

A)  savanna 
B)  temperate broadleaf forest 
C)  temperate grassland 
D)  tropical rain forest 
E)  northern coniferous forest 
A)  savanna 
B)  temperate broadleaf forest 
C)  temperate grassland 
D)  tropical rain forest 
E)  northern coniferous forest

Question 8

The eight climographs in Figure 40.1 show yearly temperature (line graph and left vertical axis) and precipitation (bar graph and right vertical axis) averages for each month for some locations on Earth. Choose the climograph that best answers the question.
   Figure 40.1
-Which climograph shows the climate for location 5?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  C 
C)  D 
D)  E 
E)  H 
A)  A 
B)  C 
C)  D 
D)  E 
E)  H

Question 9

A population's carrying capacity

Accepted Answer

A)  may change as environmental conditions change. 
B)  can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model. 
C)  generally remains constant over time. 
D)  increases as the per capita growth rate (r) decreases. 
E)  can never be exceeded. 
A)  may change as environmental conditions change. 
B)  can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model. 
C)  generally remains constant over time. 
D)  increases as the per capita growth rate (r) decreases. 
E)  can never be exceeded.

Question 10

Deserts typically occur in a band around 30 degrees north and south latitude because

Accepted Answer

A)  descending air masses originating from the tropics tend to be dry. 
B)  trade winds have little moisture. 
C)  moisture-laden air is heavier than dry air and is not carried to these latitudes. 
D)  ascending air from these regions tends to be moist, removing available water and creating a desert. 
E)  these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth. 
A)  descending air masses originating from the tropics tend to be dry. 
B)  trade winds have little moisture. 
C)  moisture-laden air is heavier than dry air and is not carried to these latitudes. 
D)  ascending air from these regions tends to be moist, removing available water and creating a desert. 
E)  these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth.

Question 11

Which of the following statements best describes the interaction between fire and ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

A)  The likelihood of a wildfire occurring in a given ecosystem is highly predictable over the short term. 
B)  Many kinds of plants and plant communities have adapted to frequent fires. 
C)  The suppression of forest fires by man has prevented certain communities, such as grasslands, from reaching their climax stage. 
D)  Chaparral communities have evolved to the extent that they rarely burn. 
E)  Fire is unnatural in ecosystems and should be prevented. 
A)  The likelihood of a wildfire occurring in a given ecosystem is highly predictable over the short term. 
B)  Many kinds of plants and plant communities have adapted to frequent fires. 
C)  The suppression of forest fires by man has prevented certain communities, such as grasslands, from reaching their climax stage. 
D)  Chaparral communities have evolved to the extent that they rarely burn. 
E)  Fire is unnatural in ecosystems and should be prevented.

Question 12

Which of the following is characteristic of K-selected populations?

Accepted Answer

A)  offspring with good chances of survival 
B)  many offspring per reproductive episode 
C)  small offspring 
D)  a high intrinsic rate of increase 
E)  early parental reproduction 
A)  offspring with good chances of survival 
B)  many offspring per reproductive episode 
C)  small offspring 
D)  a high intrinsic rate of increase 
E)  early parental reproduction

Exam 40: Population Ecology and the Distribution of Organisms

In which of the following situations would you expect to find the largest number of K-selected individuals?

Which of the following is the equation for zero population growth (ZPG)?

Carrying capacity is

Which of the following is the best natural example of uniform distribution?

Use the survivorship curves in Figure 40.3 to answer the following questions. Figure 40.3 -Which curve best describes survivorship in a marine crustacean that molts?

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

A population's carrying capacity

Deserts typically occur in a band around 30 degrees north and south latitude because

Which of the following statements best describes the interaction between fire and ecosystems?

Which of the following is characteristic of K-selected populations?

Introduction: Evolution and the Foundations of Biology

The Chemical Context of Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Transport and Cell Signaling

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Gene Expression: From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Development, Stem Cells, and Cancer

Viruses

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification

Phylogeny

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

Broad Patterns of Evolution

Early Life and the Diversification of Prokaryotes

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

The Colonization of Land by Plants and Fungi

The Rise of Animal Diversity

Plant Structure and Growth

Resource Acquisition, Nutrition, and Transport in Vascular Plants

Reproduction and Domestication of Flowering Plants

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Homeostasis and Endocrine Signaling

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Reproduction and Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling

Nervous and Sensory Systems

Motor Mechanisms and Behavior

Species Interactions

Ecosystems and Energy

Global Ecology and Conservation Biology

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