Deck 14: Is the Human Population Too Large? Population Ecology

Question 1

As the Industrial Revolution took place, there was a decrease in infant mortality, resulting in

A) a decrease in the population growth rate.
B) an increase in the population growth rate.
C) a stabilization of the population growth rate.
D) boom and bust cycles of the population growth rate.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

True or false: Nearly all developed countries in the world are beginning a demographic transition in the 21st century.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Population density is called

A) distribution.
B) demographics.
C) abundance.
D) carrying capacity.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

True or false: In general, developed countries have lower population growth rates than less developed countries.

Question 5

In some situations, the death rate of a population declines before the birth rate begins to decline. This is an example of

A) the carrying capacity being reached.
B) demographic transition.
C) a density-dependent factor in action.
D) what occurs in industrialized nations.

Question 6

Over the past two centuries, the growth of human population has

A) leveled off slowly.
B) increased steadily.
C) exhibited "boom and bust" growth.
D) increased exponentially.

Question 7

A population that's exhibiting exponential growth

A) will have growth proportional to the current total.
B) shows a decreased growth rate over time.
C) doubles every year.
D) has as many individuals being born as are dying.

Question 8

Which activity could be best considered an example of an ecological study?

A) measuring monthly ocean temperature changes
B) developing a medication to treat kidney failure in cats
C) comparing the effects of varying water temperature on fish egg development
D) calculating the age of a giant redwood tree by counting its annual rings

Question 9

In a particular county, there are 30 births and 20 deaths for every 1000 residents. What is the annual growth rate of this population?

A) 3.0%
B) 10%
C) 1.0%
D) 30%

Question 10

True or false: Most developed countries have passed through a demographic transition and currently have low population growth rates.

Question 11

An ecological population of organisms would include all

A) chipmunks in a wood lot.
B) plants in a garden.
C) animals in a zoo.
D) plants and animals in a rainforest.

Question 12

True or false: Human population growth has always been exponential.

Question 13

The evenly spaced distribution of stalks of corn planted in an agricultural field is considered

A) a clumped distribution.
B) a uniform distribution.
C) a random distribution.
D) no distribution.

Question 14

Walking along a mile-long path in the woods, you notice a stand of your favorite wildflower, the cardinal flower, three different times. You find each stand of cardinal flower, including many flowers in each stand, on a stream bank. This is an example of a ________ distribution.

A) clumped
B) uniform
C) random
D) normal

Question 15

Driving along a rural two-lane highway, you notice a kestrel perched on a telephone line approximately every mile or so. This pattern continues for quite a few miles. This is an example of a ________ distribution.

A) clumped
B) uniform
C) random
D) normal

Question 16

When considering the growth of the human population, how is the annual growth rate determined?

A) the number of deaths averaged over the population as a whole minus the number of births averaged over the population as a whole
B) the number of births averaged over the population as a whole minus the number of deaths averaged over the population as a whole
C) the number of births averaged over the population as a whole for the entire year
D) the number of births averaged over the population as a whole as well as the number of immigrants into the population during the year

Question 17

Students studying a population of salamanders in a vernal pool mark each salamander caught as it's entering the pool. During the first spring migration to the pool, the students mark 200 salamanders. The following year, they again capture 200 salamanders. Of these, 20 were from the previous year. Students use this information to calculate that they captured ________ of the total population and that the total salamander population in their pool is about ________.

A) 20%; 200
B) 10%; 2000
C) 20%; 2000
D) 10%; 200

Question 18

Which of the following experiments would not be considered an ecological study?

A) the effect of a housing development on a spotted salamander population in a vernal pool
B) the effect of changing availability of acorns on a population of squirrels
C) the effect of a red tide outbreak on sea birds in the area
D) the effect of a hormone on the rate of blood vessel formation

Question 19

Which of the following projects would be conducted by an ecologist?

A) a research project testing new pollution filters for cars
B) a study of squirrels and their interactions with other animals
C) observations of toad embryos' development in a Petri dish
D) a project to genetically modify a wheat plant in order to increase production

Question 20

Red maple tree seeds are dispersed by the wind. This species of tree can be found in fields, woods, and even wetlands. This is an example of a ________ distribution.

A) clumped
B) uniform
C) random
D) normal

Question 21

Increased mortality in a population due to increased competition for water is the effect of a(n)

A) demographic transition.
B) density-dependent factor.
C) density-independent factor.
D) increase in carrying capacity.

Question 22

When a population of spotted salamanders in an area of vernal pools remains stable for many years and the population has stabilized because of resource limits, then

A) density dependence is not involved.
B) predation has decreased.
C) carrying capacity has been reached.
D) density independence occurs.

Question 23

Based on estimates that consider the NPP of Earth and human use of these resources, scientists calculate the carrying capacity is nearly ________ people.

A) 6.6 billion
B) 10.6 billion
C) 21 billion
D) 40 billion

Question 24

The principle of a carrying capacity corresponds to a pattern of population growth that's

A) J-shaped.
B) logistic.
C) a straight line.
D) bell-shaped.

Question 25

What is the birth rate in a population in which 35 babies are born per every 1000 people in the population each year?

A) 0.35
B) 35%
C) 3.5%
D) 0.35%

Question 26

Which of the following is a population unaffected by density-dependent factors?

A) elk in Yellowstone National Park in the 1970s
B) Norway lemmings
C) yeast that ferment grape juice into wine
D) bacteria kept in a culture that has its nutrients constantly replenished

Question 27

Which of the following has dramatically decreased infant mortality in human populations?

A) a shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy
B) the use of pesticides to reduce mosquito populations
C) the choice made by educated women to have fewer children
D) an increase in poverty in developed countries

Question 28

The carrying capacity of a population is represented as

A) K.
B) r.
C) J.
D) S.

Question 29

All the bacteria of the species E. coli that live inside a cow's intestine represent a(n)

A) community.
B) population.
C) ecosystem.
D) demographic transition.

Question 30

Developed countries are characterized by

A) industrial economies and low individual incomes.
B) agricultural economies and high individual incomes.
C) agricultural economies and low individual incomes.
D) industrial economies and high individual incomes.

Question 31

Approximately how many people are on Earth today?

A) 7,000,000
B) 70,000,000
C) 700,000,000
D) 7,000,000,000

Question 32

True or false: The carrying capacity of a given geographic region for a single population can change over time.

Question 33

According to this plot, growth rate and doubling time are

A) directly proportional.
B) inversely proportional.
C) not related to one another.
D) equally proportional to one another.

Question 34

Which of the following must be an assumption of the mark-recapture method?

A) marked individuals become "trap-happy," relative to unmarked individuals
B) marked individuals avoid recapture, relative to unmarked individuals
C) few individuals enter or leave the study area during the period between mark and recapture
D) the population size changes dramatically between the time of mark and recapture

Question 35

The global human population increases by ________ people per day.

A) 1000
B) 12,500
C) 250,000
D) 2,500,000

Question 36

Which of the following explains a uniform distribution of individuals in a population?

A) soil nutrients available to a species of plant
B) territoriality in a species of bird
C) oxygen levels in a pond, where an oxygen-dependent bacterial species lives
D) food availability for humans living in a certain geographic area

Question 37

True or false: A population can be clumped at one scale and uniform at another.

Question 38

Exponential growth, when graphed, appears as a(n)

A) straight line.
B) "S" curve.
C) "J" curve.
D) wavy line that goes up and down regularly.

Question 39

A death rate of 2.1% would represent 21 deaths per ________ individuals in a population per year.

A) 100
B) 1000
C) 10,000
D) 1,000,000

Question 40

When you look at the spacing of humans on a global level, the population follows a(n)________ distribution.

A) clumped
B) uniform
C) random
D) indescribable

Question 41

Human populations may surpass the carrying capacity of their environment due to

A) temporary reliance on stored or nonrenewable resources.
B) sudden population crashes.
C) increases in death rates as the population growth approaches carrying capacity.
D) decreases in birth rates as resources are depleted.

Question 42

The actual carrying capacity of our planet may be lower than initially calculated due to which of the following factors?

A) the average American uses more resources than someone from another country
B) modern food production relies on nonrenewable resources
C) net primary productivity has been decreasing
D) the human population is growing much faster than was previously thought

Question 43

True or false: Scientists agree on the size of the carrying capacity of Earth for the human population.

Question 44

Which of the following is directly involved in calculating net primary productivity?

A) the change in growth of the human population
B) the amount of solar energy converted to chemical energy by plants
C) the amount of chemical energy required by plants to support themselves
D) the number of births and deaths in a population over one year

Question 45

True or false: The average American uses as many resources in one day as 370 Ethiopians.

Question 46

Which of the following is a population-limiting, density-dependent factor?

A) a heavy flood that destroys a large area around a river
B) a heat wave in which some organisms can't survive
C) a drought that limits food availability
D) the rapid spread of tuberculosis in heavily populated areas

Question 47

A population has reached the carrying capacity of the environment when

A) the environment can't support a further increase in the population.
B) the environment can't support the current population.
C) it has entered an extended period of exponential growth.
D) the food supply in that particular environment begins to decrease.

Question 48

True or false: Net primary productivity refers to all the energy in the plants and animals in a food chain at any particular time.

Question 49

True or false: The human population growth rate is higher now than ever before.

Question 50

Which of the following is a density-dependent factor?

A) decrease in temperature
B) increase in waste production
C) decrease in frequency of hurricanes
D) increase in rainfall

Question 51

Growth rates appear to be declining in many human populations because

A) families are choosing to have fewer children.
B) death rates are increasing due to disease epidemics and famines.
C) birth rates are decreasing due to famine.
D) the carrying capacity has been reached.

Question 52

True or false: Global human population growth rates have declined since the 1960s by about 1%.

Question 53

Although the carrying capacity of a population is determined by food availability, it's also dependent on which of the following?

A) the energy fluctuations of the sun
B) clean air and water
C) the prevalence of war
D) a woman's choice to not have children

Question 54

One problem associated with using NPP to calculate the carrying capacity for humans is that

A) it fails to take into account our need for other resources, such as water, clean air, and fuel.
B) NPP isn't important when considering the human population.
C) humans grow their own food, which isn't a part of the NPP.
D) it overestimates the effects of humans on the ecosystem.

Question 55

True or false: The human population may continue to increase even though it surpasses carrying capacity.

Question 56

As the size of a population approaches the carrying capacity of its environment, which of following is true?

A) the growth rate increases
B) a graph of population growth resembles a "J"
C) the population stabilizes at its maximum size
D) birth rates become proportionally much greater than the death rates

Question 57

If everyone on the planet used resources and lived the average lifestyle of an American, then

A) the Earth would have the carrying capacity to sustain the human population.
B) the population growth rate would immediately decrease.
C) we would need multiple Earths for this to be possible.
D) there would be same number of people in less-developed countries as there are Americans.

Question 58

Which of the following is a nonrenewable resource?

A) solar energy
B) hydrogen fuel cell
C) wind power
D) natural gas

Question 59

True or false: Net primary productivity (NPP)is a measure of plant growth in a region during a single year.

Question 60

New England salt marshes experience a greater amount of plant growth in a given area in one year than any other temperate ecosystem. These salt marshes have

A) low net primary productivity.
B) high biodiversity.
C) high net primary productivity.
D) an unlimited carrying capacity.

Question 61

True or false: A woman with a college education is more likely to have a large family than a woman with an eighth-grade education.

Question 62

The steep and sudden decline in a population size as birth rates plummet and death rates soar is called

A) carrying capacity.
B) a "boom and bust" cycle.
C) demographic momentum.
D) a population crash.

Question 63

Based on the population pyramid of the United States in 2010, as seen in this figure, you can predict that the population will

A) be in a demographic transition.
B) experience a decrease.
C) experience a decrease after a period of high demographic momentum.
D) remain relatively stable due to low demographic momentum.

Question 64

Which of the following is represented by a completely "columnar" population pyramid?

A) proportionally more young than middle-aged or elderly
B) equal proportions of young, middle-aged, and elderly
C) proportionally more middle-aged and elderly than young
D) proportionally more middle-aged than elderly and/or young

Question 65

True or false: Human populations don't generally follow the "boom and bust" cycle of some animal populations.

Question 66

Which of the following would most likely result in a population represented by an "inverted triangular" population pyramid, which is heaviest at the top?

A) rapid population growth
B) population stabilization
C) a "boom and bust" cycle
D) a population decline

Question 67

When a population grows larger than the carrying capacity, then

A) food becomes abundant.
B) birth rates remain stable.
C) death rates rise.
D) the carrying capacity increases.

Question 68

Americans make up less than ________ of the total human population, yet use close to ________ of the world's resources.

A) 1%; 50%
B) 5%; 25%
C) 0.1%; 75%
D) 0.01%; 80%

Question 69

Species of oak trees periodically have years of large acorn production, followed by years of lower acorn amounts. In years of plenty, squirrel populations will experience an increase due to increased food availability of acorns. Then, squirrel populations will decrease after lower acorn abundance. This is an example of

A) a population cycle.
B) net primary productivity.
C) a renewable resource.
D) a density-independent factor.