Deck 6: Population Biology

Question 1

When a population overshoots its carrying capacity, resources become limited and death rates rise.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the context of population growth regulation, intrinsic factors are those that

A) operate within or between organisms.
B) lower reproductive success by a variety of means.
C) are imposed on the population from outside.
D) increase reproductive success by a variety of means.

Answer 2

operate within or between organisms.

Question 3

Conservation biologists refer to the number of individuals needed for long-term survival as

A) the bottleneck.
B) the carrying capacity.
C) the minimum viable population size.
D) K selected.

Answer 3

the minimum viable population size.

Question 4

In the real world, many factors determine the numbers of organisms in any one population. Yet, a "superfly" with unlimited food and no mortality would show what type of growth?

A) Geometric increase
B) Irruptive growth
C) Exponential growth
D) Logistic growth
E) Malthusian growth

Question 5

Exponential growth in a population

A) refers to an increase by a constant amount, such as a net gain of 100 individuals per year.
B) refers to an increase by a constant percentage each year.
C) is also called arithmetic growth.
D) includes any pattern of increase in numbers.

Question 6

Population growth patterns over time typically

A) follow a smooth J curve form.
B) follow a smooth S curve form.
C) exhibit erratic fluctuations caused by readily discernable factors.
D) exhibit complex patterns produced by complex causes.

Question 7

An organism's biotic potential is the maximum number of offspring that _________.

A) survive to adulthood
B) Its habitat can support
C) It produces at one time
D) It actually produces over its lifetime

Question 8

A graph of a population growing at a positive constant rate would most resemble a

A) straight horizontal line.
B) rising straight line.
C) J-shaped curve.
D) straight vertical line.

Question 9

Exponential growth refers to any pattern of increase of the size of a plant or animal population.

Question 10

Weeds most commonly exhibit which population growth characteristic?

A) r selected
B) K selected
C) A pattern that appears as a J-curve on a graph
D) r selected and a pattern that appears as a J-curve on a graph
E) K selected and a pattern that appears as a J-curve on a graph

Question 11

Density-independent factors tend to be

A) more associated with abiotic factors.
B) more associated with intrinsic factors.
C) unable to lower reproductive gains in a population.
D) more influential with natality rates than mortality rates.

Question 12

The carrying capacity of a habitat refers to

A) the strength or resilience of the population.
B) the number of animals that the habitat can support.
C) the amount of rainfall that the habitat receives annually.
D) None of these choices are correct

Question 13

A metapopulation is one in which genetic diversity is much reduced.

Question 14

Explosive growth better characterizes logistic growth than exponential growth.

Question 15

Logistic strategies are better adapted to

A) environments experiencing erratic, unpredictable swings in chemical or physical factors.
B) situations where resource utilization can be maximized through a rapid increase in population size.
C) organisms present in early successional stages.
D) fairly stable environments.

Question 16

All of the following large-fish fisheries are being over fished except

A) albacore tuna.
B) bluefin tuna.
C) yellowfin tuna.
D) marlin.

Question 17

Fishing down the food chain refers to

A) using trawlers with large nets to harvest marine resources.
B) the practice of fishing top predators nearly to extinction then moving on to smaller, less desirable fish.
C) the practice of line fishing where only mature adult fish are harvested.
D) the practice of fishing down at the bottom of the food chain.

Question 18

Many species exhibit both exponential (__________) and logistic (_________) population growth characteristics.

A) r selected; K selected
B) K selected; r selected

Question 19

_____________ growth rate describes a predictable rate of change at discrete points in time.

A) Feedback
B) Logistic
C) Exponential
D) Geometric
E) Overshoot

Question 20

A survivorship curve with the shape of a straight line descending over time indicates an organism whose chance of death

A) is unrelated to its age.
B) decreases as it gets older.
C) increases as it gets older.

Question 21

When the similarities in population increases and decreases in prey and predators, it lead us to the conclusion that

A) The abundance of only the prey species can affect another species.
B) The abundance of only the predator species can affect another species.
C) The abundance of both the prey and predator can affect the other species.
D) There is no relationship between the abundances of predator and prey species.

Question 22

Natality is usually

A) Constant in a population
B) Constant for a species
C) Constant in an ecosystem
D) Variable, depending on the number of recent deaths
E) Variable, depending on environmental conditions

Question 23

Density-independent population control factors cause mortality

A) When the population becomes too large
B) When the density becomes too high
C) When the population becomes too small
D) When the density becomes too low
E) Regardless of population size

Question 24

In cases of exponential growth rates, a population ________ each year.

A) Increases at the same rate
B) Is multiplied by a constant number
C) Doubles
D) Triples
E) Increases by a constant number (one, ten, one hundred, etc.), depending on the system

Question 25

Life expectancy is the

A) Maximum life span that an individual of a given species could reach
B) Number of individuals in a population that survive in a given year
C) Number of years an individual of a certain age will probably live
D) Probability that an individual will survive infancy
E) All of these are descriptions of life expectancy

Question 26

You are studying an organism that is an opportunistic pioneer species and does not care for its offspring. This organism probably has a(n) _________________ population growth strategy.

A) K-adapted
B) R-adapted
C) Irregular
D) Catastrophic
E) R-adapted and irregular

Question 27

An island has formed off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has determined that there is enough land area for a herd of 100 elk, yet they say the carrying capacity is only 60 elk. This inequality can best be explained by the fact that the

A) DNR is probably being careful not to overestimate
B) DNR must have added up the environmental resistance incorrectly
C) Elk population will probably fluctuate between 60 and 100 animals
D) Physical factor of space is only one of the determiners for population size in a community
E) Law of limiting factors determines the maximum growth rate for a given population

Question 28

The term "fecundity" refers to an organism's ____________ while fertility is ______________.

A) Physical ability to reproduce; the actual number of offspring produced
B) Actual number of offspring produced; the physical ability to reproduce
C) Average life span; the physical ability to reproduce
D) Replacement level of reproduction; the actual number of offspring produced
E) Physical ability to reproduce; the replacement level of reproduction

Question 29

Survivorship is determined by

A) The percentage of a cohort that survives to a certain age
B) The number of individuals in a population that survive in a given year
C) The number of years an individual of a certain age will probably live
D) The probability that an individual will survive infancy
E) The maximum life span that an individual of a given species could reach

Question 30

Exponential growth would be represented by a ____ curve?

A) J-shaped
B) S-shaped
C) straight
D) bimodal
E) linear

Question 31

A dieback or population crash, often occurs after a species ________ its environmental carrying capacity.

A) Meets
B) Undershoots
C) Overshoots
D) Oscillates around
E) Decreases

Question 32

You are studying an organism that is fairly large, matures slowly, lives fairly long, and cares for its offspring. This organism probably has a(n) _________________ population growth strategy.

A) K-adapted
B) R-adapted
C) Irregular
D) Catastrophic
E) R-adapted and irregular

Question 33

Which of the following types of population curves would best represent a group of elephants that enter a new, open habitat and become a stable part of that ecosystem?

A) Norm-shaped curve
B) S-shaped curve
C) J-shaped curve
D) Cyclic oscillation-shaped curve
E) Survivorship curve

Question 34

In the real world, population explosion is usually followed by

A) A continuation of high population levels indefinitely
B) A gradual decrease in population as food supplies dwindle
C) A tremendous increase in genetic diversity
D) A gradual increase in population due to the availability of mates
E) A population crash

Question 35

An organism with ___________ "strategies" would be considered to have __________ natality. rev: 06_07_2016_QC_CS-55049

A) K-adapted; high
B) R-adapted; high
C) K-adapted; low
D) R-adapted; low
E) R-adapted; high AND K-adapted

Question 36

Carrying capacity is the population or biomass

A) That an environment can support in an optimal year
B) Of a species that an environment can support on a long-term basis
C) That remains after a catastrophic dieback has occurred
D) Of a species without limiting factors
E) Of a species without predators

Question 37

Widespread starvation is an example of _________ population control.

A) Predator-caused
B) Biotic
C) Density-dependent
D) Density-independent
E) Abiotic

Question 38

The ability to produce rapid population overshoots can be a useful strategy for a species that tends to

A) Colonize new territory
B) Maintain a firm position in its current habitat
C) Be part of a climax community
D) Develop intricate niche relationships
E) Be part of a complex ecosystem

Question 39

Logistic growth rates are those in which a population

A) Grows very slowly when conditions are good and when conditions are not optimal
B) Grows rapidly when conditions are good, then slows as it approaches carrying capacity
C) Overshoots and dies back repeatedly
D) Remains significantly below carrying capacity
E) Grows at a constant rate of increase per unit time

Question 40

Which of the following types of population growth patterns would best represent a group of elephants that enter a new, open habitat and become a stable part of that ecosystem?

A) Exponential growth
B) Irruptive growth
C) Malthusian growth
D) Chaotic or catastrophic growth
E) Logistic growth

Question 41

How does island biogeography apply to ecosystems other than islands?

A) Relatively rare ecosystems such as coastal areas are more stable if they have high species diversity
B) Habitats that are large and close to development are more adversely affected than smaller fragmented habitats
C) Habitat fragmentation has formed islands of habitat in "oceans" of development
D) Along with islands in oceans and lakes, the principles of island biogeography apply only to wetland areas
E) Island biogeography is only concerned with islands in oceans and lakes

Question 42

The most common factor that affects birth and death rates within a population independently of density is

A) Fire
B) Competition
C) Weather
D) Stress
E) None of these is correct

Question 43

The highest number of game or commercial species that can be harvested in a single season without limiting growth for future seasons is the maximal sustainable yield.

Question 44

Genetic diversity is lost in a small population when

A) The ecological diversity is high
B) Genetic mutations cause some individuals in a population to be different in coloration or size
C) Individuals from other populations are introduced into the population and the genes are diluted
D) Only a few individuals survive a catastrophe
E) Genetic mutations cause most individuals in a population to have similar genetic makeup

Question 45

Which of the following is a biotic population control mechanism?

A) Nutrients
B) Precipitation
C) Day length
D) Climate
E) Pathogens

Question 46

Which of the following is an abiotic population control mechanism?

A) Predation
B) Disease
C) Water shortages
D) Prey shortages
E) Competition

Question 47

In general, abiotic regulatory factors tend to be ___________ while biotic factors tend to be _____________.

A) Interspecific; intraspecific
B) Intraspecific; interspecific
C) Density-dependent; density-independent
D) Density-independent; density-dependent
E) Interspecific; density-independent

Question 48

White-tailed deer populations are at about the same levels as they were a century ago.

Question 49

Which of the following is not a density-dependent population control factor?

A) Stress
B) Overcrowding
C) Predation
D) Drought
E) Competition

Question 50

The world's most destructive insect is the cockroach.

Question 51

Predation is considered to be a(n) _______________ factor.

A) Extrinsic
B) Intrinsic
C) Abiotic
D) Biotic
E) Extrinsic and biotic

Question 52

If there is no migration, the size of a population is limited solely by interaction between

A) Natality and fertility
B) Mortality and fecundity
C) Mortality and survivorship
D) Natality and mortality
E) Life expectancy and survivorship

Question 53

A collection of separate populations that interact with each other is called a metapopulation.

Question 54

Which of the following is an intraspecific interaction?

A) Mutualism
B) Territoriality
C) Parasitism
D) Predation
E) All of these are examples of intraspecific interactions

Question 55

Island biogeography explains the phenomenon of _______ terrestrial species on islands small and far from the mainland when compared to larger islands that are closer to the mainland and have __________ terrestrial species.

A) Fewer; more
B) More; fewer
C) Larger; smaller
D) Smaller; larger
E) Larger; about the same number of

Question 56

The first part of this scenario describes

A) The founder effect or a demographic bottleneck
B) Inbreeding
C) Malthusian strategies
D) Inbreeding or a genetic drift

Question 57

The longest period of life that a given type of organism can reach is known as

A) Survivorship
B) Life span
C) Life expectancy
D) Mortality
E) Fecundity