Ecology Concept 2 Quiz
Rosemary Grant and Peter Grant studied different species of finches in the Galapagos Islands from 1976-1988. What factor(s) were attributed changes in the population of finches?
A mixture of biological and environmental factors such as drought and flower damage by finches, affected the finch populations.
Choose the species that is most vulnerable to extinction based on Rabinowitz's criteria of rarity.
A species with a restricted geographic range, narrow habitat tolerance, and small population size
Choose the species with the fastest dispersal rate.
Africanized honey bees
Identify the factor(s) that will cause a population to stop growing exponentially.
All of these are factors that stop a population from growing exponentially.
Which of the following is true about desert creosote bush distribution?
All the answers are correct
Which type of organisms are characteristic of a type II survivorship curve?
American robins and white crowned sparrows
What correlation exists between the per capita rate of increase and the population size during logistic population growth?
As the population size increases, the per capita rate of increase will decrease.
Complete each sentence with the correct term.
At large scales, the human population exhibits a CLUMPED distribution. At this time, most of the human population lives in ASIA . The highest human population densities are found in COASTAL regions of all continents.
What increases the size of a population?
Births Immigration
Identify the typical pattern of dispersal among small populations of butterflies.
Butterflies tend to move from small populations to larger populations.
The distribution of trees along moisture gradients is _____________
Clumped
Which type of life table is done based on a group of individuals born at the same time?
Cohort life table
What maintains populations of river and stream organisms that are constantly moving downstream due to drift?
Colonization cycle
Which of the following factors are important in regulating a realized niche?
Competition Predation Disease
Which of the following describes density-dependent factors that affect populations?
Competition Predation Parasitism Effects depend on the size of the population
Which type of plant life history is described as plants that dominant under conditions of low disturbance and low stress?
Competitive Plants
Which is an example of r-selected species?
Dandelions Cockroaches
What decreases the size of a population?
Deaths Emigration
Complete each sentence about trends in human global population size and growth rates with the correct term
During the past 500 years, the human population has experienced or exceeded EXPONENTIAL growth rates. The global human population is expected to continue to GROW past the year 2050. Annual growth rates in the past 50-60 years indicate a DECLINE.
What R0 value indicates a stable population?
Equal to 1
The following graphs is an example of which of the following?
Exponential model
As animal size increases, population density tends to increase also.
False
K selected species have type III survivorship curves.
False
K selected species mature more quickly.
False
r selected species have a low intrinsic rate of increase.
False
Which of the following reproductive traits describe species with delayed reproduction?
Fewer offspring Stronger, more experienced parents
Considering their life histories, which of the following organisms would use a static life table?
Galapagos tortoise Redwood tree
Which of the following describes exponential growth?
Growth rate is positive and population size is increasing. Results in a J-shaped curve Occurs when an organism reaches a new habitat with abundant resources
Which of the following are features of a declining population?
Has a negative per capita rate of increase (r) Occurs when the birthrate is lower than the death rate
Which of the following are features of a stable population?
Has zero per capita rate of increase (r) Typically found in developed countries
Which describes a regular distribution type?
Highly territorial species Colonial group of birds defending its own nest site
Hunting and habitat destruction reduced the whooping crane to a single, small population in 1940. Protection and intensive management have led to a dramatic recovery and an example of exponential population growth of a species. Complete each statement below with the correct answer.
In 1940, the whooping crane population was at LOW densities. The whooping crane population grew exponentially after protection and management of winter breeding grounds in THE UNITED STATES. Eventually, the population growth rate of whooping cranes will be LIMITED by its environment and will level off.
Korpimaki and Norrdahl (1991) conducted a 10-year study of voles and their main predators, kestrels and owls. During the study, the densities of kestrels and owls matched those of vole populations. The figure shows the numerical response of the kestrels and owls. Which of the following explains the relationship between kestrels and owls?
Kestrels and owls must disperse seasonally in response to local vole populations
Which of the following reproductive traits describe species with early reproduction?
More offspring Higher probability of parental death Lower growth rate of parents
Can the distribution of barnacles within the marine intertidal zone be explained solely by abiotic environmental factors?
No, differences in the physical environment only partially explain the distributions of barnacles. Biological influences such as competition are also important for the distribution of species
Turner and Trexler (1998) tried to determine the extent to which life history differences among populations might influence gene flow between populations. What are the evolutionary implications of the positive relationship between the number of eggs produced and gene flow in darter species in this study?
Populations of darter species that produce fewer larger eggs are more isolated genetically from other populations. These populations will differentiate genetically more rapidly than those species that produce many smaller eggs.
Which of the following statements is true about Maples?
Reached its present range 3 times faster than Hemlocks Has a broader range
Investigate the cost of reproduction by completing each sentence.
Reproductive trade-offs exist because resources are LIMITED. A bird that lays many eggs is likely to lay SMALLER eggs than a bird that lays few eggs. If a bird lays many eggs one season, it is likely to lay FEWER eggs the following year. In fact, a very large reproductive effort can lead to MORTALITY of the parent.
Which type of plant life history is described as plants that dominant under conditions of high disturbance and low stress?
Ruderals
Which of the following are characteristics of r-selected populations?
Short life span Fast to mature Many offspring Little or no care of offspring
Identify the potential reason for the lack of 6-year-old individuals within the population.
Six years ago there was a drought that prevent successful reproduction.
Based on Grime's classification, predict the size and number of seeds produced by plants associated mainly with disturbed habitats.
Small and Many
What do metapopulations of lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) and Rocky Mountain Parnassian butterflies (Parnassium smintheus) have in common?
Small groups of both lesser kestrels and Rocky Mountain butterflies are more likely to disperse or emigrate from smaller to larger to subpopulations.
Which describes a random distribution type?
Species that do not strongly interact with each other Least common in nature
If the proportion of individuals in each age class is constant in a population, then the population would have what type of distribution?
Stable age distribution
Which type of plant life history is described as plants that dominant under conditions of low disturbance and high stress?
Stress tolerant plants
Which two variables are required to calculate the net reproductive rate (R0)?
Survivorship data Number of individuals produced
Which of the following factors are important in regulating a fundamental niche?
Temperature Oxygen Salinity
Complete each sentence with the correct term about adult survival and reproductive allocation
The allocation of energy, time, and other resources to the production and care of offspring is called an animal's REPRODUCTIVE EFFORT Where adult survival is lower, organisms begin reproducing at a(n) EARLIER age and invest a GREATER proportion of their energy budget into reproduction. Where adult survival is higher, organisms begin reproduction at a(n) LATER age and allocate a SMALLER proportion of their resources to reproduction. In the study by Shine and Charnov (1992), survival of adult snake and lizards INCREASES as the age of sexual maturity increases.
Identify the description of how a biologist would determine a population's age distribution.
The biologist would calculate the difference in proportion of individuals who are found in the various age classes within a population.
Identify all of the factors that will influence the growth of populations in aquatic and terrestrial communities.
The presence of abundant resources The availability of sunlight Variety of predators that live in the community
Identify all of the factors that would be associated with the study of population dynamics.
The survival rate of howler monkey offspring has declined by 12% in the past year due to a virus that they have contracted from spider monkeys. This year deer hunters in Illinois were not very successful and the annual harvest was down by 23% compared to last year.
Complete each sentence with the correct term.
The total number of individuals, or biomass, of a species present in a specified area is species ABUNDANCE . Population DENSITY is the number of individuals in a population per unit area. A group of individuals of a single species inhabiting a specific area is a POPULATION.
Complete each sentence with the correct term.
The total number of individuals, or biomass, of a species present in a specified area is species ABUNDANCE. Population DENSITY is the number of individuals in a population per unit area. A group of individuals of a single species inhabiting a specific area is a POPULATION.
Fill in the blank in each sentence with the correct term.
The value, usually symbolized by r, equals per capita birth rate minus per capita death rate: PER CAPITA RATE OF INCREASE The ratio of the population size at two points in time is the GEOMETRIC RATE OF INCREASE of a population. The average number of offspring produced by an individual in a population is the NET REPRODUCTIVE RATE.
Identify what would happen to a population of stream invertebrates if the upper section of the stream was dammed causing the water levels and flow downstream to decrease.
There would be a gradual decrease in the stream population of invertebrates due to the disruption of the colonization cycle.
Gonadosomatic index is a measure of reproductive effort.
True
Population growth depends on changes in the biotic and abiotic environment.
True
r selected species are weak competitors.
True
Why are studies of past dispersal events, such as that of maple and hemlock after retreat of the glaciers 16,000 years ago, applicable to present day?
Understanding past dispersal in response to climate change can be applied to modern studies of range changes and climate.
Complete each sentence with the correct term about plant growth forms based on the study by Westoby, Leishman, and Lord (1996).
Vines are classified as CLIMBERS. Grasses and grass-like plants, such as sedges and rushes, are classified as GRAMINOIDS. Plants with thick stems, such as large trees, are classified as WOODY. Herbaceous plants are classified as FORBS
Which of the following describes density-independent factors that affect populations?
Weather Natural disasters Effects are the same for all population sizes
Ecologists are re-introducing the once extinct beaver back into Britain. If the initial population size is 30 and a yearlater there are 40, answer the following questions (use two decimal places).
What is the geometric rate of increase (λ)? 1.33 How many beavers will there be in five years? 124.85 How long will it take the beaver population to reach 500 following the first year of reintroduction? 8.86
Which of the following species have been observed to have sigmoid growth rates, either in the laboratory or in nature?
Yeast Paramecium Elephant Seals
An organism's life history is best defined as
the adaptations of an organism that influence aspects of its biology, such as the number of offspring it produces, its survival, and its size and age at reproductive maturity.
Population dynamics are best defined as
the factors influencing the expansion, decline, or maintenance of populations.
Which of the following describes carrying capacity?
two of the answers are correct
