Chapter 5 Quizzes

Why do populations in different countries grow at different rates?

Different countries have different birth rates, Different countries have different death rates, Different countries have different age structures

On your travels through eastern Canada and the United States, you notice gray squirrels everywhere. What can you infer about the squirrels' geographic range?

Grey squirrels have a very large geographic range

Researchers use four characteristics to describe a population. Two of these characteristics are density and distribution, and geographic range. What are the other two characteristics?

Growth rate and age structure

What natural factors can change a population's size?

Immigration, Emigration, Births and deaths

What factors might have contributed to an exponential growth pattern in the history of human population growth?

Improvements in nutrition, healthcare, and sanitation

Why does exponential growth show a characteristic J-shaped curve on a graph?

It shows rapidly increasing population growth due to each generation producing more offspring

How do limiting factors affect the growth of populations?

Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity of environments for populations.

What is a density-independent limiting factor?

A factor that affects populations regardless of their size or density

What is a limiting factor?

A factor that controls the growth of a population

What is an example of a density-independent factor that could severely limit the growth of a population of bats living in a cave?

A flood that fills the cave with water

Which event might cause the carrying capacity of a population to change?

A forest fire

Many factors limit population growth. What is a biotic factor that could affect a population?

A parasite

Which of the following best describes the relationship between competition and population size?

Competition increases as population size increases

Under what conditions do populations grow exponentially?

Conditions of unlimited resources

Which of the following sets of factors can be described as density-dependent limiting factors?

Parasitism, disease, overcrowding stress

What is the characteristic shape of a logistic growth curve?

S-shaped

Which of the following best describes the general trend of human population growth over time?

Slow growth followed by exponential growth starting about 500 years ago; and steady but slower growth today

When is the demographic transition for a population complete?

The birthrate meets the death rate and population growth stops

More dandelion seedlings develop in a lawn than dandelion plants are removed. What is most likely to happen to the lawn's dandelion population?

The dandelion population will likely increase

How are age-structure diagrams useful in predicting future population trends?

They can help predict if the number of individuals likely to have children will increase or decrease