Biology Ch 36 Study Guide

The pattern of distribution for a certain species of kelp is clumped. We would expect that the pattern of distribution for a population of snails that live on the kelp would be A) homogeneous. B) clumped. C) uniform. D) random.

clumped

A human population will achieve zero population growth if A) abiotic factors limiting population size. B) carrying capacity .C) a density-independent effect. D) a density-dependent effect.

couples have an average of about 2.25 children each (to account for some children who do not survive to reproduce).

If most of the individuals of a human population are in their pre-reproductive years, you would expect the population size to ________ after 20 years. A) decrease and then stabilize B) increase C) decrease D) stay the same

increase

The density of Douglas firs in an old-growth forest is estimated by counting the Douglas firs in four sample plots of 1 hectare each. The number of fir trees in the plots is 10, 12, 7, and 11, respectively. What is the estimated density of firs in the forest? A) 10 trees per hectare B) 5 trees per hectare C) 20 trees per hectare D) 25 trees per hectare

10 trees per hectare

A population of fungi in a yard produces 10 mushrooms in year 1, 20 in year 2, and 40 in year 3. If this trend continues, by year 5 there will be ________ mushrooms. A) 40 B) 80 C) 160 D) 320

160

Consider a stable frog population living at carrying capacity in a pond. If an average female produces 6,000 eggs during her lifetime and an average of 300 tadpoles hatch from these eggs, howmany of these tadpoles will, on average, survive to reproduce? A) 0 B) more than 100 C) 2 D) 10 to 20

2

The human population on Earth is expected to reach 9.5 billion people by A) 2093. B) 3150. C) 2050. D) 2015

2050

A test tube is inoculated with 1 × 103 cells of a bacterial strain that has a generation time of 30 minutes. The carrying capacity of the test tube for this strain is 6 × 109 cells. What will the bacterial population be after 90 minutes of culturing? A) 1 × 1012 B) 3 × 103 C) 8 × 103 D) 1 × 109

8 × 10^3

An ecologist hypothesizes that predation by a particular owl species is the major factor controlling the population of a particular rabbit species. If this is the case, which of the following population effects could be expected in this rabbit-owl pair? A) An increase in the owl population should cause a fall in the rabbit population. B) A fall in the owl population should cause a fall in the rabbit population. C) A fall in the rabbit population should cause an increase in the owl population. D) An increase in the incidence of disease in the rabbit population should not change the owl population.

An increase in the owl population should cause a fall in the rabbit population

Which of the following statements about human population growth is true? A) Demographic transition is a transition from high birth rates and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates. B) Human population size on Earth today is at equilibrium. C) During a demographic transition, birth rates typically drop first due to the availability of reliable contraception. D) Human population size has increased faster and faster throughout human history.

Demographic transition is a transition from high birth rates and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates.

If a population has a birth rate of 40 individuals per 1,000 per year and a death rate of 30 individuals per 1,000 per year, how will the population change each year? (Assume that the population is below carrying capacity and that there is no immigration or emigration.) A) It will increase by 1%. B) It will increase by 5%. C) It will increase by 100%. D) It will decrease by 70%.

It will increase by 1%

Which of the following statements about insecticides is true? A) Prey species often have a higher reproductive rate than do predators. B) Simply killing many individuals is often the best way to reduce the size of a pest population. C) To control agricultural pests, pest management uses biological controls, chemicals, or cultural methods, but never a combination of these. D) Most insecticides kill the pest but not the pest's natural predators.

Prey species often have a higher reproductive rate than do predators.

Guppies from Trinidad form two distinct populations that differ in several life history traits that appear to relate to the local predator populations, pike-cichlids or killifish. Which of the following experiments would test the heritability of these traits? A) Introduce cichlids into a habitat with killifish. B) Raise both populations without predators to see if they maintain their life history traits. C) Raise both populations with cichlids to see if the population of smaller, faster-maturing guppies reproduces more quickly. D) Provide additional food to the guppies from cichlid habitats to see if they will grow to the same size as guppies from the killifish habitat.

Raise both populations without predators to see if they maintain their life history traits

Which of the following statements about human demographic trends is true? A) The movement from high birth rates and low death rates to low birth rates and high death rates is called the demographic transition. B) After 1950, mortality rates increased rapidly in most developing countries. C) A human population in which women reproduce at an later age will experience slower population growth. D) As women's status and education increase, they choose to have more children.

The movement from high birth rates and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates is called the demographic transition.

Which of the following is most clearly a case of density-dependent population regulation? A) a dangerous new flu strain that is transmitted among humans by sneezing B) the occurrence of rainstorms for an opportunistic desert annual C) the summer drying of savanna grass for an insect that feeds on grass sap D) the first hard frost of fall for a population of annual morning glory vines

a dangerous new flu strain that is transmitted among humans by sneezing

Which of the following organisms best illustrates K-selection? A) a species of weed that quickly spreads into a region of cleared trees B) a polar bear producing one or two cubs every three years C) the production of thousands of eggs every spring by frogs D) mice that produce three litters of 10-15 babies in the course of a summer

a polar bear producing one or two cubs every three years

In terms of population dynamics, what is "boom-and-bust" cycling? A) a situation in which a growing population overshoots the carrying capacity of its environment and experiences a crash before stabilizing B) a situation in which the sex ratio in a population shows repeated oscillations C) a situation in which a population moves back and forth between rapid growth and decline D) a situation in which the populations of a predator species and a prey species oscillate in unison

a situation in which a population moves back and forth between rapid growth and decline

A demographic tool used to predict a population's future growth is A) a hairline growth curve. B) demographic transition. C) age structures. D) maximum sustained growth.

age structures

Which of the following is an example of a population? A) the various plants found in prairies in the western United States B) all of the microorganisms on your skin C) all students attending colleges and universities in your state D) all of the students in your classroom

all of the students in your classroom

The maximum number of individuals a habitat can support is called its A) carrying capacity. B) density-dependent factor. C) community size. D) reproductive potential.

carrying capacity

In the logistic growth model, as population size increases, birth rates A) decline and/or death rates increase. B) and death rates increase. C) decline but death rates remain steady. D) remain constant and death rates increase.

decline and/or death rates increase

Which of the following will likely decrease a population's size? A) practicing sustainable resource management in its habitat B) improving the quality of its habitat C) increasing the size of its habitat D) decreasing the food supply available to the population

decreasing the food supply available to the population

Assume that there are five alligators per acre in a swamp in northern Florida. This is a measure of the alligator population's A) intrinsic rate of increase. B) dispersion. C) density. D) range.

density

The death by bubonic plague of about one-third of Europe's population during the fourteenth century is a good example of

density-dependent effect

A survivorship curve that involves producing very few offspring, each of which has a high probability of surviving to adulthood, is typical of A) sea stars. B) oysters. C) rodents. D) elephants.

elephants

A survivorship curve is a A) model for population growth that incorporates the concept of carrying capacity. B) graph that plots an individual's likelihood of being alive as a function of age. C) graph that plots an individual's likelihood of reproducing as a function of age. D) graph that shows the effect of predation on a prey population.

graph that plots an individual's likelihood of being alive as a function of age.

An r-selected species typically A) lives in stable climates. B) is large-bodied and long-lived. C) offers considerable parental care to offspring. D) has an advantage in habitats that experience unpredictable disturbances.

has an advantage in habitats that experience unpredictable disturbances

An ecological footprint A) measures dispersion and adaptability. B) is a means of determining increases in populations that lived in the past. C) is a means of understanding resource availability and usage. D) will estimate population movements.

is a means of understanding resource availability and usage.

The world human population A) is growing faster now than ever before. B) has leveled off at carrying capacity. C) is growing, but at a slower rate than in the last century. D) is starting to decline.

is growing, but at a slower rate than in the last century

A newly mated queen ant establishes an ant nest in an unoccupied patch of suitable habitat. The population of the nest grows quickly at first, then levels off at carrying capacity. Which of the following types of equation will best describe its population growth? A) logistic B) linear C) exponential D) logarithmic

logistic

A Type I survivorship curve is associated with which of the following life history traits? A) parents providing extended care for their young B) a short life span for most individuals C) large numbers of offspring being produced D) infant mortality being much greater than adult mortality

parents providing extended care for their young

To obtain optimal production in a small garden, one should A) plant seeds in rows with minimal spacing between rows. B) sow seeds randomly throughout the garden. C) plant seeds in a uniform pattern throughout the garden. D) plant seeds in clumps with large spaces between clumps.

plant seeds in a uniform pattern throughout the garden.

A group of individuals of a single species that occupy the same general area defines a A) clone. B) subspecies. C) community. D) population.

population

What is the age structure of a population? A) the difference in the age distribution of a population at two different points in time B) the proportion of individuals in different age groups C) the curve that results when the likelihood of being alive is plotted as a function of age D) the curve that results when the likelihood of dying is plotted as a function of age

proportion of individuals in different age groups

If an ecosystem has a carrying capacity of 1,000 individuals for a given species, and 2,000 individuals of that species are present, we can predict that the population A) size will slowly increase. B) will show a clumped dispersion pattern. C) size will decrease. D) size will remain at equilibrium.

size will decrease

The age structure of the United States in 2010 shows A) a broad base, suggesting a low birth rate. B) that a greater proportion of the population is elderly now than in earlier decades. C) a broad base, suggesting a high birth rate. D) that the United States has not yet gone through a demographic transition.

that a greater proportion of the population is elderly now than in earlier decades.

A tidal wave wipes out the entire population of mice living on an island. This is an example of A) Type III survivorship. B) the interaction between density-dependent and abiotic factors. C) the effects of abiotic factors. D) a density-dependent effect.

the effects of abiotic factors

You drive through Iowa in the spring and notice that along a stretch of several kilometers, every third fence post has a male redwing blackbird perched on it defending its nesting territory. This is an example of A) clumped dispersion. B) random dispersion. C) artificial dispersion. D) uniform dispersion.

uniform dispersion

An ecologist hypothesizes that predation by a particular owl species is the major factor controlling the population of a particular rabbit species. The first step in testing this hypothesis would be to determine A) whether the owls eat the rabbits. B) to which diseases the rabbit population is subject. C) whether populations of the rabbit that live outside the range of the owl have higher population densities D) what food the rabbits eat.

whether the owls eat the rabbits