Environmental Science, 11th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 6: Population Biology

Practice Quiz

1
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.
2
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.
3
An "r-adapted" strategy of population growth includes a tendency for
A)factors external to the population to control growth rates.
B)production of many small offspring that mature early.
C)organisms to have short lives and grow rapidly.
D)all of the above.
4
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.
5
The physical ability to reproduce is called
A)fecundity.
B)fertility.
C)natality.
6
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.
7
A demographic bottleneck
A)can lead to an increase in frequency of undesirable traits in a population.
B)involves a severe cutback in population size.
C)can put survival of a population at risk.
D)is characterized by all of the above.
8
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.
9
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.
10
A graph of a population growing at a constant rate would most resemble a
A)straight horizontal line.
B)rising straight line.
C)J curve.
D)straight vertical line.
11
Exponential growth refers to any pattern of increase of the size of a plant or animal population.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
12
Explosive growth better characterizes logistic growth than exponential growth.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
13
A metapopulation is one in which genetic diversity is much reduced.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
14
"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)none of the above
15
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 the above
16
When a population overshoots its carrying capacity resources become limited and death rates rise.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
17
Many species exhibit both exponential (__________) and logistic (_________) population growth characteristics.
A)r selected; K selected
B)K selected; r selected
18
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)1 and 3 are correct
E)2 and 3 are correct
19
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
20
Ecosystems that have very large deer populations tend to
A)be impoverished.
B)have diminished plant diversity.
C)have fewer small mammals and ground dwelling birds.
D)all of the above are correct.
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