Question 1

Which of the following best describes a K-selected species?

Accepted Answer

Has a large body size, matures slowly, produces few offspring, and provides extensive parental care

Question 2

A population of rabbits in a meadow has a birth rate of 0.08 per year and a death rate of 0.03 per year. What is the annual per capita rate of increase ($$r) $$for this population?

Accepted Answer

$$r = 0.05$$

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a density-dependent factor regulating population growth?

Accepted Answer

A disease outbreak spreading more rapidly as population density increases

Question 4

In a survivorship curve, what do the axes represent and how would you interpret a Type III curve?

Accepted Answer

X-axis: age; Y-axis: number of survivors; Type III: high mortality early in life, few survive to old age

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the role of a keystone species in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its community relative to its abundance

Question 6

If only 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, how much energy would remain after three trophic transfers starting with 10,000 kcal at the producer level?

Accepted Answer

10 kcal

Question 7

Which of the following is a characteristic feature of the arctic tundra biome?

Accepted Answer

Permafrost, low precipitation, and short growing seasons

Question 8

What is the primary difference between exponential and logistic population growth?

Accepted Answer

Exponential growth assumes unlimited resources, logistic growth includes resource limitation and carrying capacity ($$K)$$

Question 9

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of camouflage as an adaptation?

Accepted Answer

A stick insect resembling twigs to avoid detection by predators

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem service?

Accepted Answer

Pollination of crops by bees, supporting food production

Question 11

If two species have overlapping ecological niches, what is the most likely outcome?

Accepted Answer

One species may outcompete the other, leading to competitive exclusion

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?

Accepted Answer

Oxygen ($$O_2)$$

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the process of herbivory?

Accepted Answer

A caterpillar feeding on the leaves of a plant

Question 14

Which of the following is a correct statement about the carbon cycle?

Accepted Answer

Decomposers return carbon to the atmosphere by breaking down dead organisms

Question 15

Which of the following best describes a population's age structure?

Accepted Answer

The distribution of individuals among different ages in a population

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of a density-independent factor affecting population size?

Accepted Answer

A severe frost killing plants regardless of their density

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the global water cycle?

Accepted Answer

Water cycles through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff between land, atmosphere, and oceans

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of an invasive species?

Accepted Answer

Zebra mussels introduced into North American lakes

Question 19

Which of the following interspecific interactions is correctly matched with its effect on the two species involved?

Accepted Answer

Parasitism: one species benefits, the other is harmed

Question 20

A population of deer is distributed in clumps around water sources in a dry landscape. Which type of dispersion pattern does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Clumped dispersion

Biosphere, Population Ecology, and Ecosystem Dynamics: Study Guide (Chapters 34 & 36)

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