Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between innate and learned animal behaviors?

Accepted Answer

Innate behaviors are genetically inherited and present at birth, while learned behaviors develop over an organism's lifetime through experience.

Question 2

A population of rabbits in a field grows according to the exponential growth model. If the intrinsic rate of increase is $r = 0.2$ per month and the current population size is $N = 100$, what is the expected change in population size per month ($\frac{dN}{dt}$)?

Accepted Answer

$\frac{dN}{dt} = 20$

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Increased spread of disease as population density rises

Question 4

Which pattern of dispersion is most likely to result from strong territorial behavior among individuals of a species?

Accepted Answer

Uniform

Question 5

According to the logistic growth model, what happens to the population growth rate as the population size ($N$) approaches the carrying capacity ($K$)?

Accepted Answer

The growth rate slows and approaches zero

Question 6

Which of the following best illustrates resource partitioning in a biological community?

Accepted Answer

Two bird species feeding on insects at different heights in the same tree

Question 7

Which of the following is a positive feedback loop in biological systems?

Accepted Answer

The release of oxytocin during childbirth intensifying uterine contractions

Question 8

A population of deer is limited by food availability, which decreases as the population grows. Which type of population regulation is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

Density-dependent regulation

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a component of homeostasis in animals?

Accepted Answer

Producer

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the relationship between mutualism and commensalism?

Accepted Answer

Both are positive interactions, but in mutualism both species benefit, while in commensalism only one benefits and the other is unaffected.

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor affecting an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Soil pH

Question 12

A scientist observes that a population of fish in a lake has a high birth rate but also a high death rate, resulting in little net population growth. Which life history strategy does this population most likely exhibit?

Accepted Answer

r-selection

Question 13

Which of the following equations represents the logistic growth model for population size $N$ with carrying capacity $K$ and intrinsic rate of increase $r$?

Accepted Answer

$\frac{dN}{dt} = rN \left( \frac{K-N}{K} \right)$

Question 14

Which of the following best explains why ecological trade-offs are common in nature?

Accepted Answer

Organisms have limited energy and resources, so investing in one function (such as reproduction) reduces the resources available for others (such as survival).

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

A severe frost killing most plants in a region

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

It has a disproportionately large effect on community structure relative to its abundance.

Question 17

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of competitive exclusion?

Accepted Answer

Two species of barnacles competing for the same space on a rocky shore, with one species eventually eliminating the other from that habitat

Question 18

Which of the following is a real-world example of primary succession?

Accepted Answer

Colonization of bare rock after a volcanic eruption

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the hierarchical organization of ecology from smallest to largest?

Accepted Answer

Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere

Question 20

Which of the following is a likely consequence of introducing a new pathogen into a previously unexposed ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A rapid decline in native species populations due to lack of immunity

Ecology and Population Biology: Study Notes

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards