Question 1

Which of the following factors is considered density-dependent in regulating population size?

Accepted Answer

Competition for resources

Question 2

A population of lizards has an A allele frequency of 0.2. If blue morphs have the BB genotype, what is the expected frequency of blue morphs under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

$0.04$

Question 3

Which statistical test would be used to compare the means of two independent samples to determine if they are significantly different?

Accepted Answer

Two sample t-test

Question 4

According to Tinbergen’s four questions, understanding the evolutionary history of a behavior is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Ultimate causation

Question 5

The escape response in minnows triggered by a chemical cue from a predator is best classified as:

Accepted Answer

Fixed action pattern and innate behavior

Question 6

Inclusive fitness theory states that:

Accepted Answer

Producing your own offspring and helping close relatives reproduce will ensure that your own genes are passed on.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a mechanism of density-dependent regulation?

Accepted Answer

Natural disasters

Question 8

If a population of white-footed mice experiences high density, which physiological change is most likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

Delay in sexual maturation and depressed immune system

Question 9

Which dispersion pattern is most commonly observed in populations where resources are patchy and individuals aggregate?

Accepted Answer

Clumped

Question 10

A survivorship curve that shows high mortality early in life and low mortality later is characteristic of:

Accepted Answer

Type III

Question 11

Which population growth pattern is characterized by predictable boom-and-bust cycles, such as those seen in hare-lynx populations?

Accepted Answer

Cyclic

Question 12

If the mean exam score is $\mu = 74.3$ and the standard deviation is $\sigma = 17.3$, what does the standard deviation represent?

Accepted Answer

The spread of scores around the mean

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Natural disasters

Question 14

In a population where birth rates equal death rates, the population size is expected to:

Accepted Answer

Remain stable

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of inferential statistics?

Accepted Answer

Two sample t-test

Question 16

What is the primary adaptive benefit of offspring helping parents raise siblings in Florida Scrub Jays?

Accepted Answer

Increased chance of picking up a territory when older

Question 17

Which survivorship curve is most likely to describe humans and elephants?

Accepted Answer

Type I

Question 18

What is the effect of increasing kelp perch density on death rate, as shown in the kelp-perch graph?

Accepted Answer

Death rate increases

Question 19

Which pattern of dispersion is most likely to occur in wind-dispersed plants within a uniform environment?

Accepted Answer

Random

Question 20

Why might polytomies arise in phylogenetic trees built using nuclear genes?

Accepted Answer

Nuclear genes evolve so slowly that you can gain multiple polytomies.

L17: Population Ecology and Behavioral Ecology: Study Notes

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards