APES Chapter 9 Study Guide
1. Which of the following statements about sea otters is false?
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They use tools,
They have the thickest fur of any mammal.
They can eat 25% of their weight per day in sea urchins and other benthic
organisms.
They have blubber to keep them warm.
2. What type of species is the sea otter/
3. Define the term population dynamics.
4. What is the most common pattern of population dispersion found in nature?
5. As an ecologist you study the population dynamics of an ecosystem. While
observing you notice that the resources are not evenly distributed. You are asked
to make prediction about the population dispersion pattern. You predict the
pattern to be__________________________________.
6. You are studying a species and observe uniform dispersion. You predict the
longer you make observations you will find
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interspecific competition and evenly spread, abundant resources.
interspecific predation and evenly spread, scarce resources.
intraspecific competition and evenly spread, scarce resources.
intraspecific competition and evenly spread, abundant resources.
commensalism and clumped resources.
7. Name and describe what is meant by a population’s age structure.
8. Define emigration.
9. True/False: The biotic potential of a population is the maximum reproductive rate
of a population. If false, make true.
10. Biotic potential is determined by ______________________________________.
11. Environmental resistance is enhanced by
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a high reproductive rate.
a specialized niche.
the ability to resist disease and parasites.
the ability to compete for resources.
12. A population increases if the _________________________ increases.
13. Which of the following factors leads to an increase in biotic ppotential?
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too much of too little light
too many competitors
optimal level of critical nutrients
specialized niche
low reproductive rates
14. Define carrying capacity.
15. Name the shape of a logistic growth curve and an exponential growth curve.
16. When would a population crash occur – when the population approaches its
carrying capacity or over shoots its carrying capacity?
17. When a population grows and overshoots its carrying capacity and crashes it does
so most likely from
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a positive feedback loop
a negative feedback loop
an accumulation
a time delay between a positive feedback loop and a negative feedback loop.
18. How have humans extended the Earth’s carrying capacity for the human species?
19. List some density-dependent controls.
20. List some density-independent controls.
21. List the general types of population change curves.
22. Which population change curve best describes the type of population change
expected where you would find a monkey in an undisturbed section of the
Brazilian rain forest?
23. Which population change curve best describes the pattern you would expect to
find for rabbits and coyotes in an undisturbed habitat?
24. Which population change curve best describes the type of population change
expected where you would find for a muskrat population in a state that has just
outlawed trapping?
25. Wolves controlling deer population is an example of _____________________
control.
26. Review Figure 9-10.
True/False: An r- strategist usually
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has a low biotic potential.
is small and short lived.
survives to reproduce.
reproduces lat in life.
gives much parental care to its offspring.
True/False: K-strategists
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have high genetic diversity.
exhibit fast rates of evolution.
are generally less adaptable to change that r-strategists.
reach reproductive age rapidly.
are more responsive to environmental changes than r-strategists
True/False: A K-strategist usually
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has populations that rise quickly and then crash.
generally lives in a rapidly changing environment.
have short generation times.
has populations that follow and S-shaped growth curve.
exhibits “boom and bust” cycles.
Give an example of a r-strategist and a K-strategist.
27. Define the term survivorship curve. Name the three generalized types of
survivorship curves.
28. Based on your answer to #27, answer the following questions.
Which of the following best describes the survivorship curve you would expect to find
for a mountain gorilla?
Which of the following best describes the survivorship curve you would expect to find
for a fish?
29. Which of the following connections among population cycle, survival strategies,
and survivorship curves would you most expect to see?
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stable; K-strategist; early loss
stable; r-strategist; early loss
stable; r-selected species; late loss
boom-and-bust; K-strategist; early loss
boom-and-bust; r-strategist; early loss
30. Which of the following ethical principles does not apply to conservation biology?
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Biodiversity and ecological integrity are useful and necessary to all life on Earth
and should not be reduced by human actions.
Humans should not interfere with the ongoing processes of biological evolution.
The best way to preserve Earth’s genetic and species diversity and ecological
integrity is to preserve its habitats, niches, and ecological interactions.
Humans should use genetic engineering to improve species as human resources
31. Conservation biologists would least emphasize which of the following strategies?
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protect ecosystems.
sustain ecosystems.
protect individual species form human-initiated sharp declines.
rehabilitate degraded ecosystems.
32. What ethical principle is most important to conservation biology?
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We should live lightly on earth.
Do that which tends to maintain Earth’s life-support systems for us and other
species.
People should be held responsible for their own pollution.
Human population growth must be reduces.
No human culture should become extinct because of the actions of other humans.
33. Which of the following questions is a conservation biologist least likely to ask?
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How can ecosystem integrity be maintained?
What is the status of the natural populations in this ecosystem?
How can we sustain viable populations of wild species?
How does sulfur cycle in this ecosystem?
What ecosystem services are we in danger of losing in this ecosystem?
34. Which species from the following list is least vulnerable to habitat fragmentation?
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specialists
generalists
large predators
keystone species
migratory species
35. As a conservation biologist in the western U.S. which of the following thoughts is
most likely to cross your mind?
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How is the cougar adapted to this ecosystem?
I am concerned that fragmentation is affecting the size and quality of the
ecosystem and that it will affect natural wildlife populations.
I need the help of a specialist in bioinformatics to help me build a database of
biological information about this ecosystem.
I wonder if the proposed corridor is wide enough to be useful to the cougars.
36. How have humans interfered in the development of natural ecosystems?
37. Why did the WHO initiate spraying in Borneo (Brunei)?
38. How did the WHO control sylvatic plague in Borneo (Brunei)?
39. True/False: Natural ecosystems of usually capable of self-maintenance and selfrenewal. If false, make true.
40. Which of the following are key features of living systems?
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limits
predictability
diversity
interdependence
41. Which of the following are basic lessons from nature?
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Soil, water, air, and organisms are renewed through natural processes.
All populations of organisms except humans are kept in check by natural means.
Energy is required to maintain energy flow and recycle chemicals.
There are always limits to population growth and resource consumption.
Sunlight is the source of energy that sustains ecosystems.
Please note:
1. There will be 8 true and false questions.
Make sure you review:
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What influences the size of a species’ population?
The relationship between population growth rate and carrying capacity.
What happens to species diversity when a population overshoots the
environment’s carrying capacity?
Can the human population continue yielding a J-shaped growth curve due to
technology?
Carrying capacity (definition).
What happens to the population’s biotic potential when a population reaches
carrying capacity – does it decline (increase) to a consistent value slightly greater
(less) than the original.
Is the effect of population increase or environmental resistance felt (not felt)
instantly in most cases?
Do highly developed countries have a high population growth rate because the
birth rate is so high?
2. There will be 10 matching questions with diagrams.