BIOL 2260- Midterm UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Ecology The study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the flows of energy
and materials between abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems
Demography the study of rates of births and deaths, age and sex structure, and distribution
Population a group of potentially interbreeding individuals inhabiting a specific area
Density the number of individuals per unit area
Ecological density the number of individuals per unit area of suitable habitat
Crude density the number of individuals with no regard for variation in habitat
Quadrat sampling used when the area of the quadrat is known and the organisms are relatively
immobile during sampling
Mark-recapture used when animals are mobile, so they mark and release animals and then
resample to see what proportion of animals carry marks
Lincoln-Peterson index one way to use mark-recapture data to estimate population size (M/N = m/n)
Accuracy refers to how close an estimate is to the true value
Precision refers to how close repeated estimates are to each other
Confidence interval a range of values that contains the estimated parameter a high proportion of the
time
Calibration When an index is related to the population size
Morisita's index expresses how many times more likely that two individuals will occur in the same
quadrat compared to a random distribution
Rate of increase an indicator of direction and pace of numerical change, but also a measure of
population vigour
Growth increment refers to the difference in population size at two times
Quadrat an arbitrary sampling unit of known area
Extent in terms of scale, includes the size of a study area
Resolution in terms of scale, includes the area of a quadrat, grab, or net
, Sampling taking measurements of abundance such as density, frequency, biomass, or
presence-absence
Unbiased each unit has the same chance of being chosen
Independant the selection of one unit has no influence on the selection of other units
1-dimensional environment a transect, road, or trail
2-dimensional environment a forest or ocean floor
CORRECT Answers
Ecology The study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the flows of energy
and materials between abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems
Demography the study of rates of births and deaths, age and sex structure, and distribution
Population a group of potentially interbreeding individuals inhabiting a specific area
Density the number of individuals per unit area
Ecological density the number of individuals per unit area of suitable habitat
Crude density the number of individuals with no regard for variation in habitat
Quadrat sampling used when the area of the quadrat is known and the organisms are relatively
immobile during sampling
Mark-recapture used when animals are mobile, so they mark and release animals and then
resample to see what proportion of animals carry marks
Lincoln-Peterson index one way to use mark-recapture data to estimate population size (M/N = m/n)
Accuracy refers to how close an estimate is to the true value
Precision refers to how close repeated estimates are to each other
Confidence interval a range of values that contains the estimated parameter a high proportion of the
time
Calibration When an index is related to the population size
Morisita's index expresses how many times more likely that two individuals will occur in the same
quadrat compared to a random distribution
Rate of increase an indicator of direction and pace of numerical change, but also a measure of
population vigour
Growth increment refers to the difference in population size at two times
Quadrat an arbitrary sampling unit of known area
Extent in terms of scale, includes the size of a study area
Resolution in terms of scale, includes the area of a quadrat, grab, or net
, Sampling taking measurements of abundance such as density, frequency, biomass, or
presence-absence
Unbiased each unit has the same chance of being chosen
Independant the selection of one unit has no influence on the selection of other units
1-dimensional environment a transect, road, or trail
2-dimensional environment a forest or ocean floor
