Populations and Biological Communities
Exam prep
Which type of factors has the biggest impact on an organism's life history?
a. Factors unique to the organism's survival and fitness
b. Physiological factors
c. Factors related to the predators of that species
d. Environmental factors - correct answersa
Which of these large organisms has a type I survivorship curve?
a. An insect
b. A gorilla
c. A giant sequoia
d. A songbird - correct answersb
Which of the following is an indirect indicator that biologists can use to estimate a population's density?
a. The number of previously tagged animals they trap
b. All of the answers are correct.
c. Counting the number of nests in an area
d. Counting the number of organisms in an area - correct answersc
According to the r/K selection theory, an r-selected species has which of the following characteristics?
a. It is best suited to live in an unstable environment, it is short-lived, and produces a large number of
offspring, each of which receives little parental investment.
b. It is best suited to live in an unstable environment, it is short-lived, and produces a large number of
offspring, each of which receives a lot of parental investment.
c. It is best suited to live in a stable environment, it is long-lived, and produces a small number of
offspring, each of which receives a lot of parental investment.
d. It is best suited to live in a stable environment, it is short-lived, and produces a large number of
offspring, each of which receives little parental investment. - correct answersa
Which of the following is a key feature of the life histories of species that have a type III survivorship
curve?
a. A relatively steady death rate throughout the species' entire life history.
b. A high death rate in the oldest age groups.
c. Production of a small number of offspring, each of which receives a lot of parental investment.
d. Production of a large number of small offspring, each of which receives little parental investment. -
correct answersd
What is niche differentiation?
a. When geographic separation allows one species to evolve into two or more different species.
b. When one or more species find a new food source or other resource to exploit in order to avoid
interspecific competition with similar species.
c. When more than one species with almost the same fundamental niche adapt to become specialists in
different aspects of the fundamental niche.
, d. When one species out competes another in a particular niche to exclude it from the niche. - correct
answersc
What is the major difference between competitive exclusion and local extinction?
a. In competitive exclusion, a species disappears completely from an area, while in local extinction a
species disappears only from a part of a local area.
b. In competitive exclusion, a species disappears completely from an area, while in local extinction a
species becomes specialists in certain parts of a local area.
c. In competitive exclusion, a species is excluded from a local area but does not completely disappear,
while in local extinction a species disappears completely from that area.
d. In competitive exclusion, a species specializes in certain parts of a local area, while in local extinction a
species disappears from part of the local area. - correct answersc
What is an ecomorph?
a. A genus of organisms that all fill the same niche.
b. A species that is found only in one specific ecosystem.
c. All of the populations that share the same fundamental niche within an ecosystem.
d. A population that has recently evolved physical variations to adapt to a specific microenvironment. -
correct answersd
What is interspecific competition?
a. When two or more species in a community are competing for resources.
b. When similar species with similar niches become specialists in specific areas and create more than
one specific niche, which allows both species to coexist.
c. When two or more members of the same species in a community are competing for resources.
d. When populations that have recently evolved physical variations to adapt to specific
microenvironments out-compete all other species. - correct answersa
According to this graph, at which elevation is the population density of Species A the highest?
a. 4,000 ft
b. 3,000 ft
c. 5,000 ft
d. 6,000 ft - correct answersc
What is a characteristic of animals that use chemicals for defense?
a. They usually use their speed for defense.
b. They rely on Batesian mimicry for defense.
c. They rarely use camouflage as a defense.
d. They rely on Mullerian mimicry for defense. - correct answersc
What is coevolution?
a. Coevolution occurs when two different species evolve in the same way to avoid being preyed upon by
the same predator.
b. Coevolution occurs when the fitness of two different species is tightly linked and these two species
evolve in response to evolutionary changes in each other.
c. Coevolution occurs when two very different predators evolve similar hunting styles to feed on the
same types of prey.
Exam prep
Which type of factors has the biggest impact on an organism's life history?
a. Factors unique to the organism's survival and fitness
b. Physiological factors
c. Factors related to the predators of that species
d. Environmental factors - correct answersa
Which of these large organisms has a type I survivorship curve?
a. An insect
b. A gorilla
c. A giant sequoia
d. A songbird - correct answersb
Which of the following is an indirect indicator that biologists can use to estimate a population's density?
a. The number of previously tagged animals they trap
b. All of the answers are correct.
c. Counting the number of nests in an area
d. Counting the number of organisms in an area - correct answersc
According to the r/K selection theory, an r-selected species has which of the following characteristics?
a. It is best suited to live in an unstable environment, it is short-lived, and produces a large number of
offspring, each of which receives little parental investment.
b. It is best suited to live in an unstable environment, it is short-lived, and produces a large number of
offspring, each of which receives a lot of parental investment.
c. It is best suited to live in a stable environment, it is long-lived, and produces a small number of
offspring, each of which receives a lot of parental investment.
d. It is best suited to live in a stable environment, it is short-lived, and produces a large number of
offspring, each of which receives little parental investment. - correct answersa
Which of the following is a key feature of the life histories of species that have a type III survivorship
curve?
a. A relatively steady death rate throughout the species' entire life history.
b. A high death rate in the oldest age groups.
c. Production of a small number of offspring, each of which receives a lot of parental investment.
d. Production of a large number of small offspring, each of which receives little parental investment. -
correct answersd
What is niche differentiation?
a. When geographic separation allows one species to evolve into two or more different species.
b. When one or more species find a new food source or other resource to exploit in order to avoid
interspecific competition with similar species.
c. When more than one species with almost the same fundamental niche adapt to become specialists in
different aspects of the fundamental niche.
, d. When one species out competes another in a particular niche to exclude it from the niche. - correct
answersc
What is the major difference between competitive exclusion and local extinction?
a. In competitive exclusion, a species disappears completely from an area, while in local extinction a
species disappears only from a part of a local area.
b. In competitive exclusion, a species disappears completely from an area, while in local extinction a
species becomes specialists in certain parts of a local area.
c. In competitive exclusion, a species is excluded from a local area but does not completely disappear,
while in local extinction a species disappears completely from that area.
d. In competitive exclusion, a species specializes in certain parts of a local area, while in local extinction a
species disappears from part of the local area. - correct answersc
What is an ecomorph?
a. A genus of organisms that all fill the same niche.
b. A species that is found only in one specific ecosystem.
c. All of the populations that share the same fundamental niche within an ecosystem.
d. A population that has recently evolved physical variations to adapt to a specific microenvironment. -
correct answersd
What is interspecific competition?
a. When two or more species in a community are competing for resources.
b. When similar species with similar niches become specialists in specific areas and create more than
one specific niche, which allows both species to coexist.
c. When two or more members of the same species in a community are competing for resources.
d. When populations that have recently evolved physical variations to adapt to specific
microenvironments out-compete all other species. - correct answersa
According to this graph, at which elevation is the population density of Species A the highest?
a. 4,000 ft
b. 3,000 ft
c. 5,000 ft
d. 6,000 ft - correct answersc
What is a characteristic of animals that use chemicals for defense?
a. They usually use their speed for defense.
b. They rely on Batesian mimicry for defense.
c. They rarely use camouflage as a defense.
d. They rely on Mullerian mimicry for defense. - correct answersc
What is coevolution?
a. Coevolution occurs when two different species evolve in the same way to avoid being preyed upon by
the same predator.
b. Coevolution occurs when the fitness of two different species is tightly linked and these two species
evolve in response to evolutionary changes in each other.
c. Coevolution occurs when two very different predators evolve similar hunting styles to feed on the
same types of prey.
