Chapter 15: Population Ecology

Question 1

population ecology is…

Answer 1

the study of how and why populations change

Question 2

define a population

Answer 2

a group of individuals of a single species that occupy the same general area

Question 3

individuals in a population…

Answer 3

• rely on the same resources
• are influenced by the same environmental factors
• are likely to interact and breed with one another

Question 4

population ecology is concerned with…

Answer 4

• changes in population size

- factors that regulate populations over time

Question 5

populations increase through

Answer 5

birth and immigration to an area

Question 6

populations decrease through

Answer 6

death and emigration out of an area

Question 7

define population density

Answer 7

the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume

Question 8

local densities vary greatly within a

Answer 8

population’s geographic range

Question 9

describe the capture-mark-release system used to count population density

Answer 9

• capture, mark and release individuals

- recapture on a different day and count the marked and unmarked individuals

Question 10

equation that describes the estimate of a population based on a sample and assumptions

Answer 10

population= (#captured (day 1) x # captured (day 2)/ # marked day 2)

Question 11

occupancy modeling estimates…

Answer 11

population presence, colonization, extinction, etc. based on repeated surveys

Question 12

dispersion patter of a population refers to..

Answer 12

the way individuals are spaced within their area

Question 13

3 different types of dispersion patterns

Answer 13

1. clumped
2. uniform
3. random

Question 14

describe clumped dispersion patterns

Answer 14

organisms grouped in patches due to resources being unequally distributed

Question 15

describe uniform dispersion pattern

Answer 15

organisms are equally spaced and interacting in the environment

Question 16

describe random dispersion patterns

Answer 16

organisms are dispersed in an unpredictable way

Question 17

a plant with high nutrient need in nutrient poor soil, would describe what dispersion patter?

Answer 17

uniform

Question 18

a large solitary carnivore species would describe what dispersion pattern?

Answer 18

random

Question 19

a fish species that relies on a limited resource describes what type of dispersion pattern?

Answer 19

clumped

Question 20

define life tables

Answer 20

track survivorship–the chance that an individual survives to various ages in a population

Question 21

describe survivorship curves

Answer 21

plot survivorship as the proportion of individuals from an initial population that are alive at each age

Question 22

the 3 types of survivorship curves reflect differences in species’

Answer 22

• reproduction

- mortality

Question 23

type I survivorship curves have a…

Answer 23

high survival rate with death at a later age

Question 24

type II survivorship curve has a….

Answer 24

steady decline

Question 25

type III survivorship curve has....

Answer 25

multiple kids at the beginning of their life span, but most die

Question 26

define exponential growth

Answer 26

the accelerating increase that occurs when growth is unlimited

Question 27

which equation shows the J-shaped growth curve?

Answer 27

G=rN

Question 28

logistic growth model represents...

Answer 28

the slowing of population growth as a result of limiting factors and leveling off at carrying capacity

Question 29

define carrying capacity

Answer 29

the number of individuals the environment can support

Question 30

equation describing the logistic growth curve?

Answer 30

G=rN (K-N)/K

Question 31

increase death/ decreased birth rate it affected by....and is ultimately caused by...

Answer 31

limited food supply or increased disease increase in population density

Question 32

define life history

Answer 32

the series of events from birth through reproduction to death

Question 33

populations with r-selected life history traits produce...

Answer 33

many offspring and grow rapidly in unpredictable environments

Question 34

r-selected life history traits may never...

Answer 34

reach a carrying capacity

Question 35

populations with k-selected traits...

Answer 35

raise a few offspring and maintain relatively stable populations

Question 36

k-selected traits...

Answer 36

lie naturally close to carrying capacity

Question 37

r-selected history traits are examples of what type of survivorship curve?

Answer 37

type III

Question 38

k-selected history traits are examples of what type of survivorship curve?

Answer 38

type I

Question 39

sustainable resource management involves practices that

Answer 39

allow the use of a natural resource without damaging it

Question 40

according to the logistic growth model when does the fastest growth rate occur?

Answer 40

when the population size is at roughly 1/2 the carrying capacity of the habitat

Question 41

in terms of population growth what is meant by sustainable resource management?

Answer 41

maintaining a high population growth rate to replenish the population

Question 42

population viability analyses is used in... and based on...

Answer 42

- imperiled systems | - vital statistics