Survivorship Curve/Population/Dispersion Practice Quiz
1. When needed resources are unevenly distributed, organisms often show a(n) _____ dispersion pattern.
A. density-dependent
B. clumped
C. exponential
D. random
E. uniform
2. Herring gulls fiercely defend the areas around their nests in cliff-top breeding colonies. Within the colony
they would show a _____ dispersion pattern.)
A. uniform
B. random
C. dense
D. density-independent
E. clumped
3. Pine trees in a forest tend to shade and kill pine seedlings that sprout nearby. This causes the pine trees to
_____.
A. increase exponentially
B. grow in a clumped pattern
C. grow in a uniform pattern
D. exceed their carrying capacity
E. grow in a random pattern
4. An oak tree produces thousands of acorns, but very few grow into mature oak trees. The oak tree exhibits a
_____ survivorship curve.
A. Type I
B. Type II
C. Type III
D. Type I or II
E. Type I or III
5. Chimpanzees have a relatively low birth rate. They care for their young, and most chimps live a long life. The chimp survivorship
curve would look like _____.
A. a line that slopes gradually upward
B. a relatively flat line that drops steeply at the end
C. a line that drops steeply at first, then flattens out
D. a line that slopes gradually downward
E. a horizontal line
6. Which of the following describes the distribution of survivorship or mortality for a population that has a Type
II survivorship curve?
A. Little death occurs until late in life.
B. Most of the mortality occurs among younger individuals.
C. Survivorship is greatest in younger individuals.
D. Survivorship is greatest in individuals that are intermediate in age.
E. The chance of death is roughly constant over all ages
7. A population will always grow exponentially _____.
A. if it is limited only by density-dependent factors
B. until it reaches carrying capacity
C. if there are no limiting factors
D. if it is a population with an equilibrium life history
E. if it shows logistic growth
8. No population can grow indefinitely. The ultimate size of any population is limited by _____.
A. its r
B. its birth rate
C. its death rate
D. the carrying capacity of its environment
E. reproductive isolation
9. A newly mated queen ant founds a nest in an unoccupied patch of suitable habitat with excessive resources.
Assuming that no disasters strike the nest, which one of the following types of equations is likely to best
describe the population growth of the new colony?
A. exponential
B. circular
C. logistic
D. quadratic
E. none of the above
10. A wildlife biologist is trying to predict what will happen to a bear population if bear hunting is banned. He
had the equations all worked out but then realized that he had grossly underestimated the amount of food
available to the bears. To make his prediction more accurate he should _____ the value of _____ in his
equation. (Consider food to be a factor that limits the size of the bear population.)
A. decrease; N
B. increase; N
C. decrease; K
D. increase; K
E. decrease; r
11. A population that grows rapidly at first and then levels off at carrying capacity can be modeled _____.
A. by a logistic equation
B. as dN/dt = b - d
C. as an opportunistic species
D. As N (1+r)
E. as being relatively unaffected by limiting factors
12. The logistic growth model differs from the exponential growth model in that it _____.
A. expresses the effects of population-limiting factors on exponential growth
B. is J-shaped and the exponential growth model is S-shaped
C. never shows the effects of population-limiting factors
D. implies that population size stabilizes at K when the birth rate is zero
E. implies that a population's growth rate will be highest when the population is small
13. Which one of the following would most likely be an example of a density-independent factor limiting
population growth?)
A. food availability
B. diseases
C. accumulation of wastes
D. the parasites of parasites from one member to the next
E. daily temperature extremes
14. Which one of the following is most likely a density-dependent growth regulator of animal populations?
A. water supply
B. hurricanes
C. fires
D. droughts
E. all of the above
15. In the above diagram,,the Y -axis shows the number of rabbits in thousands-the Carrying Capacity for
rabbits in this habitat is best described as
A- exactly 9000
B. between 8-10,000
c. about 12,000
d. cannot be determined
16. What absolutely essential resource is likely to limit the carrying capacity of Earth for humans?
A. oil
B. raw materials such as metals
C. clean water
D. space
E. oxygen
17. Which of the above lines on this survivorship curve are not possible in nature?
a. A & B
b. B & C
c. B & D
d. A & E
e. B & E
18. In the above diagram- which curve would best represent this organism?
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
e. E
19. This organism?
a.
A
b. B
c. C
d. D
e. E
20. This organism?
a.
A
b. B
c. C
d. D
e. E
ANSWERS
1. B
11.A
2. A
12. A
3. C
13. E
14. A
4. C
15. B
5. D
16. C
6. E
7. C
17. C
8. D
18. E
9. A
19. A
10. D
20. C