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Practice Quizzing
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1

Exponential growth in a population
A)refers to an increase by a constant amount, such as a net gain of 100 individuals, per year.
B)refers to an increase by a constant percentage each year.
C)is also called arithmetic growth.
D)includes any pattern of increase in numbers.
2

Biotic potential
A)underlies exponential growth in populations.
B)if unchecked, would cover the earth meters deep in most organisms surprisingly quickly.
C)is responsible for the J curve graph of population growth.
D)is responsible for all of the above.
3

Irruptive growth patterns in populations are characterized by
A)overshooting the environment's carrying capacity for the species.
B)rapid declines in population size.
C)population increase repeatedly running into limits imposed by finite spaces.
D)all of the above.
4

Logistic growth is characterized by
A)exponential increases in numbers.
B)arithmetic increases in numbers.
C)a constantly changing rate of increase.
D)erratic, unpredictable changes in the growth pattern.
5

Population growth patterns over time typically
A)follow a smooth J curve form.
B)follow a smooth S curve form.
C)exhibit erratic fluctuations caused by readily discernable factors.
D)exhibit complex patterns produced by complex causes.
6

Environmental resistance is composed of any and all factors that
A)tend to produce a J shaped growth curve.
B)produce an S shaped growth curve.
C)reduce population growth rates.
D)tend to produce Malthusian growth patterns.
7

A Malthusian "strategy" of population growth includes a tendency for
A)factors external to the population to control growth rates.
B)production of many small offspring that mature early.
C)organisms to have short lives and grow rapidly.
D)all of the above.
8

A logistic strategy is one
A)associated with unrestricted exponential growth until carrying capacity is exceeded.
B)associated with providing a high degree of care of young.
C)more common among organisms in lower trophic levels.
D)more typical among organisms that occupy broad ecological niches.
9

Logistic strategies are better adapted to
A)environments experiencing erratic, unpredictable swings in chemical or physical factors.
B)situations where resource utilization can be maximized through a rapid increase in population size.
C)organisms present in early successional stages.
D)fairly stable environments.
10

Species diversity on islands tends to be
A)unrelated to island site.
B)lower on small islands.
C)lower on large islands.
D)solely determined by the island’s distance from mainland.
11

The physical ability to reproduce is called
A)fecundity.
B)fertility.
C)natality.
12

The longest period of life reached by a particular species is called its
A)life expectancy.
B)life span.
C)survivorship quotient.
13

A survivorship curve with the shape of a straight line descending over time indicates an organism whose chance of death
A)is unrelated to its age.
B)decreases as it gets older.
C)increases as it gets older.
14

Genetic drift refers to
A)the progressive change in traits in a population over time.
B)the tendency for large populations to be less variable than small populations.
C)changes in the frequency of a trait in a population due to random chance.
D)changes in trait frequencies due to evolution.
15

A demographic bottle neck
A)can lead to an increase in frequency of undesirable traits in a population.
B)involves a severe cutback in population size.
C)can put survival of a population at risk.
D)is characterized by all of the above.
16

Environmental resistance is composed of
A)density-dependent factors.
B)density-independent factors.
C)both density-dependent and independent factors.
D)neither density-dependent nor independent factors.
17

In the context of population growth regulation, intrinsic factors are those that
A)operate within or between organisms.
B)lower reproductive success by a variety of means.
C)are imposed on the population from outside.
D)increase reproductive success by a variety of means.
18

A density-dependent factor is one
A)that always increases a species' biotic potential.
B)that always lowers a species' biotic potential.
C)whose effect is influenced by the degree of crowding in the population.
D)whose effect is typically the result of extrinsic causes.
19

Density-independent factors tend to be
A)more associated with abiotic factors.
B)more associated with intrinsic factors.
C)unable to lower reproductive gains in a population.
D)more influential with natality rates than mortality rates.
20

The genetic makeup can be greatly influenced in small populations by
A)mutation.
B)random mating events.
C)immigration.
D)all of the above.
21

A graph of a population growing at a constant rate would most resemble a
A)straight horizontal line.
B)rising straight line.
C)J curve.
D)straight vertical line.
22

Release of hatchery-raised salmon have proven very effective in returning Pacific coast salmon runs to historic levels.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
23

Arithmetic growth refers to any pattern of increase of the size of a plant or animal population.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
24

The maximum rate at which an organism can reproduce is called its biological potential.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
25

Explosive growth better characterizes logistic growth than exponential growth.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
26

The shape of a population's growth curve over time represents the dynamic interaction between a species' biotic potential and environmental resistance.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
27

A metapopulation is one in which genetic diversity is much reduced.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
28

An abiotic factor is something caused, produced, or otherwise associated with living organisms.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE





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