lesson 20

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

study of how organisms interact with each other and their abiotic environment

Question 2

environmentalism

Answer 2

social/political movement to protect the environment

Question 3

phenotypic plasticity

Answer 3

an individual’s ability to change its phenotype in response to environmental conditions

Question 4

evolutionary adaptation

Answer 4

a heritable trait that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce

Question 5

population in ecology

Answer 5

A group of individuals of the same species that are demographically, genetically, or spatially distinct from others.

Question 6

sub population

Answer 6

a subset of a population used for study when the whole population is too large to analyze

Question 7

metapopulation

Answer 7

a group of spatially separated populations of the same species that interact occasionally

Question 8

3 types of population distribution

Answer 8

uniform, random, clumped

Question 9

intraspecific competition

Answer 9

competition among individuals of the same species

Question 10

interspecfic competition

Answer 10

competition between individuals of different species

Question 11

population density

Answer 11

number of individuals per unit area

Question 12

demography in ecology

Answer 12

quantitative study of population characteristics such as age, sex, and growth rates

Question 13

cohort in population studies

Answer 13

a group of individuals of the same age within a population

Question 14

fecundity

Answer 14

the number of offspring produced by an individual in a given time period

Question 15

generation time

Answer 15

the average time between an individual’s birth and the birth of its offspring

Question 16

generation time

Answer 16

the average time between an individual’s birth and the birth of its spring

Question 17

What is the basic equation for population growth?

Answer 17

Growth = (births + immigration) – (deaths + emigration)

Question 18

What does the exponential growth model assume?

Answer 18

No immigration/emigration and no limits to population growth.

Question 19

What is carrying capacity (K)?

Answer 19

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain.

Question 20

How does the logistic growth model differ from the exponential model?

Answer 20

It includes carrying capacity and slows growth as the population nears K.

Question 21

What are density-independent factors?

Answer 21

Factors affecting population size regardless of density (e.g., floods, droughts).

Question 22

What are density-dependent factors?

Answer 22

Factors whose effects increase with population density (e.g., competition for food).

Question 23

What is the Allee effect?

Answer 23

A phenomenon where population growth increases with population size, seen in very small populations.

Question 24

What are K-selected species?

Answer 24

Species that live long, have few offspring, and thrive near carrying capacity (e.g., humans, elephants).

Question 25

What are r-selected species?

Answer 25

Species that reproduce quickly, have many offspring, and thrive in unstable environments (e.g., mice, cockroaches).

Question 26

What is the current estimated human population trend?

Answer 26

Rapid growth since 1800 due to advances in agriculture, medicine, and public health.

Question 27

what does a rectangular age structure graph suggest about a population?

Answer 27

The population is stable with even age distribution.

Question 28

What does a triangular age structure graph suggest?

Answer 28

Rapid future population growth due to many young individuals.

Question 29

What problems are associated with shrinking populations in developed countries?

Answer 29

Economic strain due to fewer workers and increased dependency on younger generations.