Chapter 8: Population Ecology

  1. Explain thoroughly why sea otters are a keystone species?
  2. What are the three general patterns of population distribution? Which is most common and why?
  3. Related the four reasons why animals “clump” to human populations? In other words, do humans “clump” and why?
  4. What four variables effect population size?
  5. Write the formula for population change.
  6. Define ‘age structure.’
  7. PreReproductive
  8. Reproductive age
  9. Postreproductive age
  10. Which type of population would be likely to increase? Decrease? Pg163.
  11. Define each term. Know each of these very well!
  12. Biotic potential
  13. Intrinsic rate of increase (r)
  14. Describes the reproductive characteristics of individuals with high intrinsic rates:
  15. Limiting factor (give examples too):
  16. Environmental resistance
  17. Carrying capacity (K)
  18. Exponential growth
  19. Logistic growth
  20. Label the graph.
  21. Population size (N)
  22. Time (t)
  23. Environmental resistance
  24. Carrying Capacity
  25. Biotic potential
  26. Draw a sigmoid or S-shaped curve.
  27. Explain what this type of graph shows.
  28. What effects has the invasive brown tree snake had in Guam.
  29. How does this relate to population dynamics.
  30. What is an overshoot? What does this look like on a graph.
  31. Describe reproductive lag time.
  32. What is a crash or dieback?
  33. Describe how bad livestock management has lead to a decrease in carrying capacity in the United States.
  34. Identify two human population “crashes.”
  35. How often can carrying capacity change (165)
  36. How have humans expanded the earth’s carrying capacity for human species?
  37. What is population?
  38. Name some density-dependent controls?
  39. Name some positive and negative effects of having high population densities.
  40. What does a density dependent population look like (165 2nd paragraph)
  41. What is a density independent factor? Give examples.
  42. Name the 4 patterns of variation in populations.
  43. What type of pattern is found in the rainforest?
  44. Describe irrupt pattern. Give examples of organisms.
  45. Give example of a regular cyclic fluctuation or boom and bust cycle.
  46. Is the lynx and hare example bottom-up or top-down control? Why?
  47. Read the Supplement on Wolf-moose interactions (Supplement 12, pS46). How did wolves affect the ecosystem of Isle Royale? What factors are affecting the growth of wolves today?
  48. What factors may causes and irregular pattern?
  49. What is deer overpopulation a problem?
  50. Why doesn’t hunting work to solve deer overpopulation near urban areas?
  51. What is another method that could be used to solve the deer problem?
  52. What are the disadvantages to sexual reproduction?
  53. What are the advantages of sexual reproduction?
  54. What is an r-selected species/opportunist
  55. Describe all of their characteristics and know them well.
  56. What is a k-selected species/competitor
  57. Describe all of their characteristics and know them well.
  58. What type of graph do they typically have?
  59. Which are more prone to extinction?
  60. What is life expectancy?
  61. What is a survivorship curve?
  62. How can survivorship curves be useful to insurance companies?
  63. Read supplement 13 pg S47.
  64. How can inbreeding make a population more vulnerable to extinction?
  65. What is minimum viable population size?
  66. What is a subpopulation?
  67. What is a metapopulation?
  68. How can knowledge of metapopulations help scientists protect k-selected species?
  69. See Figure 8-11. What is the difference between the three survivorship curves. Describe each. Which one is mostly likely a match for r-selected species? K-selected?

Notice this is a shorter chapter but there a lot of information and the potential for many essay questions.