Reproductive Patterns and Principles

Help Questions

AP Environmental Science › Reproductive Patterns and Principles

Questions 1 - 10
1

A scientist observed a population of leafhoppers at a research station in the Oak Openings region over the course of two years. She noticed that the only factor regulating the size of the leafhopper population was forest fires. Based on her observation, what ecological principle explains the growth rate of the leafhoppers?

Density independence

Density dependence

Island biogeography

Metapopulation theory

Explanation

The correct response is density independence. The leafhopper population was not regulated by density. The only thing that regulated the population was abiotic events, such as forest fires.

2

A species designated as "r-strategist" is characterized by all of the following except __________.

Long life expectancy

Low age of maturity

High reproductive rate

Small size

Little time spent by parents caring for and raising offspring

Explanation

Species described as "r-strategist" have a survival strategy of producing large numbers of offspring, a short life expectancy, and typically smaller body sizes. Examples include mice, locusts, and frogs. These species survive by producing lots of offspring, since many individuals don't survive to adulthood.

3

Which of the following mammals is an "r-selected" species?

Cottontail rabbit

Blue whale

Human

All of these

Explanation

R-selected individuals are characterized by the following: early age of sexual maturity, many lifetime reproductive events, large numbers of offspring per event, and minimal parenting. Many of the offspring of r-selected species will die before adulthood. On the other hand, K-selected individuals have only one or few offspring at once and invest larger amounts of time and energy into parenting to ensure survival. The rabbit is the only species listed whose life traits can be categorized as being r-selected.

4

A scientist observed a population of ants at a research site over the course of five years. He noticed that as the density of the population increased, the population growth rate began to stabilize over time. What ecology principle was the scientist observing with the ants?

Density dependence

Density independence

Exponential growth

Bottleneck event

Explanation

The correct response is density dependence. Since the population growth rate is dependent on the size of the population, it is therefore regulated by density. This is the perfect example of a density dependent population.

5

Which of the following factors affect birth rates?

All of these

Child laborers

Education level of women

Average marriage age

Religion

Explanation

The use of child laborers leads to higher birth rates. More children are needed to support families and households. Educating women also decreases birth rates. This is the reason why developing countries tend to have higher birth rates than developed countries. A lower average marriage age leads to an increase in birth rates. Religion can influence birth rates, either raising or lowering (generally it raises the birth rate).

6

A brand new country, named Neoland, has a growth rate of 4%. How many years will it take the population of Neoland to double?

18 years

20 years

2 years

8 years

Explanation

Use the Rule of 72:

is rate of growth

is time (in years) it takes to double

By manipulating the equation to divide 72 by the given growth rate, you can find the number of years it takes for the population to double.

7

Which of these animals is a K-selected species?

Elephant

Gerbil

Bullfrog

Turtle

Explanation

Elephants are large-bodied and give birth to only one offspring every few years, and mothers have a large role as caregivers to ensure the survival of their young. The other species listed here are r-selected species and have many offspring at a time. In some cases, r-selected species do not parent. In others, offspring mature very quickly and parents do not have to provide care for very long.

8

Corals often coordinate spawning so that, in the span of one night, thousands of gametes are released at once. Predatory fish are typically overwhelmed by the amount of potential prey and cannot possibly consume every gamete.

Corals are considered __________.

R-selected species

K-selected species

Asexual

Fungi

Explanation

Corals are r-selected species, categorized by producing many offspring at once, which individually have low chances of survival, and short lifespans. Other r-strategists include rodents, insects, and other small-bodied, early-maturing animals. K-selected species produce few offspring and invest lots of parental care to ensure a higher chance of survival. Humans are an example of a K-selected species.

9

K-strategist species exhibit all of the following characteristics except __________.

Little time spent by parents raising offspring

Produces relatively few offspring

Relatively long life expectancies

Late age of maturity

Explanation

Species designated as K-strategists thrive through longevity and have a higher survival rate at birth, but produce far fewer offspring. Examples include elephants and whales. Consider an elephant; it may produce relatively few baby elephants, but these baby elephants each have the potential to live relatively long lives. On the other hand, contrast K-strategists like elephants with r-strategists like rats, locusts, and flies. These species are designated as r-strategists because in contrast, they produce numerous offspring, few of which may survive to adulthood, and each one of which reaches maturity quickly and lives a relatively short life. K-strategists in general spend more time than r-strategists caring for and raising their offspring; they have fewer offspring, so they put more care into ensuring the survival of each one. Contrast elephants with frogs to see this difference; elephants care for their young, while frogs lay their eggs and care for their offspring very little, if at all.

10

Nigeria is experiencing a fertility rate of roughly seven children per woman and a population structure where roughly forty percent of the population is under the age of fifteen. What would be the most accurate projection of the population in coming years?

Exponential population growth fueled by high fertility rates and a large proportion of the population reaching reproductive age.

Cyclical fluctuations will occur in the population because they are typical of a population with high fertility and mortality rates.

The population will likely decline because the fact that the majority of the population are fifteen or younger indicates that something is killing the reproductive-age members of the population.

The population will remain constant, because high fertility rates paired with few people living to old age indicates a high fertility rate is needed to sustain the population.

The population will decline because not enough individuals are surviving to reach reproductive age (i.e. war and disease are the diminishing factors).

Explanation

In terms of population trends, Nigeria can expect to see exponential growth in the following years for two reasons: Fertility rates are already quite high (e.g. a stable population is at births per female) and a large portion of the population is under the age of fifteen. Present fertility rates ensure current exponential growth, while a large proportion of the population reaching reproductive age ensures future population growth, especially if the fertility rate remains inflated.

Page 1 of 2
Return to subject