All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the key evidence in a graph that indicates exponential growth rather than linear growth?
Answer: Slope increases over time (J-shaped curve). Rate of increase accelerates rather than staying constant.
Flashcard 2: Which condition best explains a plateau in a growth curve: reaching carrying capacity or unlimited space?
Answer: Reaching carrying capacity. Environmental limits prevent further population increase.
Flashcard 3: Which condition best explains a lag phase in bacteria before rapid growth begins?
Answer: Time needed to adjust and reproduce. Organisms need time to acclimate before reproducing rapidly.
Flashcard 4: What term describes a period of little change in size followed by rapid growth?
Answer: Lag phase. Initial slow growth before conditions become favorable.
Flashcard 5: Identify the condition most consistent with a sudden increase in growth rate after a new resource appears.
Answer: Increased resource availability. New resources remove previous growth limitations.
Flashcard 6: What human-related condition commonly produces a sudden drop in a population trend line?
Answer: Habitat loss or overharvesting. Human activities directly reduce survival or reproduction.
Flashcard 7: Which condition best links to cyclic population changes: predator–prey interactions or constant resources?
Answer: Predator–prey interactions. Predator populations rise and fall with prey availability.
Flashcard 8: What growth pattern is most likely when predators increase after prey increases, causing cycles?
Answer: Cyclic (predator–prey oscillations). Predator numbers lag behind prey, creating repeating cycles.
Flashcard 9: Identify the growth pattern when a population overshoots carrying capacity and then crashes.
Answer: Boom-and-bust (overshoot and die-off). Population exceeds resources then crashes dramatically.
Flashcard 10: What type of limiting factor is a drought that reduces survival regardless of population size?
Answer: Density-independent limiting factor. Affects all individuals equally regardless of crowding.
Flashcard 11: What term describes growth that increases by the same amount each time interval?
Answer: Linear growth. Adds a constant value each period, creating a straight line.
Flashcard 12: What term describes growth that increases by the same factor each time interval?
Answer: Exponential growth. Multiplies by a constant rate, creating a J-shaped curve.
Flashcard 13: What term describes an S-shaped population curve that levels off at carrying capacity?
Answer: Logistic growth. Growth slows as population approaches environmental limits.
Flashcard 14: What does carrying capacity mean in population growth?
Answer: Maximum population an environment can support. Limited by resources, space, and other environmental factors.
Flashcard 15: Which condition most strongly explains exponential population growth: unlimited or limited resources?
Answer: Unlimited resources. No limits allow continuous multiplication of individuals.
Flashcard 16: Which condition most strongly explains logistic growth: density-dependent limits or no limits?
Answer: Density-dependent limits. Competition and crowding slow growth as density increases.
Flashcard 17: What type of limiting factor is competition for food as population density increases?
Answer: Density-dependent limiting factor. Effects intensify as population density increases.
Flashcard 18: Which condition best explains a plant growing taller and thinner when shaded by other plants?
Answer: Competition for light causes increased stem elongation. Etiolation response maximizes light capture in shade.
Flashcard 19: Which condition most directly produces a logistic (S-shaped) population curve?
Answer: Resources become limited as population density increases. Competition intensifies as individuals crowd together.
Flashcard 20: Which condition most directly produces an exponential (J-shaped) population curve?
Answer: Abundant resources with few limiting factors. No competition allows maximum reproductive rate.
Flashcard 21: What does carrying capacity mean for a population in an ecosystem?
Answer: Maximum population the environment can sustainably support. Represents the balance between births and deaths at resource limits.
Flashcard 22: What is the definition of logistic growth in a population over time?
Answer: Growth slows and levels off near carrying capacity. Forms an S-curve as resources limit growth rate.
Flashcard 23: What is the definition of exponential growth in a population over time?
Answer: Population increases by a constant proportion each time period. Each generation multiplies by the same factor (e.g., doubles).
Flashcard 24: What is the definition of a population growth rate?
Answer: Change in population size per unit time. Can be positive (growth) or negative (decline).
Flashcard 25: Which condition best explains slower growth at high density: increased disease spread or increased space per individual?
Answer: Increased disease spread. Crowding facilitates pathogen transmission.
Flashcard 26: What is a plausible condition that causes cyclic predator-prey population patterns?
Answer: Predator numbers track prey availability with a time lag. Predators increase after prey, then both decline cyclically.
Flashcard 27: Which pattern best indicates seasonal effects on growth: regular up-and-down cycles or a smooth J-curve?
Answer: Regular up-and-down cycles. Seasonal resources create predictable fluctuations.
Flashcard 28: Which change most likely increases carrying capacity K: more habitat/food or more predators?
Answer: More habitat/food. More resources support larger sustainable populations.
Flashcard 29: What term describes population growth that rises quickly and then declines sharply due to depleted resources?
Answer: Boom-and-bust (overshoot and die-off). Common in species with rapid reproduction and short lifespans.
Flashcard 30: Which condition best explains a sudden population crash after rapid growth: overshoot of K or constant resources?
Answer: Overshoot of K. Population exceeded sustainable levels, depleting resources.