1. Mader's Concepts in
Biology, First Edition
Sylvia S. Mader
Chapter 36
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, InC) Permission required for reproduction or display.

2. Question 1
Which of the following is not true about
overpopulation?
A. it can be caused by a lack of predators
B. it can increase levels of pollution
C. it can damage water resources
D. it can decrease disease transmission
E. it can decrease food resources

3. Question 2
Ecology is best defined as the study of:
A. populations
B. the rate of population change
C. how populations are restricted by
environmental resistance
D. population increases and decreases
E. organisms as they interact with other
organisms and their physical surrounding

4. Question 3
If you were studying the place where an
organism lives, you would be studying its:
A. biosphere
B. habitat
C. ecosystem
D. community
E. population

5. Question 4
All members of the same species that inhabit a
particular area are termed a(n):
A. ecosystem
B. biosphere
C. niche
D. population
E. community

6. Question 5
A number of populations of different species
interacting with one another is called:
A. competition
B. a community
C. an ecosystem
D. predation
E. symbiosis

7. Question 6
An ecosystem contains:
A. only the biotic components of the environment
B. only the abiotic components of the environment
C. both the living and the abiotic components of the
environment
D. only the energy flow components of the environment
E. only the food relationships found in an environment

8. Question 7
If you were writing a paper on the relatively thin
layer on the earth's surface where life is
possible you would be writing a paper on:
A. the ecosystem
B. the biosphere
C. a biome
D. a biopreserve
E. lithosphere

9. Question 8
Your front yard represents a(n) __________
while the grasshoppers represent a(n)
_____________.
A. community; population
B. population; ecosystem
C. ecosystem; population
D. population; community
E. ecosystem; community

10. Question 9
A biologist is counting the number of individuals of a
population per unit area. Based on this information
you would conclude that he or she is trying to
determine:
A. population frequency
B. population distribution
C. population capacity
D. population density
E. population potential

11. Question 10
The pattern of dispersal of individuals across
an area is referred to as:
A. population frequency
B. population distribution
C. population capacity
D. population density
E. population potential

12. Question 11
The nonliving resources in the environment are
referred to as abiotic.
A. true
B. false

13. Question 12
The aspects that determine which organisms
live in the environment are called the:
A. biotic factors
B. density-dependent factors
C. limiting factors
D. density-independent factors
E. life history factors

14. Question 13
Which of the following is not a type of
distribution pattern found in organisms?
A. clumped
B. equilibrium
C. uniform
D. random
E. All are patterns of distribution.

15. Question 14
Which of the following is not a factor in
calculating a population’s annual growth
rate?
A. the number of individuals born
B. immigration
C. the number of individuals that die
D. carrying capacity
E. emigration

16. Question 15
If you were studying the maximum rate of
natural increase of a population that can
occur under ideal conditions you would be
studying which of the following?
A. population growth
B. biotic potential
C. environmental resistance
D. carrying capacity
E. steady state

17. Question 16
Which of the following is not a factor which
affects biotic potential?
A. age at which reproduction begins
B. changes of survival until age of reproduction
C. how many different mates each individual
has
D. how often each individual reproduces
E. usual number of offspring per reproduction

18. Question 17
The term used to describe population members
that are the same age and have the same
chances of surviving is:
A. a cohort
B. biotic potential
C. a metapopulation
D. a population
E. a family

19. Question 18
Which of the following describes a type II survivorship
curve (drawn by plotting the number of individuals in
a given population alive at the beginning of each
interval)?
A. most individuals die of old age
B. many individuals die early in life
C. individuals die at a constant rate throughout time
D. most individuals die during their reproductive years
E. most individuals die early in life and of old age

20. Question 19
A biologist is studying organisms which tend to
exhibit a type I survivorship curve. Based on
this information you would conclude that he
or she is studying which type of organism?
A. hydras
B. oysters
C. bacteria
D. insects
E. large mammals

21. Question 20
Age structure diagrams with a broad base
suggest:
A. the population will continue to grow for some
time
B. environmental resistance is not at work
C. the biotic potential must be larger than usual
D. the individuals must be larger than usual
E. the population is shrinking

22. Answer Key – Chapter 36
A
D 1.
1.
E C
2. 2.
B B
3. 3.
D D
4. 4.
B
5. B
5.
C
6.
C
6.
B
7.
A
7.
A
8.
C
8.
D
9.
E
9.
B
10.
A
10.