Exam #6 Review for MC - Biology U6 24/25

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely without being degraded.

Front

What happens when a population exceeds its carrying capacity?

Back

The population starts to die off to return to carrying capacity due to limited resources.

Front

What is an s-curve graph in population ecology?

Back

A graph that represents the logistic growth of a population, typically seen in k-selected species.

Front

What is an exponential growth graph?

Back

A graph that shows population size increasing rapidly without any limiting factors.

Front

What are survivorship curves?

Back

Curves that describe the number of survivors over time, illustrating different reproductive strategies.

Front

What is the difference between k-selected and r-selected species?

Back

K-selected species invest more in fewer offspring with higher survival rates, while r-selected species produce many offspring with lower survival rates.

Front

What are limiting factors in an ecosystem?

Back

Environmental conditions that restrict population growth, such as food availability, predation, and disease.

Front

What is the significance of the logistic growth model?

Back

It describes how populations grow in a limited environment, showing initial exponential growth followed by a plateau as resources become scarce.

Front

What is the role of density-dependent factors in population dynamics?

Back

Factors that affect population growth based on the population density, such as competition, predation, and disease.

Front

What is the role of density-independent factors in population dynamics?

Back

Factors that affect population growth regardless of population density, such as natural disasters and climate changes.