Population Ecology & Owl Investigation Quiz

A population is best defined as:

• All the different types of animals living in an area.

• A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place.

• All the living and non-living things in an environment.

• Animals that hunt and eat other animals.

Which of the following is an abiotic limiting factor for a fish population in a pond?

• The number of predators in the pond.

• The amount of food available for the fish.

• A disease spreading through the fish.

• The amount of oxygen dissolved in the water.

If a population of rabbits in Orchard Town experiences a very high birth rate and a very low death rate, its population size will most likely:

• Decrease.

• Remain stable.

• Increase.

• Reach carrying capacity immediately.

Carrying capacity refers to:

• The maximum speed an animal can run.

• The number of different species in an ecosystem.

• The theoretical maximum population that a given environment can support.

• The amount of energy transferred between trophic levels.

When a population grows quickly at first and then levels off as it reaches the maximum number of individuals the environment can support, this type of growth is called:

• Exponential growth.

• Negative growth.

• Logistic growth.

• Rapid growth.

An increase in the number of individuals moving into a population from another area is called:

• Mortality.

• Emigration.

• Natality.

• Immigration.

A forest in Orchard Town has enough food and water for 100 deer. If the deer population reaches 120, what will most likely happen due to limiting factors?

• The deer will find new types of food to eat.

• The deer population will continue to grow without limit.

• The deer population will likely decrease back towards 100.

• New resources will magically appear to support the extra deer.

The footage of the Great Horned Owl attempting to attack a raccoon shows an example of:

• Mutualism.

• Competition.

• Predation.

• Commensalism.

In a typical predator-prey population graph, when the prey population increases, what usually happens to the predator population shortly after?

• It decreases.

• It stays the same.

• It increases.

• It becomes extinct.

If the owl pellet investigation reveals that Great Horned Owls in Orchard Town primarily eat mice and voles, this evidence helps us understand the owl's role in the ecosystem's:

• Water cycle.

• Rock cycle.

• Food web.

• Weather patterns.