Ch+9+Population+Ecology


 * **Unit** || **Topic** || **Resources** ||  ||
 * 5. Population || A. Population Biology Concepts: Population ecology, carrying capacity, reproductive strategies, survivorship || Miller chapter 9: pages 164 to 174 ||  ||

1. Explain how the populations of southern sea otters and kelp interact and why the southern sea otter is considered a keystone species. 2. What is //population dynamics//? Why are the populations of most species found in clumps or groups? 3. What four factors affect population change? 4. Write an equation showing how population change is related to births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. 5. What is the //biotic potential// of a population? What are four characteristics of a population with a high //intrinsic rate of increase (r)// ? 6. What are //environmental resistance// and //carrying capacity//? 7. How do biotic potential and environmental resistance interact to determine carrying capacity(k)? 8. Describe the difference between the //exponential// and //logistic growth// of a population, and give an example of each type. 9. How can a population overshoot its carrying capacity, and what are the consequences of doing this? 10. Describe the difference between //density-dependent controls// and //density-independent controls// that affect a population’s size, and give an example of each. 11. Write a brief definition for each of the following types of population fluctuations: //stable, irruptive, irregular//, and //cyclic//. 12. Give an example for //top-down control// and //bottom-up control// of a population’s size. 13. Use the concepts in question 12 to describe the effects of the predator–prey interactions between the snowshoe hare and the Canadian lynx on the population of each species. 14. How do //asexual reproduction// and //sexual reproduction// pass genes off to offspring? 15. What are the disadvantages and advantages of sexual reproduction? 16. List the characteristics of (a) //r-selected// or //opportunist species// and (b) //K-selected// or //competitor// species, and give two examples of each type. 17. Under what environmental conditions are you most likely to find (a) r-selected species and (b) K-selected species? 18. What is a //survivorship curve//, and how is it used? List three general types of survivorship curves, and give an example of a species with each type. 19. How can genetic diversity affect the survival of small, isolated populations? 20. How do the //founder effect, demographic bottleneck//, and //genetic drift// play a role is loss of genetic material in small isolated populations? 21. What are //metapopulations//? 22. List three potentially harmful ways in which humans modify natural ecosystems.



[|Rat ATTACK!] Interactive [|here] NYTimes Article Boom and Bust with Acorns

[]

3. Which consumer had the greatest impact in determining the densities of various populations in the forest ecosystem after the acorn mast? Why?
. ===4. Raptors, such as owls and hawks, can switch their food source from mice to other types of foods if mice are unavailable. Predict what might happen in the oak forest ecosystem if raptors ate only small rodents like mice.===

5. How might the gypsy moth, which defoliates oak trees, affect acorn masting?
===6. Small, fragmented forests tend to have more mice and fewer other species, including predators. Because mice serve as very good reservoirs for the Lyme bacterium, smaller forests tend to have more Lyme. How might Lyme disease be reduced in these areas?===

Acorn Aplenty Scoring Rubric a strong and accurate understanding of the organisms' niches and their importance to the forest ecosystem || The profile is complete. The group demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of the organisms; niches and their importance to the forest ecosystem ||  || The profile is incomplete. The group demonstrates a limited understanding of the organisms' niches and their importance to the forest ecosystem ||
 * || ==Excellent== || ==Satisfactory== ||  || ==Needs Improvement== ||
 * ==Forest Ecosystem Organism Profile== || T he p rofile is complete. The group demonstrates

**The Free Response Questions you should be prepared to answer for the chapter test are:** [|number 1 from the year 2003][|answer here] **and** [|number 2 for the year 2001][|answer here]