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AP®BiologyCollege BoardExam QuestionsUnit 8: EcologyPopulation & Community Ecology

Population & Community Ecology (College Board AP® Biology)

Exam Questions

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Population & Community Ecology

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Population & Community Ecology

1
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Patterns of population growth can be represented by different models, depending on the factors that are acting on a particular population. One population growth model is represented by the equation:

fraction numerator d N over denominator d T end fraction equals r subscript m a x end subscript N

Which of the following growth models, plotted with a linear scale, is represented by the equation provided?

  • Graph showing exponential population growth over time with the x-axis labelled "Time" and the y-axis labelled "Population size".
  • Graph showing population growth over time reaching a stable carrying capacity. The curve's S-shape indicates logistic growth with limits.
  • Line graph showing population size increasing steadily over time, with population size on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.
  • Line graph showing an upward trend of population size over time, with the x-axis labelled "Time" and the y-axis labelled "Population size".

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2
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In the 1800s 24 European rabbits were introduced to Australia. The rabbits encountered abundant resources, little competition and no natural predators in their new environment. Which of the following best describes the initial growth pattern of the rabbit population in Australia?

  • Logistic growth

  • Exponential growth

  • Density-dependent growth

  • Linear growth

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3
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Antarctic fur seals were hunted extensively during the 1800s, and underwent a population recovery following the end of this practice. The recovery of the seal population on Cape Shirreff, Antarctica can be seen in Figure 1 below, where pup count is used to represent the size of the seal population.

Line graph showing pup count from 1960 to 2005, with a sharp increase after 1985, peaking over 7000 around 2000.
Fig. 1. Population growth in Atlantic fur seals between 1960 and the early 2000s.

Which of the following best explains the shape of the seal population growth curve in Fig. 1?

  • The seal population has no constraints on reproduction rate.

  • Death rate exceeds birth rate in the seal population.

  • Rate of reproduction is limited by density-dependent factors but not by density-independent factors.

  • Density-dependent and density-independent factors are limiting the rate of reproduction.

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4
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Simpson’s index of diversity can be calculated using the following formula:

straight D space equals space 1 space minus space straight capital sigma open parentheses n over N close parentheses squared

Sampling of insect species was carried out in a back garden. The results of the sampling are shown in the table:

Species

Number of individuals

Black ants

20

Earthworms

11

Swallowtail butterfly

4

  • 0.4331

  • 0.5669

  • 35

  • 0.3249

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5
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Competition between species occurs when two or more species vie for the same resources. A study was carried out into competition between two species of single-celled organism: P. aurelia and P. caudatum. Figure 1 shows population growth in the two species in the absence of competition.

Graph showing population growth of P. aurelia and P. caudatum over time. P. aurelia stabilises at 200 cells by day 12; P. caudatum stabilises at 60 cells by day 8.
Figure 1. Growth of P. aurelia and P. caudatum in the absence of competition

Which of the following is the most likely outcome if the two species were grown together in the same environment?

  • Graph showing cell populations over 24 days. The black line rises sharply to 150 cells by day 10, while the grey line peaks at 50 cells around day 6.
  • Line graph showing cell population growth over 24 days. The black line peaks at 200 on day 10, while the grey line peaks at 150 on day 12.
  • Line graph showing cell population over 24 days, with two curves: one peaking at 8 days, the other rising steadily to day 16, both between 0-200 cells.
  • Graph of cell population over 24 days showing rapid growth till day 10, peaking at 200 cells, then stabilising.

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