A population's carrying capacity a. may change as environmental conditions change. b. can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model. c. increases as the per capita population growth rate decreases. d. can never be exceeded.
Based on current growth rates, Earth's human population in 2019 will be closest to a. 2.5 million. b. 4.5 billion. c. 7.5 billion. d. 10.5 billion.
Verified Solution
Key Concepts
Human Population Growth
Demographic Transition Model
Global Population Estimates
Scientific study of the population cycles of the snowshoe hare and its predator, the lynx has revealed that a. predation is the dominant factor affecting prey population cycling. b. hares and lynx are so mutually dependent that each species cannot survive without the other. c. both hare and lynx population sizes are affected mainly by abiotic factors. d. the hare population is r-selected and the lynx population is K-selected.
Analyzing ecological footprints reveals that a. Earth's carrying capacity would increase if per capita meat consumption increased. b. current demand by industrialized countries for resources is much smaller than the ecological footprint of those countries. c. it is not possible for technological improvements to increase Earth's carrying capacity for humans. d. the ecological footprint of the United States is large because per capita resource use is high.
The observation that members of a population are uniformly distributed suggests that a. resources are distributed unevenly. b. the members of the population are competing for access to a resource. c.the members of the population are neither attracted to nor repelled by one another. d. the density of the population is low.
According to the logistic growth equation dNdt=rN(K−N)K a. the number of individuals added per unit time is greatest when N is close to zero. b. the per capita population growth rate increases as N approaches K. c. population growth is zero when N equals K. d. the population grows exponentially when K is small.
During exponential growth, a population always a. has a constant per capita population growth rate. b. quickly reaches its carrying capacity. c. cycles through time. d. loses some individuals to emigration.