Population size, distribution, growth, and regulation.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Why can a habitat's carrying capacity change with the seasons?
A summer food supply may support more animals than winter conditions can sustain, making the lean season a bottleneck.
Why can the same woodland support different numbers of squirrels and deer?
Carrying capacity applies to a particular species, so a habitat has no single population limit for all animals.
Which shape describes population growth that slows as it approaches carrying capacity?
Early growth can be rapid, but competition for limited resources bends the curve toward a plateau.
How does a prolonged drought usually change a grassland's carrying capacity for grazing animals?
Less rain means less grass, so land that supported a herd in wet years may no longer provide enough food.
After prey animals boom, what usually happens to predator numbers next?
More prey means more food for young predators, so predator numbers climb a season or two behind.
What do researchers attach to fish to recognize recaptured fish later?
Each tag number identifies one fish, so later catches reveal survival and movement.
Why does yeast growth in a sealed bottle level off over time?
Yeast cells produce alcohol as waste, which slows and then stops their own growth.
Which big cat has very low genetic diversity from an ancient bottleneck?
Cheetahs match so closely that skin grafts between strangers are often accepted.
In a classic predator-prey cycle, which population peaks first?
Prey numbers climb first, then well-fed predators multiply and drive prey back down.
Which condition keeps a mark-and-recapture population estimate accurate?
Even mixing makes the second catch representative; clustering, migration, or lost tags skew the proportion.