Unit 3: Populations Study Guide

10 - 15% of AP Exam

Topic Objective

3.1 Generalist and Specialist Species Identify differences between generalist and specialist species.

3.2 K-Selected and r-Selected Species Identify differences between K- and r-selected species.

3.3 Survivorship Curves Explain survivorship curves.

Describe carrying capacity.

3.4 Carrying Capacity
Describe the impact of carrying capacity on ecosystems.

3.5 Population Growth and Resource Availability Explain how resource availability affects population growth.

3.6 Age Structure Diagrams Explain age structure diagrams.

3.7 Total Fertility Rate Explain factors that affect total fertility rate in human populations.

3.8 Human Population Dynamics Explain how human populations experience growth and decline.

3.9 Demographic Transition Define the demographic transition.

Topics 3.1 - 3.3 Species and Survivorship (F&R Module 15)

1. What is the difference between a generalist and a specialist species?

2. Determine if each of the following describes a generalist or a specialist species.

a. This organism has a narrow ecological tolerance _____________________ Specialist
b. This organism is more prone to extinction _____________________ Specialist
c. This organism can be found all across North America _____________________ Generalist
d. This organism will out-compete other organisms in its niche _____________________ Specialist
e. This organism is found only on one small island chain _____________________ Specialist
f. Omnivores are typically this type of species _____________________ Generalist
g. This organism only eats one particular plant _____________________ Specialist
h. This organism will likely adapt to environmental changes _____________________ Generalist
i. Successful invasive species are typically this type of organism _____________________ Generalist
j. This organism is more threatened by invasive species _____________________ Specalist

3. What is the difference between the reproductive strategies of r-selected and K-selected species? Try to
identify as many differences as possible.

R-selected species usually produce more offspring and they usually do not parent their offsprings. K
Selected species have few offsprings and usually parent their offspring for a long time.
4. Determine if each of the statements describes an r-selected or K-selected species.
a. Low parental care _________R
b. Reproduces once or twice during their life _________ K
c. Slow population growth _________ K
d. Small offspring _________R
e. Stable population _________ K
f. Quick to sexual maturity _________R
g. More strongly affected by density dependent factors _________R
h. High fluctuation in population size _________ R
i. More likely to experience significant dieback _________R
j. Long life span _________ K
k. Significant investment in raising young _________K

5. Look at the graph to the right.

a. Label the line that represents the K-selected species.
Explain how you know.
The red line is the K selected species. This is because they do
not oscillate much from the carrying capacity.

b. Label the line that represents the r-selected species.

Explain how you know.
The blue line is the r-selected species. This is because they
have rapid growth and diebacks.

6. Describe why the reproductive strategies of K-selected species cause them to be more adversely affected by
invasive species?
K-selected species do not produce as much and they also usually need more food. Invasive species will take
up resources that K-selected species need so they are at greater risk of extinction.

7. What is it about the r-selected strategy that allows these organisms to be successful in a foreign
environment?
R-selected species are usually generalists so they have a wide range of tolerance.

8. Examine the survivorship curves to the right.

a. What happens to the offspring of Type III species over time?
Type III offspring live for a long amount of time, however most
die at the start of their lives.
 b. How does the Type III survivorship curve reflect the reproductive strategy of r-selected species?
R-selected species produce a lot of offspring but most die soon after they are born. This is reflected with the
large decrease in probability in the Type III curve.
c. What happens to the offspring of Type I species over time?
Type 1 species live for longer but die off to old age.

d. How does the Type I survivorship curve reflect the reproductive strategy of K-selected species?\
K selected species live for longer because of parental care and being large, however once they are old,
they will die.

Topics 3.4 & 3.5 Carrying Capacity & Population Growth (F&R Module 16)
9. Using the graph to the right:
a. Draw and label a line that represents exponential growth.
b. Draw and label a line that represents logistic growth. Label the carrying capacity.

Red: Exponential Growth

Green: Logistic
Blue: Carrying capacity.

10. What is the difference between exponential and logistic growth? Try to identify as many differences as
possible.
Exponential growth is unrealistic and occurs in an environment with no limiting resources.
Logistic growth is more realistic and growth is exponential at first, but slows down due to the carrying
capacity.

11. What type of growth curve would be exhibited by r-selected species? K-selected species? Justify using
evidence.
R-selected species would follow an exponential curve, and then have diebacks and overshoots. This is
because they reproduce a lot and have a lot of offsprings.
K-selected species would follow a logistic growth because they do not have many offsprings and their
population follows the carrying capacity.

12. Explain the concept of carrying capacity and how it can change over time.
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can support. This number can
increase by having the available resources in that environment increase.

13. Explain why incidences of disease increase when the population is above carrying capacity.
 When the population is above carrying capacity, there is less space for every organism to live. Disease are
more likely to spread because of this.

14. What is the difference between density-dependent and density-independent growth factors? Give 3
examples of each.
Density dependent factors are factors that have a scalable severity based on how many individuals are living.
Ex: Famine, Disease, Competition.

Density independent factors are factors whose severity do not scale based on how many individuals are in a
population. Ex: Flood, Volcanic Eruption, Fire

Topics 3.6 & 3.7 Age Structure Diagrams and Total Fertility Rate (F&R Module 17)
15. What is the total fertility rate (TFR)?
Total fertility rate is the amount of children that every woman has on average.

16. Define the following:

a. replacement level fertility:
TFR required so that the population is stable.
b. infant mortality rate:
Amount of children that died before reaching the age of 1 per 1000 people.

c. crude birth rate:

How many children are born per 1000 people
d. crude death rate:
How many people die per 1000 people

17. Complete the table about TFR below.

Assume that immigration and emigration levels are equal... Is the population growing, declining, or stable?

Total Fertility Rate is 4.1 Growing

Total Fertility Rate is 2.1 Stable

Total Fertility Rate is 1.1 Declining

Total Fertility Rate is lower than replacement level Declining

Total Fertility Rate is higher than replacement level Growing

18. In the middle row, decide if each situation is more associated with high or low TFR. In the bottom row,
explain why.
 Cost of living is very No access to Many educational Woman have their first
high, education for medical care opportunities for women child at a young age
children expensive

Low High Low High

High cost of living Children are more likely Higher education leads to They are having children
incentivizes people to not to die early, so parents women having less time which increases the TFR.
have as many children. are going to have more in to start a family.
order to compensate.

19. Complete the table for the different age structure diagrams.

Description Extreme pyramidal shape Rectangular Inverse pyramid

Are there more young More young people than Slightly more young than Less children
people/old people old old

Is this population Growing Slightly growing Declining

growing/stable/declining

ID a country other than US Zambia bangladesh China

20. Explain some of the ecological problems in countries with the first age structure diagram.
They may convert all the land into farmland in order to support their rapidly growing population.

21. Explain some of the social and economic problems in countries with the third age structure diagram.
Countries with the third age have too many old people and people are not making enough money in order to
support a family.

Topics 3.8 & 3.9 Human Populations (F&R Module 18)

22. Rule of 70: Calculate the time it will take to double each population below. Round to the nearest year. Show
your work! Remember, you must have units throughout.
South Sudan Madagascar Australia United States
 Growth Rate 3.83 2.5 1.03 0.81

70 years / 3.83 70 years / 2.5 70 years /1.03 70 years / .81

18 years 28 years 68 years 86 years

23. Considering the overall world population, which type of limiting factor will most likely limit the human
population: density-dependent or density-independent? Explain your reasoning.
A density dependent factor would limit the human population. Eventually we are going to run out of space
and food for people.

24. Countries with high infant mortality rates typically have high population growth? What is the connection?
Countries with high IFM rates also have a high TFR. They reproduce more in order to compensate for the
children that they are losing.

25. The tiny country of Genovia has a population of 100,000 people. In 2009, there were 2,000 births, 500
deaths, 200 emigrants, and 100 immigrants. What is the population growth rate (r) for 2009?

CBR = 2000 births /100,000 people * 1000

CBR = 20 births/1000 people

CDR = 500 deaths / 100,000 people

CDR = 5 deaths / 1000 people

Emigration rate = 200 emigrants / 100,000 people = 2 emigrants / 1000

Immigration rate = 100 immigrants / 100,000 = 1 immigrant / 1000

Growth rate = (20 - 5 - 2 + 1) / 10 = 1.4% growth

26. New Fremont had a birthrate of 12 per 1,000 in 2010 and a death rate of 9 per 1,000. What is its growth
rate?
(12 -9)/10 = .3% growth

27. Central Fremont has a crude birth rate of 24 per 1,000 and a crude death rate of 8 per 1,000. What is the
natural annual increase of Central Fremont?
(24 - 8)/10
1.6% growth

28. In 2010, the crude birth rate in Lower Fremont was 25 and the crude death rate was 11. If the population
was 15,000 in 2010, and the population growth rate remains constant, when will the population reach
30,000? Hint, think how long it will take for the population to double!

Growth rate = (25-11)/10 = 1.4% growth

 70 years / 1.4 = 50 years.
It will take 50 years for the population to double.

29. In the shaded boxes, draw the DTM (Demographic Transition Model) graph over the five stages showing a
line for Birth Rate, Death Rate, and Total Population Growth. Choose a different color for each and indicate
in the key on the left.
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

KEY
⃞ Birth Rate
⃞ Death Rate
⃞ Total Population

Birth rate is... High High Low Lower

High infant mortality Still a high infant Less need for more Education for
Why? rate. mortality rate, also children, more women, family
population education for women planning,
momentum. More
access to food

Death rate is.. High high Low Lower

Less access to food Less access to food More food and More food and
Why? and health care and health care healthcare healthcare

Sketch the typical age

structure diagram for
this stage.

Country example Zambia Turkey Japan

30. Complete the following table by writing “high” or “low” in each box below.

More Economically Developed Less Economically Developed

Characteristic
Countries (MEDCs) Countries (LEDCs)

per capita GDP High low

degree of industrialization high low

infant mortality rate low high

per capita fossil fuel use high low

ecological footprint high low

greenhouse gas emissions high low

 risk from heart disease high low

risk from infectious diseases low high