102.1 Unit 3 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam

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Section 1: Multiple-Choice Questions

Choose the best answer for questions 1–20.

Question 102.1

1. Which of the following is NOT true regarding limiting resources?

  1. A limiting resource is an important density-independent factor.

  2. A limiting resource is common to all members of a population.

  3. Foraging territory is an example of a limiting resource.

  4. The number of reproducing individuals in a population is not a limiting resource.

  5. A population at carrying capacity has consumed all limiting resources.

Question 102.2

2. Which of the following is most likely to result in a random population distribution?

  1. Clumping of individuals around limiting resources

  2. Competition among individuals

  3. Density-independent factors

  4. Variable carrying capacities among populations within a metapopulation

  5. An age structure biased toward younger individuals

Question 102.3

3. The common reed (Phragmites australis) is a perennial grass found throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Researchers recently discovered that many North American populations of the reed are composed entirely of genetically identical clones. Which is most likely true of these populations?

  1. The age structure is unlikely to vary among populations.

  2. Evolution by natural selection occurs very slowly in the absence of seed dispersal among populations.

  3. Density-dependent factors will be more important than density-independent factors in regulating population densities.

  4. Density-dependent factors will be less important than density-independent factors in regulating population densities.

  5. Individual populations will not reach carrying capacity.

Question 102.4

4. Species with a type III survivorship curve are likely to exhibit

  1. fast population growth rate.

  2. large amounts of parental care.

  3. density-independent population regulation.

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. III only

  4. I and II

  5. I and III

Question 102.5

5. In an experimental grassland plot, researchers planted 20 seeds of a wildflower species that exhibits exponential growth with an intrinsic growth rate of 0.60. Approximate the maximum population size after 10 years.

  1. 20 × 0.60

  2. 20 ÷ 0.60

  3. e0.60 × 10

  4. e0.60 × 11

  5. 20 × e0.60 × 10

Question 102.6

6. Which of the following is NOT a likely consequence of resource niche partitioning?

  1. Predator-prey interactions

  2. Clumped species distributions

  3. Morphological variation within species

  4. Competition within a species

  5. Coexistence among species

Question 102.7

7. Mycorrhizal fungi are commonly found attached to plant roots. The fungi are more efficient than plants at extracting nutrients from the soil. In exchange for nutrients, plants provide the fungi with sugars made through photosynthesis. However, when nutrients in the soil are abundant, researchers have found that plant growth increases if mycorrhizal fungi are removed. This phenomenon suggests that

  1. mycorrhizae have switched from being mutualists to parasites.

  2. mycorrhizae have switched from being mutualists to predators.

  3. mycorrhizae have switched from being mutualists to commensalists.

  4. mycorrhizae have ceased to act as a keystone species.

  5. mycorrhizae are not able to partition resources as well as plants.

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Question 102.8

8. Given two islands of the same size, the theory of island biogeography suggests that the _________ island should have a higher ___________.

  1. farther/extinction rate

  2. closer/speciation rate

  3. farther/species diversity

  4. closer/species richness

  5. closer/population size

Question 102.9

9. Ecological succession

  1. begins with primary succession, followed by secondary succession, and ends with a climax stage.

  2. begins with either primary or secondary succession and ends with a climax stage.

  3. cannot occur if there are no species initially present at a site.

  4. starts with bare soil and ends with a climax forest.

  5. does not end with a climax stage.

Question 102.10

10.The theory of island biogeography does not apply to

  1. protected wildlife areas.

  2. islands very far away from the mainland.

  3. metapopulations.

  4. mountaintop communities.

  5. bacterial communities.

Question 102.11

11.Which may lead to an increase in the carrying capacity of the global human population?

  1. Niche partitioning

  2. Technological advancement

  3. Reduction in per-capita consumption rate

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. I and II

  4. II and III

  5. I, II, and III

Question 102.12

12.In Vietnam, there were 16 births and 6 deaths out of every 100 people in the year 2011. Using the rule of 70, estimate the doubling time for Vietnam’s population.

  1. 0.7 years

  2. 7 years

  3. 0.14 years

  4. 1.4 years

  5. 14 years

Question 102.13

13.Which is NOT likely to describe a population in a developing country?

  1. Replacement level fertility is higher than 2.1.

  2. Infant mortality is 10 percent or more.

  3. Immigration is relatively low or nonexistent.

  4. The age structure will be shaped like an inverted pyramid.

  5. Per capita ecological footprint is much lower than in developed countries.

Question 102.14

14.World Bank records indicate that in 2010, the total fertility rate in Puerto Rico was 1.6 and population size was 4,000,000. If net migration rate was −1.0, then the best estimate of the population in 2012 is

  1. 2,500,000.

  2. 3,700,000.

  3. 4,000,000.

  4. 4,500,000.

  5. 4,600,000.

Question 102.15

15.A developing country with a total fertility rate of 4.0 and a net migration rate of −3.5 is likely to have an age structure

  1. shaped like a pyramid.

  2. shaped like an inverted pyramid.

  3. shaped like a column.

  4. that is variable depending on the demographic.

  5. shaped like a diamond.

Question 102.16

16.Which is NOT a factor that determines population growth under the theory of demographic transition?

  1. Improved sanitation and health care leads to rapid population growth.

  2. Population momentum holds birth rates stable while death rates decline.

  3. Density independent factors slow economic growth.

  4. Education reduces a population growth rate.

  5. A burgeoning proportion of elderly people slows advancement.

Question 102.17

17.Increasing the gross domestic product of a nation can be associated with

  1. an increase in pollution.

  2. a decrease in pollution.

  3. an increase in population size.

  1. I only

  2. II only

  3. III only

  4. I and II

  5. I, II, and III

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Questions 18 and 19 refer to the following table:

Country Ecological footprint (km2) Average monthly salary Number of coal burning plants Population growth rate (%)
Argentina (119) 1,000,000 1,100 1 0.98
Colombia (108) 800,000 700 4 1.10
Philippines (64) 1,100,000 300 9 1.84
Brazil (133) 5,500,000 800 7 0.83
Panama (89) 100,000 800 1 1.38

Sources: Global Energy Observatory, http://www.globalenergyobservatory.org; United Nations International Labour Organization, http://www.ilo.org; World Bank, http://data.worldbank.org.

Question 102.18

18.Based solely on the IPAT equation, _____ is likely to have the greatest population size and ____ is likely to have smallest population size.

  1. Argentina/Colombia

  2. Colombia/Philippines

  3. Philippines/Panama

  4. Brazil/Panama

  5. Brazil/Argentina

Question 102.19

19.Which country is most likely to be in the second phase of demographic transition?

  1. Argentina

  2. Colombia

  3. Philippines

  4. Brazil

  5. Panama

Question 102.20

20.If everyone moved to urban areas, it is likely that

  1. the global ecological footprint would decrease.

  2. the global ecological footprint would increase.

  3. the global ecological footprint would remain the same.

  4. global sustainability would be achieved.

  5. global population increase would cease.



Section 2: Free-Response Questions

Write your answer to each part clearly. Support your answers with relevant information and examples. Where calculations are required, show your work.

Question 102.21

1. Wolbachia is one of the world’s most common parasitic microbes. It infects an enormous number of species, including many insects. Estimates indicate that as many as 70 percent of all insect species are infected with Wolbachia, including mosquitoes, spiders, and mites. The bacteria reproduce inside a host and are transmitted directly from mother to offspring or when infected males mate with uninfected females. After infection, Wolbachia consume host resources, which leaves the host with fewer resources for reproduction. As a result, infected females often have fewer offspring.

  1. What is a possible limiting resource for Wolbachia, aside from the amount of resources within the host? (2 points)

  2. Describe the population trajectory of Wolbachia inside of a host. (2 points)

  3. Describe the population trajectory of Wolbachia in a population of hosts. (2 points)

  4. Based on your answer for the previous question, what is one possible way that natural selection is altering the interaction between Wolbachia and its hosts? (2 points)

  5. Discuss how the presence of nearby host populations might alter the spread of Wolbachia. (2 points)

Question 102.22

2. China’s one-child policy has drastically reduced total fertility rate to 1.4, and has led to a reduction in population growth rate to 0.50 percent in 2012. One problem associated with this is the development of an inverted population pyramid. Care for the elderly requires a substantial amount of energy, resources, and manpower. Chinese elderly primarily rely on their families for health care.

  1. Given China’s one-child policy, provide two examples of how China’s growing elder population will affect future population growth. (3 points)

  2. Describe one potential benefit and one potential problem associated with the emigration of elderly individuals from rural to urban areas. (2 points)

  3. The total population size of China was 1,400,000,000 in 2012, with a crude birth rate of 12 births per 1,000 individuals. The number of individuals that emigrated from China was 700,000 and the number of individuals that immigrated to China was 200,000. Calculate the crude death rate. (3 points)

  4. What would the total fertility rate be if all families in China obeyed the one-child policy rule? (1 point)