Population Dynamics Quiz

The effect of altering the population of a top predator on the lower trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Type of fat tissue that generates heat by burning energy.

The ratio between the surface area of an organism and its volume.

The change in membrane potential during an action potential.

The movement of ions across a membrane, creating an electrical signal.

A community of living organisms and their physical environment.

A chemical that inhibits the electron transport chain in plants.

The process of generating a proton gradient using the electron transport chain.

The rate of change in population size over time (how fast the population is growing). It can be positive (population increasing), negative (population decreasing), or zero (population constant).

The intrinsic growth rate of a population, reflecting how quickly individuals in the population reproduce. It can be positive (growing population), negative (shrinking population), or zero (stable population).

The current size of the population. A higher 'N' means a larger population, while a lower 'N' denotes a smaller population.

A type of population growth where the population increases at an accelerating rate, resembling a J-shaped curve on a graph. It occurs when resources are abundant and there are no limiting factors.

Species that are typically small-bodied, have high reproductive rates, short life cycles, and high population density. They often exhibit r-selected traits.

A factor that affects population growth regardless of population density, such as weather conditions, natural disasters, and human activities.

An abiotic factor that can dramatically affect the population size of small-bodied species, leading to fluctuations in abundance.

The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size that can be sustained by the resources available. Density-dependent factors play a significant role in regulating population growth and keeping it in check near the carrying capacity.

A neurotransmitter released by motor neurons that decreases heart rate. It is broken down by acetylcholinesterase in the synaptic cleft.

The process where sodium channels open upon stimulation, allowing sodium ions to flow into the neuron, generating an electrical signal.

Tiny hair-like structures on hair cells that bend in response to sound waves, triggering the opening of ion channels and generating an electrical signal.

A medical device that stimulates auditory nerves with electrical signals, bypassing damaged parts of the cochlea.

Senses that rely on detecting physical forces like pressure, vibration, movement, or sound waves.

Specialized cells that respond to a specific type of stimulus, enabling the brain to distinguish between different sensory inputs.

The period after an action potential where a neuron cannot generate another action potential, due to the closed and inactive state of sodium channels.

Heritable traits that enhance survival and fitness, leading to increased reproductive success.

The process of converting a stimulus into an electrical signal.

Organisms that use light energy to make food via photosynthesis.

A group of organisms that includes a single common ancestor and all its descendants.

A type of cell membrane channel that opens when a neurotransmitter binds to it.

The hypothesis that the loss of top predators can have a cascading effect on lower trophic levels.

The top consumers in a food chain, like foxes, hawks, and wolves.

Loss of alveolar walls, resulting in fewer but larger air spaces in the lungs.

The process of detecting a stimulus from the environment.

A change in the frequency of alleles within a population due to random fluctuations or chance events.

A mechanism of evolution driven by chance.

A situation in which a small subset of a larger population establishes a new colony, altering the allele frequencies of the new population.

The increase in frequency of an allele that provides resistance to a specific antibiotic within a bacterial population exposed to that antibiotic.

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce successfully in a particular environment. It is not about being 'strongest' but about reproductive success.

The process by which organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits to their offspring.

The introduction of new alleles into a population from another population.

The process by which populations change over time, driven by mechanisms like natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow.