AP Environmental Science : Population Ecology

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Environmental Science

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : The Human Population

Which of the following is the term that is best defined as the number of children a couple must have to replace themselves in a given population?

Possible Answers:

Demographic transition

Replacement level fertility

Total fertility rate

Zero population growth number

Correct answer:

Replacement level fertility

Explanation:

Replacement level fertility is the number of children required by a couple to replace them. Currently, in the United States, this number is just above two. This number accounts for infant mortality and varies by region.

Example Question #1 : The Human Population

How has the CITES Treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) been helpful in protecting endangered animals and plants?

Possible Answers:

It specifies prices for endangered plant and animal products and byproducts.

It lists those species and products whose international trade is controlled.

It lists those species that can be hunted, traded, and used commercially.

It prevents the hunting of endangered marine life.

It funds projects for breeding endangered plants and animals.

Correct answer:

It lists those species and products whose international trade is controlled.

Explanation:

The CITES treaty is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and entered into force in July 1975. The treaty's aim is to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of such endangered species, listed in varying degrees of protection and applying to more than 35,000 species. Thus it monitors international trade as it pertains to all manner of protected wildlife. 

Example Question #1 : The Human Population

A certain country has an initial population of 52,800 people. In 2015, there were 870 births, 517 deaths, 1,700 immigrants, and 1,300 emigrants. What is the population growth rate for 2015?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The population growth rate is a measure of population change over a given time.

The first step to calculate this rate is to add up the number of people arriving in the country (through births and immigration) and, separately, add the number of people leaving the country (through death or emigration). Then we subtract those leaving the country from those entering the country to obtain a value for the change in population.  

After calculating the change in population, we can calculate the population growth rate.  Don’t forget to multiply the ratio between change in population and initial population by 100 to convert from decimal into percent. 

Example Question #3 : The Human Population

Exponential population growth is a major issue that threatens the stability of life on Earth. Which of the following is not a factor used to measure human population growth for a given country?

Possible Answers:

Immigration rate

Death rate

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Emigration rate

Birth rate

Correct answer:

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Explanation:

The correct response is GDP. All the other factors have major impacts on population growth. GDP has cultural implications for population growth; however, it is not a direct relationship.

Example Question #1 : The Human Population

The population growth for a country is 4% every 5 years, what is the approximate doubling time of this population?

Possible Answers:

73 years

88 years

59 years

25 years

Correct answer:

88 years

Explanation:

The formula for doubling time is: 

Since the population grows by 4% every 5 years, we must divide these two numbers to find the annual population growth. 

Thus:

So, using this number in our equation, 

Our answer rounds closest to 88 years. 

Example Question #161 : Ecosystems And Biology

Which of the following is not associated with a Deep Ecology Worldview?

Possible Answers:

All life has intrinsic value

Humans are no more important than other species

The human population should be curbed if it impacts the environment

Environmental deterioration is a concern only if it impacts humans

The environment is more important than economic growth

Correct answer:

Environmental deterioration is a concern only if it impacts humans

Explanation:

There are two worldview extremes, the Deep Ecology and the Western worldview. Most people’s worldviews lie somewhere in between these two extremes. The Deep Ecology Worldview considers humans as no more important than other species and believes that all life has intrinsic value. The health of the environment is of the highest priority and humans should make sacrifices to protect it.

Example Question #2 : The Human Population

Which of the following continents boasts the largest proportion of the global human population?

Possible Answers:

Africa

North America

Asia

South America

Europe

Correct answer:

Asia

Explanation:

The continent of Asia hosts the majority of the Earth's population, at roughly  billion people,  of the total human population. In order to put this into perspective, it has been calculated that for every five people in the world, three live in Asia. 

Example Question #161 : Ecosystems And Biology

The United States has a birth rate of  births per one thousand people, a death rate of  deaths per one thousand people and an immigration rate of  migrants per one thousand people. With emigration from the U.S. near insignificant, calculate the population growth rate of the United States. 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The formula for the national population growth rate is:


We can substitute in the provided values in order to determine the population growth:

Example Question #22 : Population Ecology

Who first theorized that the human population would eventually exceed the capacity of the Earth's resources to sustain it?

Possible Answers:

Charles Darwin

Alfred Russel Wallace

E.O. Wilson

Ruth Patrick

Thomas Malthus

Correct answer:

Thomas Malthus

Explanation:

In his seminal work An Essay on the Principle of Population, Thomas Malthus theorized that eventually the human population would be halted by either famine, disease, or both. While his estimates on when this would occur proved dramatically incorrect, his work was very influential, and he has been studied by such critically important figures as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.

Example Question #161 : Ecosystems And Biology

Of the following, which can significantly influence the size of a population?

Possible Answers:

All of the other answers are correct.

Access to education

Access to medical care

Religions that discourage sexual education and the use of contraceptives

Correct answer:

All of the other answers are correct.

Explanation:

All of these can potentially influence the growth of human population. When people have access to more medical care, they both live longer and have higher rates of survival. Religions that oppose the use of contraceptives can also influence the size of a population; they are often found in areas or countries experiencing higher rates of population increase. In societies where women have access to more education, they are less likely to become pregnant at a young age, and also likely to have fewer children than women who do not have access to similar educational opportunities.

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