Question

changing populations
directions: on the line before each statement, write t if the statement is true or f if the statement is false. if the
statement is false, change the underlined word(s) to make it true. write your changes on the lines provided.
______ 1. a population’s exponential growth is the number of offspring produced over a
given time period. _______________
______ 2. a population’s carrying capacity is the number of individuals that die over a
given time period. _______________
______ 3. if the birthrate is higher than the death rate, the population increases in
size. _______________
______ 4. lack of food, natural disasters, disease, and predation are reasons why a
population might decrease in size. _______________
______ 5. a population grows in a pattern called exponential growth when it is in ideal
conditions with limited resources. _______________
______ 6. an endangered species is a species that has died out and no individuals are left.
_______________
______ 7. a threatened species is a species whose population is at risk of extinction.
_______________

Explanation:

1. Exponential growth refers to a pattern of population growth where the population size increases at a constant percentage rate over time. It is not just about the number of offspring. The correct term for the number of offspring produced over a given time period is birthrate.
2. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a population that an environment can support indefinitely. It is not about the number of individuals that die.
3. If the birthrate (number of births) is higher than the death rate (number of deaths), more individuals are added to the population than are removed. So, the population size increases.
4. Lack of food (starvation), natural disasters (like floods, wildfires which can kill many individuals), disease (high mortality due to illness), and predation (being eaten by predators) all can cause a decrease in population size.
5. Exponential growth occurs when a population is in ideal conditions with unlimited resources. When resources are limited, logistic growth (which levels off at carrying capacity) occurs.
6. An endangered species is a species that is at risk of becoming extinct. A species that has died out and no individuals are left is called extinct.
7. A threatened species is indeed a species whose population is at risk of extinction.

Answer:

1. F, change "exponential growth" to "birthrate"
2. F, change "carrying capacity" to "death - rate"
3. T
4. T
5. F, change "limited" to "unlimited"
6. F, change "endangered" to "extinct"
7. T