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About This Drill
AP Biology — Unit 8 — Population Ecology — Drill 36 is a practice drill. It contains 5 original questions created by Brian Stewart, a Barron's test prep author with over 20 years of tutoring experience.
Practice applying the logistic growth equation and interpreting population data in this AP Biology drill on Unit 8 population ecology. Analyze birth and death rate trends, calculate dN/dt, and evaluate wildlife management proposals using real population data.
Passage
Ecologists monitor a white-tailed deer population in a 500-hectare forest preserve over six years. The preserve has a carrying capacity (K) estimated at 200 deer. Researchers record population size, birth rate, and death rate annually.
| Year | Population (N) | Birth Rate (per 100 deer) | Death Rate (per 100 deer) | Net Growth Rate (r) |
|---|
| 1 | 40 | 28 | 8 | 0.20 |
| 2 | 72 | 27 | 8 | 0.19 |
| 3 | 118 | 24 | 10 | 0.14 |
| 4 | 158 | 20 | 13 | 0.07 |
| 5 | 174 | 17 | 16 | 0.01 |
| 6 | 181 | 16 | 16 | 0.00 |
Questions in This Drill
- Using the logistic growth equation dN/dt = rN((K - N) / K), what is the approximate growth rate of the deer population in Year 3?
- Between Year 1 and Year 6, the net growth rate (r) declines from 0.20 to 0.00. Which calculation best explains why r approaches zero by Year 6?
- Based on the table, during which year is the absolute increase in population size greatest, and what does this indicate about logistic growth?
- A wildlife manager proposes harvesting 15 deer per year from the preserve beginning in Year 4 to prevent overpopulation. Based on the data, which evaluation of this proposal is most accurate?
- A second deer preserve has identical K and initial population size but shows no decline in r over six years, maintaining r = 0.20 throughout. Which condition most likely explains this difference?