BIO 172 COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW 2026
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉How do individuals respond to environmental changes? Answer:
Using morphological, physiological, or behavioral means.
◉What is an example of a physiological response to environmental
changes? Answer: Sweating or increased RBC production at high
altitudes.
◉What is an example of a morphological response to environmental
changes? Answer: Seasonal change in fur coat or plant leaves.
◉What is an example of a behavioral response to environmental
changes? Answer: Moving from sun to shade to maintain stable
body temperature.
◉What is the definition of ecology? Answer: The study of how
organisms relate to one another and to their environment.
◉What are the key elements of the environment? Answer:
Temperature, water, sunlight, soil.
,◉What is the difference between a population and a
metapopulation? Answer: Population: Groups of individuals of the
same species in one place/time; Metapopulation: Population of
smaller populations.
◉What are the key characteristics of a population? Answer:
Population range, spacing pattern, population size.
◉What causes a species' geographic range to change over time?
Answer: Population range changes over time and dispersal allows
organisms to expand their range.
◉What are the three factors that influence a species' demography?
Answer: Fecundity rate, mortality rate, generation time.
◉What is demography? Answer: Quantitative study of populations
that shows if a population is changing in size.
◉What is the significance of survivorship curves? Answer: They
reflect differences in the relative probability of dying at a particular
age.
, ◉What are the three types of survivorship curves? Answer: Type I:
Few offspring, high parental care; Type II: Constant mortality; Type
III: Many offspring, little care.
◉What is life history in ecology? Answer: Life cycle of an organism
that represents a combination of traits that maximize fitness.
◉What are reproductive trade-offs in an organism's life history?
Answer: Resources used for reproduction cannot be used for
growth.
◉What is exponential growth? Answer: Population growth with no
limits.
◉What is carrying capacity? Answer: The maximum population size
that an environment can sustain.
◉What might cause carrying capacity to change? Answer: Changes
in resource availability and competition.
◉What is the formula for exponential growth? Answer: dN/dt=riN.
◉What is the formula for logistic growth? Answer: dN/dt=rN[(K-
N)/K].
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉How do individuals respond to environmental changes? Answer:
Using morphological, physiological, or behavioral means.
◉What is an example of a physiological response to environmental
changes? Answer: Sweating or increased RBC production at high
altitudes.
◉What is an example of a morphological response to environmental
changes? Answer: Seasonal change in fur coat or plant leaves.
◉What is an example of a behavioral response to environmental
changes? Answer: Moving from sun to shade to maintain stable
body temperature.
◉What is the definition of ecology? Answer: The study of how
organisms relate to one another and to their environment.
◉What are the key elements of the environment? Answer:
Temperature, water, sunlight, soil.
,◉What is the difference between a population and a
metapopulation? Answer: Population: Groups of individuals of the
same species in one place/time; Metapopulation: Population of
smaller populations.
◉What are the key characteristics of a population? Answer:
Population range, spacing pattern, population size.
◉What causes a species' geographic range to change over time?
Answer: Population range changes over time and dispersal allows
organisms to expand their range.
◉What are the three factors that influence a species' demography?
Answer: Fecundity rate, mortality rate, generation time.
◉What is demography? Answer: Quantitative study of populations
that shows if a population is changing in size.
◉What is the significance of survivorship curves? Answer: They
reflect differences in the relative probability of dying at a particular
age.
, ◉What are the three types of survivorship curves? Answer: Type I:
Few offspring, high parental care; Type II: Constant mortality; Type
III: Many offspring, little care.
◉What is life history in ecology? Answer: Life cycle of an organism
that represents a combination of traits that maximize fitness.
◉What are reproductive trade-offs in an organism's life history?
Answer: Resources used for reproduction cannot be used for
growth.
◉What is exponential growth? Answer: Population growth with no
limits.
◉What is carrying capacity? Answer: The maximum population size
that an environment can sustain.
◉What might cause carrying capacity to change? Answer: Changes
in resource availability and competition.
◉What is the formula for exponential growth? Answer: dN/dt=riN.
◉What is the formula for logistic growth? Answer: dN/dt=rN[(K-
N)/K].
