DP Biology Questionbank

Description

Nature of science:
Avoiding bias—a random number generator helps to ensure population sampling is free from bias. (5.4)Understandings:

• Sampling techniques are used to estimate population size.
• The exponential growth pattern occurs in an ideal, unlimited environment.
• Population growth slows as a population reaches the carrying capacity of the environment.
• The phases shown in the sigmoid curve can be explained by relative rates of natality, mortality, immigration and emigration.
• Limiting factors can be top down or bottom up.

Applications and skills:

• Application: Evaluating the methods used to estimate the size of commercial stock of marine resources.
• Application: Use of the capture-mark-release-recapture method to estimate the population size of an animal species.
• Application: Discussion of the effect of natality, mortality, immigration and emigration on population size.
• Application: Analysis of the effect of population size, age and reproductive status on sustainable fishing practices.
• Application: Bottom-up control of algal blooms by shortage of nutrients and top-down control by herbivory.
• Skill: Modelling the growth curve using a simple organism such as yeast or species of Lemna.

International-mindedness:

• The issues around the growing global human population are of international concern regardless of different growth rates in different countries.

Utilization:
Syllabus and cross-curricular links:
Geography
Part 1.1 Populations in transition
Environmental systems and societies
Topic 8.4 Human population carrying capacity

Directly related questions

• 16N.3.SL.TZ0.14a: Outline the trend in the number of people with malaria during the period when the use of...
• 16N.3.HL.TZ0.17b: Explain how top-down factors control algal blooms.
• 16N.3.HL.TZ0.16a: Describe one method that could have been used to estimate the population size of a given tree in...
• 16N.3.HL.TZ0.17a:

  State two bottom-up factors affecting algal blooms.

  

• 17M.3.HL.TZ1.17: Discuss the factors affecting population growth that can result in an exponential growth curve.
• 17M.3.HL.TZ2.15e: Explain how an excessive growth of algae on coral reefs can be controlled by top-down factors.
• 17N.3.HL.TZ0.15a.i: State the range of years when exponential growth of the M. gallopavo population occurred.
• 17N.3.HL.TZ0.15a.ii:

  Suggest factors that could account for the growth curve of the M. gallopavo population.

• 17N.3.HL.TZ0.15b: State how the population of M. gallopavo may have been determined.
• 17N.3.HL.TZ0.15c:

  Hunting of M. gallopavo is currently regulated. Predict what would happen if the hunting regulations were removed.

• 18M.3.HL.TZ1.17a.i: State the type of growth of this population up to 1940.
• 18M.3.SL.TZ1.12c: State one method that could be used to estimate the isopod population size.
• 18M.3.HL.TZ1.17a.ii: Suggest one possible cause for the decrease of the number of animals after 1940.
• 18M.3.HL.TZ2.15c: Explain how nutrients can have a positive or negative bottom-up effect on seagrass.
• 19M.3.SL.TZ1.11c: Suggest one way in which depth may act as a limiting factor for coral. 
• 19M.3.HL.TZ1.19:

  The garden snail, Helix aspersa, is a herbivore.
  
  

  

  [Source: Sinan Önder /https://www.pexels.com/photo/animal-close-up-crawling-garden-243128/]

   

  Explain how the population of snails in an ecosystem could be estimated by capture-mark-release-recapture, identifying the limitations in the method.

• 19M.3.HL.TZ2.16b: Outline the effect of carrying capacity on the growth of a population.
• 19M.3.HL.TZ2.16a:

  Explain the factors that can contribute to the exponential growth phase in a sigmoid population curve.

• 19N.3.HL.TZ0.18:

  Explain the technique used to estimate the population size of a named species of organism that is able to move.