Test: Populations & their Interactions - NEET MCQ

The population density in a given habitat and at a particular time period, fluctuates due to the changes in four basic processes given below:-

1. Natality- It refers to the number of births take place in a population during a given period.

2. Mortality- It refers to the number of deaths take place in a population during a given period.

3. Immigration- It refers to the number of individuals of the same species have migrated into the habitat from somewhere else during a particular time period.

4. Emigration- It refers to the number of individuals of the same species have migrated out of the habitat during a given time period.

Natality and immigration add to the population density whereas mortality and emigration decrease the population density.

Topic in NCERT: Population Dynamics

Line in NCERT: "the density of a population in a given habitat during a given period, fluctuates due to changes in four basic processes, two of which (natality and immigration) contribute to an increase in population density and two (mortality and emigration) to a decrease."

Triangular age pyramid has high proportion of reproductive individuals, moderate number of reproductive individuals and fewer post-reproductive individuals. It represents young or rapidly growing population.

In urn-shaped age pyramid, the number of reproductive individuals is higher than the number of pre-reproductive individuals. It represents declining or diminishing population with negative growth

In bell-shaped age pyramid, the number of pre-reproductive and reproductive individuals is almost equal. Post reproductive individuals are comparatively fewer. It represents stable or stationary population where growth rate is nearly zero.

Topic in NCERT: Age Pyramids and Population Growth Status

Line in NCERT: "The shape of the pyramids reflects the growth status of the population - (a) whether it is growing, (b) stable or (c) declining."

A population growing in a habitat with limited resources shows initially a lag phase, followed by phases of increase and decrease and finally the population density reaches the carrying capacity. A plot of N in relation to time (t) results in a sigmoid curve. This type of population growth is called Verhulst- Pearl Logistic Growth as explained by the following equation:

Where N = Population density at a time t;
r = Intrinsic rate of natural increase and;
K = Carrying capacity.

Topic in NCERT: Intrinsic Rate of Natural Increase

Line in NCERT: "The r in this equation is called the ‘intrinsic rate of natural increase' and is a very important parameter chosen for assessing impacts of any biotic or abiotic factor on population growth."

Plant-animal interactions involve co-evolution of mutualists. This means, the evolution of the plant (e.g., flower) and the animal (e.g. pollinator species) are closely linked with one another.

Topic in NCERT: Mutualism in Plant-Animal Interactions

Line in NCERT: "the mutually beneficial system should also be safeguarded against ‘cheaters', for example, animals that try to steal nectar without aiding in pollination." "In many species of fig trees, there is a tight one-to-one relationship with the pollinator species of wasp." "It means that a given fig species can be pollinated only by its 'partner' wasp species and no other species." "The female wasp uses the fruit not only as an oviposition (egg-laying) site but uses the developing seeds within the fruit for nourishing its larvae." "The wasp pollinates the fig inflorescence while searching for suitable egg-laying sites." "Orchids show a bewildering diversity of floral patterns many of which have evolved to attract the right pollinator insect (bees and bumblebees) and ensure guaranteed pollination by it." "Here you can see how co-evolution operates." "If the female bee's colour patterns change even slightly for any reason during evolution, pollination success will be reduced unless the orchid flower co-evolves to maintain the resemblance of its petal to the female bee."

Option 3 : Mycorrhiza

Topic in NCERT: Mutualism

Line in NCERT: "Similarly, the mycorrhizae are associations between fungi and the roots of higher plants."

Competition is defined as the active demand by two or more individuals of the same species or members of two or more species at same trophic levels for a common resource. Intraspectific competition is competition amongst members of the same species for a common resource such as for food, space and mate. interspecific competition is rivalry amongst members of different species. The severity of competition depends upon similarity in the requirement of food and shelter.

Topic in NCERT: Interspecific Interactions

Line in NCERT: "Both the species benefit in mutualism and both lose in competition in their interactions with each other."

Total number of plants (in the beginning ) = 30
New plants added by reproduction = 25
Birth rate (of a population)

=0.83 individuals per lotus per year

Number of plants died =8

Sometimes, for certain ecological investigations, there is no need to know the absolute population densities. Relative densities serve the purpose equally well. In this case, population size is indirectly estimated without actually counting them. For example, the number of fishes caught per trap is good enough measure of its total population density in the lake. The tiger census in our National parks and tiger reserves is often based on pug marks (animal's foot print) and faecal pellets.

Population density is the number of individuals present per unit area or volume at a given time. If the total number of individuals is represented by letter N and the number of units of space (area for land organisms and volume for water organisms) by letter S, then the population density D can be represented as D =N/S. For instance, number of animals per square kilometer, number of trees per acre in a forest, etc.

Topic in NCERT: Population Density

Line in NCERT: "the density of a population in a given habitat called population density (designated as N)"

Age distribution is percentage of individuals of a given age or age group. A population at any given time is composed of individuals of different ages. If age distribution is plotted for the population, the resulting structure is called as age pyramid.

Topic in NCERT: Population Structure and Dynamics

Line in NCERT: "The proportion of different age groups of males and females in a population is often presented graphically as age pyramid; its shape indicates whether a population is stationary, growing or declining."

Population ecology is the subfield of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. It is an important area because it links the ecology to population genetics and is responsible for evolution.

Topic in NCERT: POPULATIONS

Line in NCERT: "Population ecology is, therefore, an important area because it links ecology to population genetics and evolution."

Number of deaths is more than the number of births, showing a declining population.

The age structure of a population is the percentage of individuals of different ages such as young, adult and old. 
Age structure is shown by organisms in which individuals of  more than one generation time are important related to it. 

Topic in NCERT: Population Attributes

Line in NCERT: "Another attribute characteristic of a population is sex ratio."

Different age groups have different reproductive capabilities. Pre-reproductive individuals are the young individuals which will enter the reproductive age after some time. They are the potential source of increas in population. Reproductive individuals are the ones which are actually adding neq members to the population. Post-reproductive individuals are older individuals which no longer take part in reproduction.

Topic in NCERT: Population Structure and Dynamics

Line in NCERT: "The proportion of different age groups of males and females in a population is often presented graphically as age pyramid; its shape indicates whether a population is stationary, growing or declining."

migration is permanent outward movement of individuals from a population for settlement into a new area. If decreases the local population.

Topic in NCERT: POPULATION DYNAMICS

Line in NCERT: "two (mortality and emigration) to a decrease."

A and B are natality and immigration. They add to population density. C and D are mortality and emigration. They decrease population density.

Topic in NCERT: Population Density

Line in NCERT: "N_t + [(B + I) - (D + E)]"

Immigration is the permanent inward movement of some individuals coming from outside into an existing population. This increase population density and would not limit its growth.

Immigration is not necessarily equal to emigration in a population.

Topic in NCERT: Population Dynamics

Line in NCERT: "Under normal conditions, births and deaths are the most important factors influencing population density, the other two factors assuming importance only under special conditions."

When food and space for a population are unlimited, each species has the ability to realise fully its inherited potential to grow. Then the population grows in an exponential or geometric ratio.

Topic in NCERT: Exponential Growth

Line in NCERT: "Ideally, when resources in the habitat are unlimited, each species has the ability to realise fully its innate potential to grow in number, as Darwin observed while developing his theory of natural selection. Then the population grows in an exponential or geometric fashion."

Intrinsic rate of natural increase (r)

= Birth rate − death rate

=0.15−0.08=0.07

Topic in NCERT: Intrinsic Rate of Natural Increase

Line in NCERT: "The r in this equation is called the ‘intrinsic rate of natural increase' and is a very important parameter chosen for assessing impacts of any biotic or abiotic factor on population growth."

In nature, a given habitat has resources to support a certain number of individuals of a population, beyond which no further growth is possible. This limit is called as nature's carrying capacity (K) for that species in that habitat.

Topic in NCERT: Carrying Capacity

Line in NCERT: "In nature, a given habitat has enough resources to support a maximum possible number, beyond which no further growth is possible. Let us call this limit as nature's carrying capacity (K) for that species in that habitat."

S-shaped growth curve is also called Verhulst-Pearl logistic curve and is represented by the following equation :

where dN/dt= rate of change in population size, r= intrinsic rate of natural increase, N= population density, K= carrying capacity and 

Topic in NCERT: Logistic Growth

Line in NCERT: "This type of population growth is called Verhulst-Pearl Logistic Growth (Figure 11.3) and is described by the following equation: dN/dt = rN(K-N)"

Since resources of growth for most animal populations are finite and become limiting sooner or later, the logistic growth model is considered as more realistic.

Topic in NCERT: Logistic Growth Model

Line in NCERT: "the logistic growth model is considered a more realistic one."

A population with large number of older individuals than younger ones is likely to decline since older individuals do not take part in reproduction.

Topic in NCERT: Population Dynamics and Age Structure

Line in NCERT: "the proportion of different age groups of males and females in a population is often presented graphically as age pyramid; its shape indicates whether a population is stationary, growing or declining."

Predation is an interaction between members of two species in which members of one species capture, kill and eat up members of other species. The former are called predators and the latter are called preys.

Topic in NCERT: Population Interactions

Line in NCERT: "Predation, parasitism and commensalism share a common characteristic, the interacting species live closely together."

Parasitism is a relationship between two living organisms of different species in which one organism called parasite obtains its food directly from another living organism called host. The parasite is usually smaller as compared to its host. It spends a part or whole of its life on or in the body of the host. Obligate parasites obtain their nutrition from living organisms only.

The evolution of complementary adaptations in two species caused by the selection pressures that each exerts on the other is called co-evolution. It is common in symbiotic associations e.g., many insect-pollinated plants have evolved flowers whose shapes, colours, etc., make them attractive to particular insects, at the same time the pollinating insects have evolved sense organs and mouth parts specialised for quickly locating and extracting nectar from particular species of plants.

Topic in NCERT: Plant-Animal Interactions

Line in NCERT: "the evolutions of the flower and its pollinator species are tightly linked with one another."

According to the mechanism of resource partitioning (supported by Mac Arthur), if two species compete for the same resource, they could avoid competition by choosing, for instance, different times for feeding or different foraging patterns. Two species evolve to become different too reduce competition, so that species can co-exist. 

Topic in NCERT: Competition and Co-existence

Line in NCERT: "species facing competition might evolve mechanisms that promote co-existence rather than exclusion."

In mutualism, both species are benefitted. Gut bacteria are dependent on us for food. They release certain enzymes which help us in digestion.