Figure 53-3 Based on the Accompanying Figure, the Decline

question 78

Multiple Choice

Figure 53-3 Based on the accompanying figure, the decline in the moose population in 1996 was most likely due to a(n) :

• A) predictable increase in the wolf population.
• B) unpredictable increase in the wolf population.
• C) decrease in the intrinsic rate of increase for the moose population.
• D) decline in the food supply.
• E) unknown disease organism.

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Definitions:

Fitness Function

A concept used in genetics and evolutionary biology to measure an organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Directional

Pertaining to or indicating the direction in which something is moving or facing; also refers to evolutionary changes in a population that favor a specific set of traits.

Stabilizing

A type of natural selection that favors the average individuals in a population, thus maintaining the population’s genetic stability over time.

Disruptive

Pertaining to a type of natural selection that favors extreme values of a trait over intermediate values, potentially leading to speciation.