AP Biology: Metapopulation Dynamics Practice Questions
Practice metapopulation dynamics with original AP Biology multiple-choice questions. These items focus on habitat patches, movement among subpopulations, local extinction, recolonization, rescue effects, and how connectivity changes persistence.
Free original practice questions for study purposes. Open Exam Prep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the makers of AP Exams.
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Answer the questions below — you get instant feedback and a full explanation for each.
1. Which description best defines a metapopulation?
Explanation. A metapopulation is made of local subpopulations in different patches. Movement among patches can connect them and influence long-term persistence.
2. In metapopulation dynamics, what does local extinction mean?
Explanation. Local extinction is the loss of a species from a particular patch. The species can persist regionally if it remains in other patches or recolonizes later.
3. A butterfly species occupies several meadow patches. One patch loses all butterflies after a drought, but butterflies return two years later from nearby patches. Which process explains the return?
Explanation. Recolonization occurs when individuals disperse from occupied patches and establish again in a patch where the population had disappeared.
4. Which change would most likely increase persistence of a patch-based metapopulation?
Explanation. Connectivity can increase dispersal, recolonization, and rescue effects. These processes can reduce the chance that the regional metapopulation disappears.
5. What is the rescue effect in metapopulation ecology?
Explanation. The rescue effect happens when immigrants add individuals or genes to a local population, making disappearance from that patch less likely.
6. A small isolated pond population has a higher extinction risk than a larger connected pond population. Which explanation best fits metapopulation theory?
Explanation. Small populations are more affected by random demographic and environmental events. Isolation also limits immigration that could rescue or recolonize patches.
7. Which observation would provide evidence that dispersal connects local populations in a metapopulation?
Explanation. Finding marked individuals breeding in another patch directly supports movement among patches, which is the dispersal connection central to metapopulation dynamics.
8. A landscape has many suitable habitat patches, but most patches are too far apart for a frog species to reach. Which outcome is most likely?
Explanation. If patches are beyond the species' dispersal ability, empty patches are harder to recolonize and isolated occupied patches are more likely to remain isolated.
9. In a simple patch-occupancy model, regional persistence is most favored when which relationship is true?
Explanation. A metapopulation can persist regionally when colonization balances or exceeds local losses. If local extinctions greatly exceed colonization, occupancy declines.
10. A road built through a forest reduces movement of salamanders among moist habitat patches. What is the best predicted metapopulation consequence?
Explanation. Barriers can reduce dispersal. With less movement, empty patches may be recolonized less often and small occupied patches may receive fewer rescuing immigrants.
11. Why can a metapopulation persist even when individual habitat patches sometimes go extinct?
Explanation. Regional persistence depends on a balance between local extinctions and recolonization. Some patches can be empty while others supply dispersers.
12. A conservation plan protects one large source patch and several nearby smaller patches. Why might this design help a metapopulation?
Explanation. A productive source patch can export individuals. Nearby suitable patches may then be maintained through immigration or recolonized after local extinction.
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FAQ
What is a metapopulation in AP Biology?
A metapopulation is a group of local populations of the same species living in separate habitat patches, with some movement of individuals among patches.
Why does dispersal matter in metapopulation dynamics?
Dispersal allows individuals to recolonize empty patches, rescue small populations, and maintain gene flow among habitat patches.
How do habitat corridors affect metapopulations?
Corridors can increase connectivity among suitable patches, which may improve recolonization and reduce the chance of regional extinction.