Original Project
Interdependence in Ecosystems
Given adequate resources and an absence of disease or predators, populations of organisms in ecosystems can incr…
Item ID081002: The size of populations of squirrels can increase when there is an increase in the food available and a decrease in the number of predators.
Which of the following statements is TRUE about increases in the size of populations of squirrels?
- The size of populations of squirrels can increase to be infinitely large.
- The size of populations of squirrels always increases at about the same rate.
- The size of populations of squirrels always stays about the same because the number of deaths is always about the same as the number of births.
- The size of populations of squirrels can increase when there is an increase in the food available and a decrease in the number of predators.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1706 | 2788 | 61% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 841 | 1527 | 55% |
| 9–12 | 862 | 1253 | 69% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 786 | 1316 | 60% |
| Female | 880 | 1405 | 63% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1510 | 2447 | 62% |
| Other | 153 | 269 | 57% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- LS2.A Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.
- NRC Framework
- Stability and Change: An understanding of dynamic equilibrium is crucial to understanding the major issues in any complex system--for example, population dynamics in a ecosystem...