Original Project
Interdependence in Ecosystems
Given adequate resources and an absence of disease or predators, populations of organisms in ecosystems can incr…
Item IE081002: 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.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 2788 |
6–8 n = 1527 |
9–12 n = 1253 |
Male n = 1316 |
Female n = 1405 |
English n = 2447 |
Other n = 269 |
||
| A. | The size of populations of squirrels can increase to be infinitely large. | 9% | 12% | 7% | 11% | 8% | 9% | 11% |
| B. | The size of populations of squirrels always increases at about the same rate. | 11% | 13% | 9% | 13% | 9% | 11% | 15% |
| C. | 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. | 18% | 20% | 15% | 17% | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| D. | 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. | 61% | 55% | 69% | 60% | 63% | 62% | 57% |