Every year you travel to the Kalahari Desert in Botswana to study meerkats (Suricata suricatta), a small carnivore belonging to the mongoose family. As you survey the various populations of meerkats and analyze the data, you realize that population growth is most influenced by the…

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Question restatement: The prompt asks what factor most influences population growth in meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in the studied populations in the Kalahari Desert.

Option a: 'number of active predators.' While predation can affect survival, population growth is typically more closely tied to reproductive output and social factors rather than the immediate count of predators alone. Predation can influence numbers, but it is not usually the primary limiting factor for growth in this context.

Option b: 'number of females in the group.' This is the correct answer because in many social mammals with communal care and breeding hierarchies, population growth is directly constrained by how many females are capable of reproducing. The reproductive output of females largely determines the number of offspring entering the population each generation, making this a key limiting factor for growth.

Option c: 'size of the group’s home range.' While territory size can influence resource access and social dynamics, it is more about space and resource distribution than the intrinsic rate at which the population can increase. A larger or smaller home range can indirectly affect growth, but it does not directly cap the number of offspring produced.

Option d: 'amount of resources (food) available.' Resource availability is a major ecological factor that can affect survival and reproduction. However, even with abundant resources, the actual number of offspring that can be produced and added to the population is often governed by reproductive capacity and social structure. So, while important, it is not the sole or primary driver in many meerkat populations.

Option e: 'spread of disease in the group.' Disease can influence mortality and population dynamics, but it is typically considered a secondary or episodic factor rather than the primary determinant of baseline population growth. The question emphasizes the parameter that most directly governs how fast the population grows, which is the reproductive capacity tied to the number of breeding females.

In summary, the best-supported choice is that population growth is most influenced by the number of breeding females in the group, since they largely determine how many offspring are produced and enter the population each generation.

BIO 181 (001&002) FALL 2025 FA25: Exam 2: Ecology - You got this! : )

Every year you travel to the Kalahari Desert in Botswana to study meerkats (Suricata suricatta), a small carnivore belonging to the mongoose family. As you survey the various populations of meerkats and analyze the data, you realize that population growth is most influenced by the…

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