CLEP Natural Sciences - Biological Science

Category - CLEP Natural Sciences - Biology

When locust populations grow too large for an area, the individual locusts are crowded and food becomes scarce. In response to these conditions, some of the locusts leave the area and find a new habitat. Which of the following terms best applies to the response of the locusts that leave for the new habitat?
  1. commensalism
  2. emigration
  3. hibernation
  4. mutualism
Explanation

Answer: B - Emigration. Emigration in the context of animal and insect populations refers to the process of individuals leaving their current habitat or range and moving to another location to establish a new home range. This movement is typically permanent and can occur for a variety of reasons, such as the search for better resources, avoiding competition, or escaping predators.

Emigration is an important aspect of population dynamics, as it can influence the distribution and abundance of a species in a given area. For example, if a group of animals or insects emigrates from an area with limited resources to a new area with more plentiful resources, they may be able to establish a larger population in the new area.

Emigration can also have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. For example, if individuals with certain traits are more likely to emigrate than others, this can result in the establishment of new populations with different genetic characteristics than the original population. Additionally, if emigration occurs between populations that have adapted to different environments, it can lead to the development of new species over time.  They may also cross-breed with populations with different traits in the new environment or even different species.

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