Question

Following a natural disaster, like a tornado, the size of a population will generally:

1) decrease, because there will be greater limiting factors on the population
2) increase, because the population is below carrying capacity
3) decrease, because organisms will struggle to find mates
4) either increase or decrease; it is impossible to predict the events following a natural disaster
5) increase, because the disaster will eliminate competitors

Answer 1

The size of a population is likely to decrease following a natural disaster due to the bottleneck effect, increased limiting factors, and a potential reduction in the environment's carrying capacity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Following a natural disaster such as a tornado, the size of a population will generally decrease due to increased limiting factors. Natural disasters can lead to what is known as the bottleneck effect, which dramatically alters the genetic structure of a population by randomly wiping out a large portion of individuals. The disaster reduces the availability of resources like food, shelter, and mates, impairing the surviving population's ability to sustain its numbers and reproduce effectively. The carrying capacity, or maximum sustainable population size, may decrease due to the destruction of resources. Additionally, natural disasters are indiscriminate, sparing and killing individuals without selection, thus affecting a population's genetic diversity.

As human populations expand into more vulnerable areas, the number and impact of people affected by natural disasters can increase. Furthermore, overpopulation may lead to resources depletion and increased competition, which could further impact population size and genetic diversity following a disaster.