Scribd
Upload
45 views4 pages

IELTS Academic Reading Sample 1 - Population Viability Analysis

Uploaded by

erica jayasundera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
45 views4 pages

IELTS Academic Reading Sample 1 - Population Viability Analysis

Uploaded by

erica jayasundera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

o Academic Writing Task 1


o GT Writing Task 1
o Writing Task 2
 Listening Sample
 Speaking Sample
o Speaking part 1
o Speaking part 3
 Cue Card Sample

 Reading Preparation
o Academic Reading
o GT Reading
 Writing Preparation
o Academic Writing
 Writing Task 1
 Writing Task 2
o GT Writing
 Listening Preparation
 Speaking Preparation
o Find a Speaking Partner
 IELTS Mock Test

 Essay Vocabulary

IELTS Academic Reading Sample 1 - Population Viability


Analysis
Details
Last Updated: Wednesday, 09 August 2017 14:12
Written by IELTS Mentor
Hits: 65783

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-39 which are based on Reading Passage 1
below:

Population Viability Analysis


Part A
To make political decisions about the extent and type of forestry in a region it is important to
understand the consequences of those decisions. One tool for assessing the impact of forestry on
the ecosystem is population viability analysis (PVA). This is a tool for predicting the probability
that a species will become extinct in a particular region over a specific period. It has been
successfully used in the United States to provide input into resource exploitation decisions and
assist wildlife managers and there is now enormous potential for using population viability to
assist wildlife management in Australia’s forests. A species becomes extinct when the last
individual dies. This observation is a useful starting point for any discussion of extinction as it
highlights the role of luck and chance in the extinction process. To make a prediction about
extinction we need to understand the processes that can contribute to it and these fall into four
broad categories which are discussed below.

Part B
     A)   Early attempts to predict population viability were based on demographic uncertainty
whether an individual survives from one year to the next will largely be a matter of chance.
Some pairs may produce several young in a single year while others may produce none in that
same year. Small populations will fluctuate enormously because of the random nature of birth
and death and these chance fluctuations can cause species extinctions even if, on average, the
population size should increase. Taking only this uncertainty of ability to reproduce into account,
extinction is unlikely if the number of individuals in a population is above about 50 and the
population is growing.

     B)   Small populations cannot avoid a certain amount of inbreeding. This is particularly true if
there is a very small number of one sex. For example, if there are only 20 individuals of a species
and only one is a male, all future individuals in the species must be descended from that one
male. For most animal species such individuals are less likely to survive and reproduce.
Inbreeding increases the chance of extinction.

     C)   Variation within a species is the raw material upon which natural selection acts. Without
genetic variability, a species lacks the capacity to evolve and cannot adapt to changes in its
environment or to new predators and new diseases. The loss of genetic diversity associated with
reductions in population size will contribute to the likelihood of extinction.

    D)   Recent research has shown that other factors need to be considered. Australia’s
environment fluctuates enormously from year to year. These fluctuations add yet another degree
of uncertainty to the survival of many species. Catastrophes such as fire, flood, drought or
epidemic may reduce population sizes to a small fraction of their average level. When allowance
is made for these two additional elements of uncertainty the population size necessary to be
confident of persistence for a few hundred years may increase to several thousand.

Part C
Besides these processes, we need to bear in mind the distribution of a population. A species that
occurs in five isolated places each containing 20 individuals will not have the same probability
of extinction as a species with a single population of 100 individuals in a single locality. Where
logging occurs (that is, the cutting down of forests for timber) forest-dependent creatures in that
area will be forced to leave. Ground-dwelling herbivores may return within a decade. However,
arboreal marsupials (that is animals which live in trees) may not recover to pre-logging densities
for over a century. As more forests are logged, animal population sizes will be reduced further.
Regardless of the theory or model that we choose, a reduction in population size decreases the
genetic diversity of a population and increases the probability of extinction because of any or all
of the processes listed above. It is therefore, a scientific fact that increasing the area that is
loaded in any region will increase the probability that forest-dependent animals will become
extinct.

Questions 28-31:
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Part A of Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet write:

YES                if the statement agrees with the writer


NO                  if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN    if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Example                                                                                                                Answer

A link exists between the consequences of decisions and the                                        YES
decision making process itself.                                                                             

28.   Scientists are interested in the effect of forestry on native animals.


29.   PVA has been used in Australia for many years.
30.   A species is said to be extinct when only one individual exists.
31.   Extinction is a naturally occurring phenomenon. 

Questions 32-35:
These questions are based on Part B of Reading Passage 1. In paragraphs A to D the author
describes four processes which may contribute to the extinction of a species. Match the list of
processes (i-vi) to the paragraphs. Write the appropriate number (i-vi) in boxes 32-35 on your
answer sheet.

NB. There are more processes than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.

32.   Paragraph A Processes


i   Loss of ability to adapt
33.   Paragraph B ii   Natural disasters
iii   An imbalance of the sexes
34.   Paragraph C iv   Human disasters
v   Evolution
35.   Paragraph D vi  The haphazard nature of reproduction

Questions 36-38:
Based on your reading of Part C, complete the sentences below with words taken from the
passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in
boxes 36-38 on your answer sheet.

While the population of a species may be on the increase, there is always a chance that small
isolated groups .......... (36) .......... Survival of a species depends on a balance between the size of
a population and its .......... (37) ......... The likelihood that animals which live in forests will
become extinct is increased when ..........  (38) ...........
Question 39:
Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it in box 39 on your answer sheet.

39.  An alternative heading for the passage could be:

        A.  The protection of native flora and fauna


        B.  Influential factors in assessing survival probability
        C.  An economic rationale for the logging of forests
        D.  Preventive measures for the extinction of a species
 

Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers.

Answer:
28. Yes    29. No    30. No    31. Not Given    32. vi; 33. iii; 34. i; 35. ii; 36. will (/may) not
survive / will (/ may/ could) become extinct     37. locality/ distribution    38. logging takes place/
logging occurs 39. B

Show/ Hide Answers

You might also like