Kettle ponds derive from a hole left by a retreating glacier that is subsequently filled with rainwater. A certain region has a series of disconnected kettle ponds, but occasionally heavy rains flood them and create streams. Which type of animal is most likely to be present in this area as a metapopulation?

Question

A.  a fish
B.  an aquatic bird
C.  a mosquito
D.  a dragonfly


Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?

What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content:
What do you already know about metapopulations? What other information is related to the question? 

Choose Answer:
  Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
 

Answer 1

A.  a fish


Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
The key concept is to identify the type of organism that will form a metapopulation under these conditions.

What type of thinking is required?
This is an analyze question, you will need to break down the question into its components to get to the answer.


Gather Content:
What do you already know about metapopulations? What other information is related to the question? 
A metapopulation is a series of small populations that on their own would not be large enough to form a stable single population. The series of populations are intermittently connected to each other and the whole group of sub-populations forms a metapopulation.


Choose Answer:
  Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Birds, mosquitos, and dragonflies can all freely move across the area. They would not be considered a metapopulation because they are not confined to separate sub-populations. Small populations of fish in the kettle ponds would be a metapopulation. The populations would be separate for most of the year, only joining when floods connected the separate kettle ponds.


Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
Were you able to make the correct choice? You needed to break the question down and see which of the answer choices matched the definition of a metapopulation.