Mark the incorrect statement

Options

A. Natality contributes to an increase in population density
B. Mortality contributes to a decrease in population density
C. Population density is influenced by immigration and emigration rates
D. Mortality is high when the population size is small

Answer

To solve the question of identifying the incorrect statement, follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Statements
Read each statement carefully to understand what it is claiming about population dynamics.

### Step 2: Analyze Each Statement
1. **Statement 1**: "Natality contributes to an increase in population density."
- **Analysis**: Natality refers to the birth rate. An increase in birth rate leads to more individuals in a population, thus increasing population density. This statement is correct.

2. **Statement 2**: "Mortality contributes to a decrease in population density."
- **Analysis**: Mortality refers to the death rate. An increase in death rate results in fewer individuals in a population, which decreases population density. This statement is also correct.

3. **Statement 3**: "Population density is influenced by immigration and emigration rates."
- **Analysis**: Immigration (movement into a population) increases population density, while emigration (movement out of a population) decreases it. Thus, this statement is correct.

4. **Statement 4**: "Mortality is high when the population size is small."
- **Analysis**: This statement suggests that a small population size has a high mortality rate. However, typically, smaller populations experience lower mortality rates due to less competition and more resources per individual. Therefore, this statement is incorrect.

### Step 3: Identify the Incorrect Statement
From the analysis, the incorrect statement is:
- **Statement 4**: "Mortality is high when the population size is small."

### Conclusion
The answer to the question is that the incorrect statement is:
- **Option D**: "Mortality is high when the population size is small."

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