Download Study Questions for Test # 2

Potential Questions for Test # 2, Bio 104, Spring 2009
According to the textbook, what characteristics are generally shared by living things?
What are the four major categories of macromolecules and what are the components from which these
are constructed?
What is a condensation reaction? A hydrolysis reaction? Which of these is involved with the formation
of macromolecules? Which is responsible for the digestion/breakdown of macromolecules? By which
are macromolecules produced?
In what ways are all 20 amino acids similar? In what way do all 20 differ?
Why are the “side group” of amino acids so important in determining the structure of a protein?
What does it mean to say that a protein has been “denatured?” What might cause denaturation? What
would be the consequence for a cell whose proteins have been denatured?
Large linear polymers of glucose in a plant wall is called _________. Branched polymers of glucose in
plants is called ___________ and branched polymers of glucose in animal cells is called ________.
Describe the arrangement of phospholipids in a cell membrane.
What is an autotroph? Give an example.
What is an heterotroph? Give an example.
Give several example that show a cell membrane is selectively permeable. Why is selective permeability
crucial for life?
What is the driving force that promotes the movement of substances across cell membranes?
How can water kill a cell?
What kinds of molecules can move directly through the lipid bilayer of a cell membrane?
What kinds of molecules require proteins channels inserted into the lipid bilayer of cell membranes in
order to enter and exit a cell?
What is an enzyme made of and what does an enzyme do?
How can the knowledge of small differences in enzymes from different species be useful in treating
disease?
Why can’t humans digest the cell walls of plants? What is the cellulose of plants cell walls comprised of
and how do we ultimately gain access to the nutrients of plant cell walls if human cells don’t have the
appropriate enzymes for hydrolyzing cellulose?
What factors are maintained by homeostasis at fairly constant levels in the fluids surrounding cells of
the human body?
How do amino acids and sugars enter a cell?
What are the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a cell in a multi-cellular organism? Explain how a
muscle cell in the jaw contributes to the survival of a gator and describe how that jaw muscle cell
depends on five other types of cells (name them or describe their locations) in other parts of the body.
Why are islands such as the Galapagos so important for understanding the processes that lead to the
formation of new species?
What is a niche?
How are the marine iguanas of the Galapagos Islands similar to and different from the land iguanas of
Ecuador?
What is the generally accepted explanation for why so many reptiles and so few amphibians inhabit the
Galapagos Islands?
What is the importance to evolutionary biologists of the 14 species of finches that inhabit the Galapagos
Islands? Your answer should address issues of resource allocation and niche partitioning.
What is meant by the term “carrying capacity?” What happens when the carrying capacity is exceeded?
What property of seeds (relative to leaves or stems) makes seeds a particularly appealing food for birds
and other animals?
Organisms can sometimes be classified as generalists or specialists. The 14 species of Galapagos finches
are specialists. What does it mean to be a generalist and what are the advantages of being a generalist?
What does it mean to be a specialist and what are the advantages of being a specialist? Why doesn’t
one category “win out” over the other and drive its competitor to extinction?
Describe the various forms of reproductive isolation and be able to give or identify specific examples.
What is occurring with Rhagoletis pomonella that suggests a new species may be forming? How might
reproductive isolation occur in this example?
Birds of paradise are often cited as examples of one form of reproductive isolation where males perform
elaborate courtship displays for females. What might the purpose of these displays be and what might
female birds of paradise be considering when choosing a male with which to mate?
From Dr. Moeller’s lectures
What is the theory of symbiogenesis?
Where are hydrothermal vent communities found? Why are hydrothermal vent communities so
interesting to biologists? How do they differ from all other communities of living organisms?
What is the difference between autotrophs and chemoautotrophs in terms of their source of energy?
Tubeworms near hydrothermal vents have no way of “eating” so how do they survive?
Describe the experiment conducted by Louis Pasteur that demonstrated that life comes from preexisting life and not from “spontaneous” generation?
What is the Cambrian explosion and approximately when did occur?
What are trace fossils?
What was the main outcome of the Miller-Urey experiment? What were the components of that
experiment?
What does symbiosis mean? Describe an example of symbiosis.
What happened during the Cambrian period that resulted in so many fossils from this period?
How has the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere changed over geologic time periods? Which gas
have become more abundant and how did this happen? Which gas has become less abundant? How
so?
Place the following events in chronological order, starting with the oldest/earliest: appearance of
eukaryotic cells, appearance of multicellular organisms, photosynthesis, appearance of prokaryotic cells,
formation of our solar system.
What is the Burgess Shale and why is it so important to biologists?
What are the possible sources of water on planet Earth?
For what purpose did animals develop skeletons and shells? What conditions made this possible?
What change made possible the rapid evolution of eukaryotes relative to the prokaryotes?
Why did it take so long for live to develop on Earth?
What are Hox genes and why have they been so important in evolution?
How did the ozone layer form and how has it been beneficial to the formation of various forms of living
things?
What sorts of information is provided by the “fossil record?”
From Human EKG lab
Draw and label a normal human EKG with the P, Q, R, S, and T waves and indicate what each wave
corresponds to in terms of structures and events in the heart.
What causes heart murmurs? Can heart murmurs be detected with an EKG? Why or why not?
What is the formula for cardiac output?
Suppose a college student has a resting heart rate of 50 beats per minute. What might this indicate
about the health or state of physical conditioning of this individual?
Suppose a college student has a resting heart rate of 110 beats per minute. What might this indicate
about the health or state of physical conditioning of this individual?
What is the defect in a person with 1st degree heart block? How could this phenomenon be detected on
an EKG? (Deal with the size and spacing of the wave forms.)
How would an EKG look from a person with 2nd degree heart block?
How would an EKG look from a person with 3rd degree heart block?
How does one calculate the instantaneous heart rate if one knows the R-R interval?
Premature ventricular systoles are fairly common in people who have consumed caffeine and have
gotten insufficient rest. Describe how the EKG is abnormal in such a person. What about the recording
suggests that the ventricles are involved? If a person had simultaneously recorded the finger pulse, why
would the heart appear to “skip a beat” based on the finger pulse when the EKG clearly shows an
“extra” beat?
What is the origin of the 1st and 2nd heart sounds? Why are there only two sounds even though four
valves are involved?
Beginning with the appearance of an action potential in the sinoatrial node, list the pathways
(structures) that excitation spreads through a human heart.
Questions forthcoming:
Thermoregulation and negative feedback
What are the components of a reflex?
What is the difference between a reflex and a negative feedback loop?
For the negative feedback loop for homeostatic regulation of body temperature in humans, what are the
receptors, the afferent pathway, the integrator(s), the efferent pathway, and the effectors.
Given a situation that involves thermoregulation in challenging environment, be able to describe the
negative feedback loop and how the activity of effectors counteracts the original stimulus. (Reminder:
pictures of several examples are on the powerpoint lecture for this topic.)
How is it possible for a person in a coma to regulate his/her body temperature without being conscious.
Describe the sequence of events involved in heat stroke. This is an example of positive feedback. What
does it mean to say something is a positive feedback system?
What should be done immediately for a person suffering heat stroke? How might these actions remedy
the problem?
What are the four modes of heat exchange? Be able to give or identify examples of each type.
Remember that commonly more than one mode is operating simultaneously.
How do non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) help to control a fever?
Explain the “chills” (the sensation of feeling very cold) associated with the onset of a fever. How does
the actual temperature compare to the set point and what are the actions of the various effector cells
that are involved?
Explain the “sweats” that occur as a fever “breaks” (that is, the body temperature returns to normal.)
What is occurring with regard to set point in which region(s) of the brain and what responses are
produced by effector cells that bring about a change in body temperature?
What does it mean to be a homeotherm? What types of animals are homeotherms?
What does it mean to be a poikilotherm? Give some examples of animals that are poikilotherms.
Why is it misleading to call an animal like a crocodile a “cold blooded” animal?
What is LT50?
Describe the seasonal changes in set point for body temperature and levels of metabolism for a bear
which undergoes hibernation. Why should body temperature change to match metabolic rate when a
bear hibernates?
What would you predict about the heart rate of a hibernating bear compared to that same animal in
midsummer?
Very large crocodiles can be found in the icy cold rivers of Nepal. In terms of heat exchange, what are
the advantages of being a large reptile in this situation? When the croc is in the water, would you
expect cutaneous blood flow to be increased or decreased? Why? What is the purpose of basking after
a dip in the cold water? (Consider the modes of heat exchange.)
What are the difficulties associated with trying to record electrocardiograms from crocodilians and
turtles?
According to our findings in lab, what is the relationship between body temperature and heart rate in
turtles and crocodilians?
Why did we not use the 2000 g (super large) red eared slider turtle or the large alligator for our “cool
down” experiment in lab? Why did we use the 120 g Mud turtle for the “cool down” experiment?
At the beginning of the experiment, our little crocodile’s cloacal temperature was 38C. What was the
approximate room temperature on the day of our experiment and how was the croc able to get his body
temperature to 38C? By the end of the “cool down” experiment, the croc’s cloacal temperature was
28C. Based on this information, would you say this species of crocodile is from the tropics or from a
temperate climate?
For reptiles that inhabit hot environments, would you expect their coloration to be predominately light
or dark? Why so? (Consider how color affects heat exchange, and which modes of heat exchange are
affected by color.)
Suppose we had a turtle at room temperature (~22C) and we placed it in warm water bath at 30C.
Predict the changes expected in each of the following: oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production,
body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate (breaths per minute.)
What is the formula for calculating the volume of a sphere?
What is formula for calculating the surface area of a sphere?
Which would exchange heat more rapidly with the environment: a 300 gram sphere of clay or a 300
gram slab flattened to a thin sliver?
Explain the heat exchange mechanisms in action for a homeless person who chooses to sleep under
layers of newspaper during a cold night.