Download Introduction and Ecology Answers to Study Guide

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Honors Biology Midterm Review Guide: 2015 - 2016 ANSWERS
Introduction – Biology of Life
1. Be able to tell the difference between an observation and an inference.
Observation uses your senses (smell, taste, touch, see, hear) and is measureable to some degree.
Inference is an application/interpretation of that observation.
2. How do qualitative and quantitative data differ?
Qualitative data is information about qualities; information that can't actually be measured. Some
examples of qualitative data are the softness of your skin, the grace with which you run, and the
color of your eyes. However, try telling Photoshop you can't measure color with numbers.
Quantitative data is information about quantities; that is, information that can be measured and
written down with numbers. Some examples of quantitative data are your height, your shoe size,
and the length of your fingernails.
Here's a quick look at the difference between qualitative and quantitative data.
The age of your car. (Quantitative.)
The number of hairs on your knuckle. (Quantitative.)
The softness of a cat. (Qualitative.)
The color of the sky. (Qualitative.)
The number of pennies in your pocket. (Quantitative.)
3. Be able to identify the parts of the scientific method.
See diagram
4. What is the difference between a dependent &
independent variable; constant and a control?
How does this data get graphed?
Independent- the variable being manipulated and
it goes on the X axis; dependent- the variable that
may change from the independent variable being
manipulated and is on the Y axis;
Control group – does not contain the variable being tested
Treatment group – contains the variable being tested
Constant/controlled variables – these are things that should
be the same in an experiment that contains a control and
treatment group. They should not be a ‘hidden’ factor that
could have caused a change in an experiment.
5. How many independent variables should be tested in an experiment at a time?
test one variable at a time;
6. Be able to convert metric to metric units (EX: 40 cm = _____µm)
7. What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory? Which is used to guide
one experiment? Which is broader and was devised after several experiments?
Hypothesis is either a suggested explanation for an observable phenomenon, or a reasoned
prediction of a possible causal correlation among multiple phenomena. It is guide for an
experiment. In science, a theory is a tested, well-substantiated, unifying explanation for a set of
verified, proven factors. A theory is always backed by evidence; a hypothesis is only a suggested
possible outcome, and is testable and falsifiable.
8. Identify and describe the many characteristics of life: EX: order, reproduction…
• All living things detect changes in their environment and respond to them. (stimulus and
response)
• All living things grow and develop.
• All living things are capable of reproduction, the process by which living things give rise to
offspring.
Sexual – 2 parents combine their DNA; Asexual – offspring identical to parent
• All living things are able to maintain a constant internal environment through homeostasis.
(ex. Sweat when hot and shiver when cold)
• All living things have complex chemistry (obtain and use energy = metabolism)
• All forms of life are built of cells. A cell is the basic unit of the structure and function of living
things. (unicellular vs multicellular)
9. How are homeostasis and metabolism different?
Homeostasis – maintaining a balance in your body
Temperature – too hot, sweat; too cold – shiver
Blood pressure – too much water in blood – kidney’s remove water and you urinate more
Not enough water – less urine is created.
Metabolism is obtaining and using energy to live. Remember the A, B, C, D process…
Anabolism is building (dehydration synthesis) and Catabolism is digesting
(hydrolysis)
10. Be able to put in order from largest to smallest: ecosystem – cell – population –
organ – biosphere – community – organ system – organism – tissue –molecule – atom
Biosphere – biome- ecosystem – community --- population—organism---organ system --organ – tissue – cell- cell organelle --- molecule ---- atom
11. How are producers, consumers, and decomposers related in a food pyramid?
Producers are the base, consumers
12. Review general lab safety….
Ecology –
1. Be able to put in order from largest to smallest: biosphere- biome- ecosystemcommunity- population- organism- organ systems – organ – tissues- cells- organellesmacromolecule – molecules – atoms.
2. How are producers, consumers, and decomposers related in an energy
pyramid?
-Producers equate to both the largest population and highest amount of direct
energy from the (usually) the Sun.
-The pyramid shape represents the amount of energy available to the highest levels
consumers (usually predators) and the available energy to the highest trophic levels.
3. Explain how a living thing is classified through the Domain  species system.
Determine classification of living things with a dichotomous key.
Domains are separated into 3 groups: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya.
-Eukarya = all life containing cells with a nucleus;
- Archaea and Bacteria are both prokaryotic.
- Organisms of Archaea are found in very inhospitable environments to most life (hot
springs, highly salted bodies of water, extreme levels of pH) and do NOT contain
peptidoglycan in their cell walls like those of members of Bacteria.
- Dichotomous keys provide two statements with one being true and the other false to identify
an organism’s scientific name based on its characteristics.
4. Abiotic and biotic factors that support life (this is from a webquest); focus on
biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community, population, species, habitat, niche.
-Abiotic factors include: temperature, pH, salinity (saltiness), climate, or anything nonliving
affecting an organism’s ability to survive.
-Biotic factors are living factors that affect an organism’s chances of survival such as
competition (intra- & interspecific), predation, parasitism, disease, etc.
5. Population structure in terms of sampling, distribution and density (reference
quadrant, indirect counting, mark-recapture, random,uniform, clumped). How do you
calculate population density?
-reference quadrant - # individuals counted within a defined area of space (# trees in forest);
organisms are usually stationary and too numerous to count
-indirect counting – estimates of population size based upon
evidence of organisms (nests, burrows, fecal remains, remains
of prey)
-mark-recapture – tagging organism (like fish or deer) and
estimating population based upon recapture rate of marked
individuals
-random – arrangement of organisms in population that shows
no pattern
-uniform – organisms of population are arranged in equal
distance from one another or evenly spaced
-clumped – organisms of population are found in specific areas
in densely populated groups
-Population density = # organism/area of environment
6. Trace and explain the role of energy movement in a community ( producer,
consumer, herbivore, omnivore, herbivore, carnivore, detritivore, detritus, biomass,
primary productivity, food web, energy pyramid, keystone species)
- Producers provide energy to consumers (which can provide energy to each other via
carnivores/omnivores consuming herbivores or detritivores consuming detritus left by other
animals waste)
- The biomass in this food web would contain all living organisms of each represented
species.
-A keystone species is any species whose removal from the food web/chain would affect the
other members of the community (negatively or positively) through increases/decreases in
food supply or survivorship. Ex. All frogs removed from this food web would leave one less
food resource to pythons who would have to consume more rats (decreasing their
population) leading to possibly more grasshoppers (due to loss of 2 predators) and a
decrease in corn population.
7. Explain how distribution affects a community (ecological succession, primary
succession, secondary succession, climax community, invasive species)
-Succession occurs when a disturbance (fire, mudslide, volcanic eruption, flood, etc..) destroy
a community.
-Primary succession = soil is even removed from area of disturbance and must be built up
from the growth and then decay of lichens and mosses.
-Secondary succession = soil remains resulting in grasses and weeds recovering first
-A climax community = ecosystem has fully recovered from disturbances
-Distribution of a community’s populations affects the disturbances’ severity. If a community
has a very high population density due to reduced habitat a disturbance will have a greater
impact.
-Invasive species are not native to the environment and therefore are less likely to be
affected by the abiotic and biotic factors that affect the native species that are supposed to be
there.
8. Water cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle and for sure – Carbon cycle!!
Be prepared to interpret diagrams of all of these cycles.
9. Be prepared to interpret many graphs, not limited to: age-structure, logistic,
exponential, carrying capacity, and boom-bust.