Download Diversity of Life Study Guide

Diversity of Life Study Guide
I. Viruses and Bacteria
1. Define bacteria. Living organisms, prokaryotic, unicellular, can be autotrophic or heterotrophic
2. How do bacteria reproduce? Binary fission
3. What is used to treat bacterial diseases? Antibiotics (ex. amoxicillin)
4. List some examples of pathogens due to bacteria.pneumonia, anthrax, tetanus, strep throat
5. Define virus.non-living organism that requires a host cell in order to reproduce; contain DNA and RNA
6. What is used to treat viral infections?in minor infections (like colds) the symptoms are treated; in severe
infections (like HIV) antiviral drugs are used; can also use vaccines for prevention (as for chickenpox)
7. How do viruses reproduce? lytic cycle (DNA enters host cell and makes more viruses which in time burst
out of the host cell) or lysogenic cycle (DNA enters host cell and becomes part of the host cell’s DNA)
8. List some examples of viral infections. Avian flu, HIV, herpes, shingles
II. Protist and Fungi
1. List the characteristics of protist. Eukaryotes, mostly unicellular, can be heterotrophic or autotrophic,
asexual reproduction
2. Explain the difference between heterotrophic and autotrophic. Autotrophs make their own food and
heterotrophs must obtain food from a source
3. Explain why algae is different than other protists. Algae are autotrophic, but protozoans and slime molds
are not
4. List the characteristics of fungi.eukaryotic, unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic (external digestion),
mostly asexual reproduction
5. Which complex carbohydrate makes up the cell wall of fungi? chitin
6. How do fungi obtain nutrients? They are either parasitic (like ringworm) or saprophytic – get nutrients
from dead or decaying matter (like mushrooms)
III. Animal Behavior
1. Define behavior. The way an organism responds to a stimulus; can be either learned or innate
2. Explain the difference between learned and innate behavior. Learned behaviors are responses to stimuli
that an organism has learned usually by observation or by trial and error; include imprinting,
habituation and conditioning
3. Innate behaviors are those that an organism is born with; these are called instincts and are caused by
genetics
4. Give an example of a conditioned response. Pavlov’s dog (dog was conditioned to salivate when it heard a
bell ring)
5. What is imprinting? Habituation? Imprinting are behaviors learned at an extremely early age;
habituation occurs when an animal learns to ignore what should be a dangerous stimulus (think
squirrels)
6. What is the importance of pheromones? Pheromones are chemicals that are released by an organism and
that affect the behavior of another organism of the same species; can be used to mark territory, attract
mates, ect.
7. Give an example of taxis. When a moth flies to a light or a cockroach moves away from light
8. Explain the difference between hibernation and estivation.hibernation is a period of reduced metabolism
that allows animals to survive bad conditions; estivation is a really deep sleep (metabolism stays the
same)
IV. Plants
1. List the characteristics of plants.eukaryotic, multicellular, autotrophic, sexual and asexual reproduction
2. What are some important ways in which we use plants everyday? Food, medicine, clothing, paper, oxygen,
shelter, etc
3. Explain the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants.non-vascular plants do NOT have vascular
tissue nor true leaves, stems or roots (ex. moss, liverwort); vascular plants have vascular tissue (xylem
and phloem) as well as true leaves, stems and roots (ex. pine tree, sunflower)
4. What are the two types of vascular tissue and what are their function?xylem – transports water from the
roots to all parts of the plant; phloem – transports sugar in water from the photosynthetic parts of the
plant to the storage areas of the plant
5. What makes plants autotrophic? chloroplasts
6. What is the main difference between a gymnosperm and angiosperm? A gymnosperm does not encase its
seeds in fruit (ex. conifers), but an angiosperm does (ex. apple tree)
7. Explain the function of leaves. In your explanation include the words stomata, guard cells, photosynthesis, gas
exchange and chloroplast.Leaves have many functions including protection and, in some species, food
storage for a plant. Leaves are also the site of photosynthesis which occurs at the chloroplasts. Finally,
leaves allow for gas exchange between a plant and it’s environment. The underside of a leaf will have
many openings called stomata that can open and close to allow carbon dioxide into a plant and oxygen
and sometimes water vapor out of the plant. The opening and closing of stomata are regulated by guard
cells.
8. What are 3 important factors in flowering plants that enable in successful reproduction? Color, shape, aromas
9. Define pollination. Process where pollen lands on the stigma of a plant
10. What is the main difference between cross-pollination and wind-pollination? Cross-pollination allows for the
greatest diversity, whereas wind-pollination usually carries imperfect flowers
11. Give an example of tropism.phototropism – movement towards or away from light; thigmotropism –
movement in response to contact with an object; gravitropism – movement in response to the pull of
gravity; chemotropism – movement towards or away from chemicals; hydrotropism – movement in
response to water