"Basic Biology" Final Exam
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87 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Ecology | the scientific study of how organisms interact with their environments. |
| Abiotic | Nonliving chemical and physical factors (such as) - Temperature Light Water Minerals Air |
| Biotic | Living factors All the other organisms that are part of an individual's environment E.g. competitors, predators, prey, etc. |
| Organismal ecology | the study of the evolutionary adaptations that enable individual Organisms to meet the challenges posed by their abiotic environments. |
| Population ecology | the study of how members of a Population interact with their environment.Focus: factors influencing population Density and Growth |
| Community ecology | the study of how interactions Species affect community structure and organization. |
| Community | all organisms that inhabit a particular area |
| Ecosystem ecology | the study of Energy flow and the cycling of Chemical among the various biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem. |
| Biosphere | the global ecosystem; envelope of life |
| DDT | Synthetic pesticides |
| Population | a group of individuals of the same species in a given area at a given time. |
| Dispersion pattern | the way individuals are spaced within a population's geographic range |
| Density | number of individuals per unit area or volume |
| Population growth | # of Births/# of Deaths |
| Growth rate | change in population size per time interval Global human growth rate = +74millionpeople/year |
| Carrying capacity | the number of individuals that the environment can sustain. |
| Density-dependent factors | Population- limiting factors whose effects intensify as the population increases in density. |
| Intraspecific competition | competition between the same species for the same limited resources. |
| Density-independent factors | population- limiting factors whose intensity is unrelated to population density. e.g. extreme weather event |
| Biodiversity | all of the variety of life. |
| Species richness | total number of different species in a community |
| Species diversity | the number and relative abundance of species in a biological community. |
| Biodiversity crisis | the current rapid decline in the variety of life on earth, largely due to the effects of human culture. |
| Monoculture | cultivation of single plant variety in a large area. |
| Ecological footprint | a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. |
| Per capita | ecological footprint is a means of comparing consumption and lifestyles, and checking this against nature's ability to provide for this consumption. |
| Eutrophication | over fertilization of an aquatic ecosystem. Primarily: -nitrogen -Phosphorus |
| Hypoxia | low oxygen levels |
| Anoxia | no oxygen * Dead Zones! |
| Global warming | A slow but steady rise in Earth's surface temperature |
| Greenhouse effect | the warming of the atmosphere caused by greenhouse gasses (including carbon-dioxide) that absorb infrared radiation and slow its escape from earth's surface |
| Risk management | is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events. |
| Alternative energy | Fuel source not derived from fossil fuels. |
| Renewable energy | Energy resources that are naturally replenishing but flow-limited. inexhaustible in duration limited in the amount of energy that is available per unit of time. |
| Sustainable development | any construction that can be maintained over time without damaging the environment; development balancing near-term interests with the protection of the interests of future generations. |
| Biology | scientific study of life |
| Hypothesis | a proposition, or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena, either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide investigation (working hypothesis) or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts. |
| Photosynthesis | the synthesis of complex organic materials, esp. carbohydrates, from carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic salts, using sunlight as the source of energy and with the aid of chlorophyll and associated pigments. |
| Cytokinesis | the division of the cell cytoplasm that usually follows mitotic or meiotic division of the nucleus. |
| Mitosis | Division of a single nucleus into 2 genetically identical "daughter" nuclei. |
| Meiosis | special type of cell division in which egg + sperm cells are produced. |
| Evolution | change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift. |
| Phenotype | the observable constitution of an organism. |
| Haploid cells | A cell containing only one set of chromosomes. |
| Virus | infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly bacteria, plants, and animals composed of an RNA or DNA core, a protein coat, and, in more complex types, a surrounding envelope. |
| Invertebrate | a. not vertebrate; without a backbone. b. of or pertaining to creatures without a backbone. |
| Population | the assemblage of a specific type of organism living in a given area. |
| Species | the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species. |
| Eukaryote | any organism having as its fundamental structural unit a cell type that contains specialized organelles in the cytoplasm, a membrane-bound nucleus enclosing genetic material organized into chromosomes, and an elaborate system of division by mitosis or meiosis, characteristic of all life forms except bacteria, blue-green algae, and other primitive microorganisms. |
| Have you watched The 11th Hour? (if not, you may have luck searching for clips of it on YouTube) | search for clips of it on YouTube |
| What it the largest classification (size-scale) of life? | Domain |
| Who was the pioneer environmentalist that authored Silent Spring? What are the significant messages of this book? | Rachel Carson, Describes biosphere's hangover from the pesticide DDT, Triggered environmental activism. |
| What are the focuses of population ecology? | factors influencing population Density and Growth |
| What are three patterns of dispersion? What are the characteristics of each? Which is most commonly found in nature? | (Clumped) (most common in nature) - associated with food distribution,social behavior, predator avoidance, etc. (Uniform) - result from interactions (Random) - patternless, unpredictable |
| How does a population grow in an exponential model? in a logistical model? What does each model look like? Which is more realistic? | Exponential (unlimited environment) - The Rate at which a population grows depends on the # of Individuals already in the population (Straight up) Logistic (limited environment) - Carrying Capacity, more Realistic (levels off) |
| What are two fundamental outcomes of density-dependent factors? | Decreasing birth rate with increasing density Increasing death rate with increasing density |
| How has (is) the human population grown? Why is this alarming? | Entire population multiplies by a constant factor (rate) during constant time interval (constantly increasing) |
| How many known bird species are facing extinction? ...mammal? ...plant? | Bird = 1200 Mammal = 1100 Plant = 730 |
| What are the three primary causes of the biodiversity crisis? | - Habitat destruction - introduced species - overexploitation |
| What are the primary ways humans destroy natural habitat? | -Deforestation -Mining -pollution |
| Why should we care about losing species? | Morality, aesthetics, food, clothing, shelter, medicine, oxygen |
| What nutrients are primarily necessary for plant growth (and therefore factors of eutrophication)? | Nitrogen, Phosphorus |
| What are the potential results of eutrophication? | over productivity death/decay of algae hypoxia anoxia dead zones |
| What compounds the greenhouse effect (and therefore global warming)? What mitigates it? | industry | fossil fuel deforestation || Alternative Energy increasing abundance of photosynthetic organisms |
| Why do atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide steadily fluctuate (rise and fall) each year? | With the steady fluctuation of the human population in the world |
| What is Greg Craven's bullet-proof argument about action regarding global warming? (review the clip) | Watch YouTube video |
| What can you do to minimize your (and humanity's) ecological footprint? | Reduce Consumption Be more energy Efficient Promote recycling Take political action Promote research + education Think Long term |
| Why do we need alternative energy? | Because fossil fuels are not renewable |
| What are the types of alternative energies that we discussed? How do they work? Where does their greatest potential lie? What are the pros/cons of each? | Nuclear Power, wood, Wind, geothermal, Hydro-power, Hydroelectric dam, Wave, Solar Power |
| Why is science objective? | Because it attempts to be free of any influence beyond the data themselves |
| How is a hypothesis tested? | The Scientific method |
| What are the products and reactants of cellular respiration? | The reactants are the materials needed for the process: glucose and oxygen. The products are the materials produced during the process: carbon and dioxide and water, ATP. |
| What are the products and reactants of photosynthesis? | The reactants are the materials needed for the process: Carbon dioxide, glucose, oxygen, water The products are the materials produced during the process: oxygen and glucose |
| Where does all energy for our biological systems originate? | All energy originates from the sun as light energy. |
| In what shape does DNA occur? | Double Helix |
| Why are genetically modified foods controversial? | Not fully researched yet and harmful to environment. |
| How are haploid cells produced? | Meiosis occurs |
| What safeguards protect our bodies from cancer? | - Cell cycle control system - Immune system |
| Who laid the foundation for modern day genetics? | Gregor Mendel |
| What is the smallest biological unit that you can apply the term evolution to? | Population |
| Why are viruses not technically living organisms? | They are parasites (they require host) |
| What are the pros and cons associated with fungi? | it is a recycler - fungus gives plants water (mycorrhizae) -used in food -used in medicine Some cons are: spoils food can cause animal disease can cause infections (athletes foot) can be deadly (Dutch Elm disease and ergot) |
| What percentage of animals are classified as invertebrates? | 95% of Animals |
| In Darwin's paper, "descent with modification" meant what? | Evolution |
| What were Darwin's observations leading to the idea of natural selection? | - Overproduction - Individual Variation |
| How long ago did our planet form? | 4.6 Billon Years ago |
| What types of organisms are classified as eukaryotes? prokaryotes? [at the domain and kingdom level] | Eukaryotes - plants, animals, fungi and protists Prokaryotes - Archea and Bacteria |
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