Biol 100 Introduction to the Life Sciences
Study Guide to Final
Disclaimer: Following the study guide below will prepare you to do well in the upcoming midterm. While
the study guide has been compiled with great care to reflect the material asked in midterm1, it does not
follow that all questions asked in the midterm are replicated in full in the study guide. The form in which a
question is asked in a study questions and in an exam may differ. For example multiple choice questions
have to be worded to reflect the choices of possible answers. Good luck.
Chapter 19 Community Ecology
19.4.c. Describe 5 anti-predator defense mechanisms that have evolved in prey animal
species.
Animals: obtain chemical defenses from plants and store them to prevent predation.
Plants: produce secondary plant compounds that serve no function for the plant except
that they are toxic to animals and discouraging consumption.
Plants have thorns to discourage physical contact.
Many species use their body shape and coloration to avoid being detected by predators.
The tropical walking stick is an insect with the coloration and body shape of a twig,
which makes it very hard to see when it is positioned next to real twigs.
19.4.e. Distinguish between Batesian and Mulleran mimicry. Provide examples of both.
Batesian Mimicry is when an animal is protected by its resemblance to a harmful one that
is avoided by predators. Take two butterflies, the monarch is poisonous when eaten, and
the viceroy butterfly, the mimic is not.
Mulleran mimicry is a natural phenomenon in which two or more distasteful species, that
may or may not be closely related and share one or more common predators. Many
snakes share auditory warning signs.
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19.4.f. In 1934 Russian ecologist G.F. Gause conducted a laboratory experiment on
competition between Paramecium caudatum, and P. aurelia. Describe his observations,
and his conclusion. What name is now given to the ecological principle based upon the
observations of Gause?
When grown individually, Paramecium and Aurelia both thrive. But when they are placed
together in the same habitat, Aurelia outcompetes Caudatum for food, leading to latter’s
eventual extinction.
19.4.g. What is symbiosis? Distinguish between mutualism and commensalism. Provide
two examples of commensalism.
Symbiotic relationships are close, long-term interactions between individual of different
species. It may be commensal, in which one species benefits while the other is neither
harmed nor benefited; mutualistic, in which both species benfit; or parasitic, in which the
interaction harms one species and the other benefits. When a bird builds a nest in a tree, it
benefits by building itself a home, and the tree neither benefits nor is harmed. The remora
rides attached to sharks and other types of fish. The remora benefits by gaining
protection, and it feeds off of the remains of the meals of the shark.
19.4.h. Provide a definition of mutualism. Provide examples of mutualistic interactions
between the following partners; (a) fungi and plants, (b) fungi and algae, (c) animals and
algae, (d) plants and animals, (e) 2 animal species.
A mutualistic relationship is when both species benefit. The fungi colonize the root
system of a host plant, providing increased water and nutrient absorption capabilities
while the plant provides the fungus with carbohydrates formed from photosynthesis. The
fungus grows around the bacterial or algal cells. The fungus benefits from the constant
supply of food produced by the photosynthesizer. When bees land on a flower, the bees
get some pollen on their hairy bodies, and when they land in the next flower, some of the
pollen from the first one rubs off, pollinating the plant. Bee gets to eat, flower gets to
reproduce. Oxpeckers land on zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on their
skin. The oxpeckers get food and the zebra gets control.
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19.4.i. Provide a definition of parasitism. Provide examples of parasitic interactions
between the following partners; (a) fungi and plants, (b) fungi and animals, (c) animals
and bacteria, (d) 2 plants species, (e) 2 animal species.
19.4.l. How does species richness relate to area? Describe the species-area curve.
Describe how an island’s size and distance from the mainland affect the species richness
of the island.
19.4.m. What is a Keystone species? From 1963-1973 Robert Paine conducted a field
experiment which aimed to determine the effect of predation on community composition
of a rocky tidal shore community in Washington State. ? Describe Paine’s experiment, his
observations, and his conclusion. What was the keystone species in his study?
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19.4.n. What is ecological succession? Explain the difference between primary and
secondary succession. Provide examples of scenarios that would be followed by (a)
primary succession or (b) secondary succession.
Chapter 20 Ecosystem Ecology
20.1.a. What is an ecosystem? Which 2 key ecosystem processed cannot be fully
explained by population or community processes. How did the introduction of Arctic
Foxes to arctic islands have an impact of the vegetation of the islands?
20.1.c. How is a food chain different form a food web. Draw and label a food web
featuring 4 trophic levels.
20.1.d. Provide definitions for each of the following nutritional types of organisms;
autotroph, heterotroph. How do these terms relate to the terms producer and consumer?
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Explain the difference in usage of the similar terms. Provide named examples (common
names) of each nutritional category of organism.
20.1.f. What are detritivores and decomposers? Provide named examples of both
(common names). Describe the role do decomposers play in an ecosystem? Why are they
important?
20.1.g. What is the ultimate source of energy for all terrestrial ecosystems? Diagram and
explain how energy flows through an ecosystem (see Figure 45.17). Include in your
diagram the initial energy source, and named examples (common name) of three trophic
levels of organisms. What is the ultimate fate of all energy in ecosystems?
20.2.b. Draw and describe the global Carbon cycle. Identify the processes whereby
carbon changes form (fluxes) and the reservoirs (where carbon is stored in the
environment). Explain the link between Carbon dioxide and global warming.
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20.3.a. Describe 5 major terrestrial biomes.
20.3.b. Which climatic variables determine the distribution of terrestrial biomes on earth?
Draw a climograph that includes 3 biomes.
Chapter 21 Conservation Biology
21.1.a. What is biodiversity? Describe the different types of biodiversity? Why is it
difficult to provide a number of species living on Earth? Why do scientists use the term
‘biodiversity crisis’ when referring to current rates of extinction?
21.1.b. Provide definitions for the following terms; endemic, extirpation, extinction,
provide named examples of species for each. Why are endemic species more likely to
become extinct than to be extirpated?
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21.1.f.What is food security? What are Vavilov centers, and why are they important
conservation priorities? Why is the diversity of (a) wild relatives of crops, (b) varieties of
crops important to modern agriculture?
21.1.g. Discuss how growing crops depend directly and indirectly on the biodiversity of
the ecosystem.
21.2.a. Provide two examples of what would constitute habitat loss in two different
biomes. Discuss the impacts of habitat loss on biodiversity. Which type of species are
most vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss?
21.2.e. What are exotic species? In general which characteristics allow an introduced
species to become established in a new environment? Once established in a new
environment what impacts do introduced species have on native species?
21.2.f. How can introduced species impact the biotic and abiotic factors of their new
ecosystems? Provide examples of each.
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21.3.i. Discuss the ecosystem level changes that resulted from the reintroduction of
wolves to Yellowstone National park in 1995. Which term describes the role of wolves in
maintaining biodiversity in their communities?
Lecture 26 Sustainability
1. Provide a definition of sustainability.
2. Name and describe the five pillars of sustainable land management.
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3. Identify five things that an average college students could do that would reduce
their ecological footprint. For each discuss why it is necessary and the impact of
each.
