Part A
Which two body systems provide humans with the raw materials necessary for their cells to release energy?
(1) muscular and skeletal
(2) endocrine and nervous
(3) digestive and respiratory
(4) reproductive and circulatory
(3) digestive and respiratory
Deforestation is a major cause of soil loss. Without trees and other plants to hold the soil in place, it either washes or blows away. Governments, international organizations, and others are working to decrease the rate of deforestation. In addition to slowing the rate of soil loss, another potential benefit of this action would be
(1) a decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
(2) more land available for agriculture
(3) a decrease in the amount of firewood for heating
(4) more locations for the construction of new homes
(1) a decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
Acid Rain
Acid rain comes in many forms: wet deposition, such as rain, snow, sleet, hail, and fog, and dry deposition, such as deposits of acid particles, aerosols, and gases. It is formed when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) combine with moisture in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Damage to aquatic and forest ecosystems, serious human illness, and the slow destruction of buildings and bridges have all been linked to acid rain. Two sources that contribute to producing acid rain include:
•Emissions from airplanes, automobiles, and industries
•Emissions of SO2 and NOx from power plants
Explain why a change in the pH of lakes and forests as a result of acid rain can upset the dynamic equilibrium of these ecosystems.
Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— In any ecosystem, the survival of organisms depends on physical factors such as pH. If the pH is altered, many organisms will not survive.
— The enzymes in organisms work best within a specific pH range, so if enzymes don’t work, organisms may die.
— A change in pH could result in the death of many organisms, disrupting food webs.
— If the organisms weren’t adapted to the pH changes, they could die.
Comparisons between species can be done using both structural and molecular evidence. An example of using structural evidence is comparing
(1) seed characteristics
(2) enzyme characteristics
(3) amino acid sequences
(4) DNA banding patterns
(1) seed characteristics
The removal of a short sequence of bases from a gene would most directly affect the
(1) diffusion of materials into a cell
(2) shape of a protein molecule
(3) pH of the cytoplasm
(4) size of a cell’s nucleus
(2) shape of a protein molecule
Many animal populations living in a particular area would most likely
(1) occupy the same niche
(2) have similar physical requirements
(3) eat the same food
(4) require an input of solar energy
(2) have similar physical requirements
Warming Water Leaves Fish Gasping for Air and Shrinking in Size
As fish grow into adulthood, their body mass increases and so does their demand for oxygen. However, the gills, through which oxygen is obtained, do not increase in size at the same rate as the body.
Scientists have observed that as the ocean waters become warmer, there is less dissolved oxygen in the water. The result is that the average size of many fish species becomes smaller.
The most likely reason decreased levels of oxygen in the water result in a decrease in the body size of some fish species is
(1) due to the presence of more plant species carrying out photosynthesis
(2) the species producing more ATP molecules and less oxygen
(3) due to an increase in the size of the gills bringing in more carbon dioxide
(4) the species being unable to meet the energy requirements of a larger body size
(4) the species being unable to meet the energy requirements of a larger body size
Lionfish Invasion
Lionfish are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They have recently been found along the southeast coast of the U.S., the Caribbean, and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Experts speculate that the lionfish invasion was caused by people dumping unwanted lionfish into the Atlantic Ocean from home aquariums. Lionfish have venomous spines and feed on small crustaceans and many fish, including the young of important commercial fish species such as snapper and grouper. The current invasion of lionfish most likely started with the dumping of about 12 fish. Today, there are thousands of them over a wide area.
Explain why the amount of genetic diversity within the invasive lionfish population would be expected to be quite low.
Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— The original population was small/12 fish, so the amount of variation would be low.
— Only a dozen or so released lionfish started the whole population. They probably did not have much variation in their genes
Which situation is an example of an organism responding to an abiotic factor?
(1) Plants in a forest grow toward areas where there is more sunlight available.
(2) Rabbits attract mates by performing a mating dance.
(3) Woodpeckers peck holes in the trunks of trees to find insects for food.
(4) Deer eat tree bark in winter when other food is scarce.
(1) Plants in a forest grow toward areas where there is more sunlight available.
Maintaining stability in an ecosystem most likely depends on
(1) a high level of diversity and few resources
(2) little diversity and rapid ecological succession
(3) a high level of diversity and multiple ecological niches
(4) little diversity and multiple extinctions
(3) a high level of diversity and multiple ecological niches
Usually, snakes reproduce sexually. However, some female copperhead snakes sometimes produce offspring asexually without sperm from a male. Compared with snakes formed by sexual reproduction, the offspring of these asexually reproducing snakes
(1) have more genetic variation
(2) have limited genetic variation
(3) contain more DNA than the parent
(4) grow larger than the parent
(2) have limited genetic variation
Warming Water Leaves Fish Gasping for Air and Shrinking in Size
As fish grow into adulthood, their body mass increases and so does their demand for oxygen. However, the gills, through which oxygen is obtained, do not increase in size at the same rate as the body.
Scientists have observed that as the ocean waters become warmer, there is less dissolved oxygen in the water. The result is that the average size of many fish species becomes smaller.
One human activity that most directly contributes to the decrease in the amount of oxygen present in ocean water is
(1) overfishing, causing a lack of biodiversity
(2) planting more trees, causing more soil erosion
(3) introducing foreign species, causing more competition
(4) industrialization, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
(4) industrialization, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
Meet the Sentinels
Canaries are the most familiar example of a sentinel species, which are animals and plants that serve as harbingers [indicators] of danger to human health and the environment. In the case of canaries, if odorless carbon monoxide were present in a high enough concentration in a coal mine, the small bird would die first and give miners time to escape.
Cats, too, have been sentinels. In the 1950s, people in the town of Minamata, Japan, began to notice that local cats were acting strangely; The cats were unable to walk straight and uncontrollably jumped about. After some time, people began to act similarly. The cause of the “dancing cat fever” was quickly connected to the release of methylmercury in the wastewater of a local chemical factory. The discharge fed into the city’s harbor, where it bioaccumulated in [tissues of] fish and shellfish. Although several thousand people were affected with what became known as Minamata disease, the outcome could have been worse were it not for the warning from the dancing cats. ...
Explain why the banning of certain pesticides might cause a problem for humans.
Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— It may be expensive to find a safe alternative chemical that works as well.
— Insects that cause diseases in humans might increase in number.
— There would be damage to crops.
— The pest population would increase.
— Insects compete with humans’ food/resources.
An example of an activity that best contributes to maintaining homeostasis in an organism is a
(1) bear eating fish from a polluted stream
(2) deer losing its fur at the start of winter
(3) person not sweating on a 100°F day
(4) response to a chickenpox vaccination
(4) response to a chickenpox vaccination
Photosynthesis and cellular respiration both involve the gases carbon dioxide and oxygen. Which statement best identifies how these gases are involved in the two processes?
(1) Photosynthesis and cellular respiration both use carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
(2) Cellular respiration uses oxygen and releases carbon dioxide, while photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.
(3) Cellular respiration uses carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, while photosynthesis uses oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.
(4) Photosynthesis and cellular respiration both use oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
(2) Cellular respiration uses oxygen and releases carbon dioxide, while photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.
A multicellular organism has cells that perform various roles in that organism. This is most likely due to the
(1) differentiation of cells during embryonic development
(2) specialization of gametes
(3) cloning of cells during embryonic development
(4) specialization of zygotes
(1) differentiation of cells during embryonic development
Pikas are small mammals found in the grassland ecosystems of the Tibetan plateau. Pikas are prey for many of the predators also inhabiting the Tibetan grasslands, which serves as an important watershed for the area. This watershed drains large amounts of groundwater during the rainy season. Pikas have large burrow systems that help to quickly drain the groundwater. The burrows also serve as nesting sites for numerous bird species. Because they compete with livestock for grass, many people want the pikas totally removed from the Tibetan plateau.
If the pika populations are completely removed from the grasslands of the Tibetan plateau, the most likely result will be that the grassland ecosystems will become
(1) unstable, because predators will have fewer prey, the birds will have fewer nesting sites, and groundwater supplies will be disrupted
(2) more stable, because the pikas will be replaced by other species, the birds will adapt to nesting above ground, and the soil will become more fertile since it is not drained by groundwater
(3) unstable, because predators will migrate to nearby ecosystems, birds will nest in nearby trees, and other small animals will make burrows in the soil
(4) more stable, because the pikas will no longer be eating the grasses, the birds will migrate to other ecosystems during the nesting season, and small lakes will form because the water will not drain without the pika burrows
(1) unstable, because predators will have fewer prey, the birds will have fewer nesting sites, and groundwater supplies will be disrupted
Dinosaur Extinction
The hypothesis that an asteroid strike led to the mass extinction of dinosaurs is widely accepted. It is understood that the asteroid strike caused a massive and quick shift in Earth’s temperature and blocked much of the sunlight. While devastating for the dinosaurs, this dramatic event provided opportunities for other species. For example, surviving birds and mammals underwent a time of rapid evolution, which led to the thousands of birds and mammal species present on Earth today.
Describe one way the temporary blocking of the sunlight could have impacted the survival of the dinosaurs.
Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— Less sunlight would reduce plant growth, so the dinosaurs would have less food.
— It was colder, so the plants the dinosaurs ate died.
— Dinosaurs were not adapted to the changed environment, so they did not survive.
Scientists turned a specialized stomach cell from a mouse into a skin cell by activating a specific gene responsible for the production of skin cells. Which claim can be made, based on this evidence?
(1) Stomach cells have the genetic information to form other types of cells.
(2) Skin and stomach cells produce identical proteins.
(3) Stomach cells receive half their genetic information from each parent.
(4) Skin and stomach cells have completely different genes.
(1) Stomach cells have the genetic information to form other types of cells.
New York State is home to animals such as the Eastern chipmunk. Individuals within this species are not genetically identical.
This variability is primarily the result of
(1) asexual reproduction and mutation
(2) mitosis and selective breeding
(3) meiosis and recombination
(4) sexual reproduction and cloning
(3) meiosis and recombination
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease characterized by weakness of the skeletal muscles. It occurs when normal communication between nerve and muscle cells is interrupted. The weakness is likely due to
(1) the lack of ATP in the muscle caused by a decrease of available carbon dioxide
(2) the brain failing to send the proper hormone signal to vacuoles within muscle cells
(3) the failure of receptor molecules on the muscle to receive the chemical produced by nerve cells
(4) the ribosomes in the muscle cells failing to produce enough sugar for muscle contraction
(3) the failure of receptor molecules on the muscle to receive the chemical produced by nerve cells
Pikas are small mammals found in the grassland ecosystems of the Tibetan plateau. Pikas are prey for many of the predators also inhabiting the Tibetan grasslands, which serves as an important watershed for the area. This watershed drains large amounts of groundwater during the rainy season. Pikas have large burrow systems that help to quickly drain the groundwater. The burrows also serve as nesting sites for numerous bird species. Because they compete with livestock for grass, many people want the pikas totally removed from the Tibetan plateau.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was a French naturalist who proposed the idea that modern-day organisms developed new characteristics through a process known as the inheritance of acquired traits. As more evidence became available, this theory was eventually replaced by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. This modification of scientific knowledge illustrates that
(1) scientists do not communicate with each other and often make mistakes
(2) all scientific explanations are tentative and subject to change or improvement
(3) scientists often ignore evidence that does not help prove their theory
(4) hypotheses seldom change even when new discoveries are made
(2) all scientific explanations are tentative and subject to change or improvement
New Drug “Wakes up” Immune System to Fight Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer makes up three percent of all cancers. Recently, scientists announced the discovery of a new drug that has helped extend the lives of some patients with pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic tumors usually have a protective protein layer surrounding them. The protein is produced by the tumor cells. This protein shield seems to deactivate white blood cells that would normally recognize and target the tumor cells for destruction.
The new drug reactivates these white blood cells, stimulating them to attack the tumor again. A specific chemotherapy drug blows holes in the protective protein layer around the tumor. This action then allows the activated white blood cells to directly attack the tumor.
Explain the role of white blood cells in the process of killing cancer cells.
Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to:
— White blood cells mark cancer cells for destruction using antibodies.
— White blood cells attack/fight and engulf cancer cells.
— The cells normally recognize and target tumor cells for destruction.
If scientists wanted to study the physical characteristics of an extinct animal that once lived in a specific area, the best source of information would be to investigate
(1) plants living in habitats similar to those of long ago
(2) the producer organisms living in that area at the current time
(3) the animals that live in that area today
(4) the fossil record of that area
(4) the fossil record of that area
Zebra mussels are aquatic animals found in many bodies of fresh water in New York State. These organisms are not native to North America. When these mussels first appeared, their populations increased rapidly, which led scientists to fear their potential impact on native species. Lately, it has been observed that the rate of population growth of the zebra mussels has decreased. A reason for this decrease may be
(1) resources needed for the continued growth of their population are limited
(2) competition between zebra mussels for limited resources has decreased
(3) the food available for zebra mussels has decreased, reducing their rate of photosynthesis
(4) a lack of natural predators and disease- causing organisms in their new environment
(1) resources needed for the continued growth of their population are limited