Genetics & Heredity
What is the name for the basic unit of heredity that is passed from parent to offspring?
Gene.
What is the smallest unit of life that can carry out all life processes?
Cell.
The scientific term for rainfall, snow, hail, and/or sleet
Precipitation
What does conduction mean? Give one classroom example.
Conduction = heat transfer through direct contact. Example: a metal spoon gets hot when left in a hot cup.
What is a producer in an ecosystem? Give one example.
Producer = organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis (example: grass).
What term describes the physical trait you can see (like eye color) that results from genes?
Phenotype.
A group of similar cells working together to perform a specific function are known as
Tissue
What is evaporation?
Evaporation is when liquid water becomes water vapor (gas).
Explain the direction in which heat transfers
Heat transfers from hot things to cold things.
What is a food chain? Write a simple 3-step food chain.
A food chain shows who eats whom. Example: grass → rabbit → hawk.
If an organism has two different alleles for a trait, what do we call that pair of alleles?
Heterozygous.
The brain is a primary organ in which body system?
Nervous system
What happens during condensation?
Name three ways heat transfers.
Radiation, Conduction, and Convection
Define biodiversity and say why it is important for ecosystem health.
Biodiversity = variety of life in an ecosystem; it's important because it increases resilience and supports ecosystem functions.
In guinea pigs, short hair, S, is dominant to long hair, s. A heterozygous male guinea pig is crossed with a homozygous long hair female guinea pig. What is the probability of their offspring having short hair?
Must show your work for credit
50%
Which body system acts as the body's primary protective barrier against environmental hazards, pathogens (harmful bacteria and germs), and injury.
Integumentary (skin) System
Define climate and explain how it differs from daily weather.
Climate = long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation; weather = short-term atmospheric conditions.
How does adding thermal energy usually affect the motion of particles in matter?
Particles move faster (increase kinetic energy) as thermal energy is added.
Explain how an invasive species can affect native species and ecosystem balance.
Invasive species can outcompete natives for resources, reduce biodiversity, and change food webs (example: Feral Hogs).
Two heterozygous red petal flowers (white petal flowers are recessive) are crossed.
What is the probability of their offspring having red petals?
You must show your work for credit.
75%
Explain how cells are organized from smallest to largest (list levels) and give a brief example of each level in the human body.
Cell → tissue → organ → organ system → organism. Examples: muscle cell → muscle tissue → heart (organ) → circulatory system → human.
Describe the water cycle, naming at least four stages.
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff (and infiltration/transpiration), collection.
Describe how insulation reduces heat transfer and give one real-world example.
Insulation slows heat transfer by trapping air (using a poor conductor). Example: foam insulation in a cooler or attic insulation.
Describe how energy flows through an ecosystem.
Energy flows from producers to consumers to decomposers.