Ecology and Evolution
What are two pieces of evidence to support evolution?
Fossil record, homologies
What animal phyla lacks tissues?
Sponges
When you get too warm, your body activates cooling mechanisms like sweating. Is this a positive or a negative feedback loop?
Negative
What are the two ways that cells communicate with each other in your body?
Chemical and electrical signaling
What is the term used to describe the maximum population a habitat can support?
Carrying capacity
What is the difference between an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton? What animal phyla has an exoskeleton?
Skeleton on the inside and outside of the body. Arthropods have exoskeletons.
What is one example of how your body structures are adapted to create the most surface area possible to improve efficiency?
Branches in your lungs for more efficient gas exchange, length of small intestine for more efficient nutrient absorption
What is the main purpose of hormones?
Maintain homeostasis
What are two sources of genetic variation in a gene pool?
Mutations, random fertilization, crossing over, independent assortment
What evolutionary adaptation distinguishes gymnosperms and angiosperms from bryophytes and ferns?
Seeds, and also pollen
What is the difference between mechanical and chemical digestion?
Mechanical digestion is physically making food smaller, chemical digestion is breaking down large food molecules into small monomers
Name two key differences between spermatogenesis and oogenesis.
Spermatogenesis creates four sperm cells and occurs everyday; oogenesis creates one egg and three polar bodies and occurs only once during fetal development
What are the mechanisms of micro-evolution?
Genetic drift, gene flow, and natural selection
What type of animal needs to eat more food, an endotherm or an ectotherm?
Endotherm
What are the two differences between innate and adaptive immunity?
You are born with innate immunity that doesn't change over time and it is non-specific; adaptive immunity changes as you encounter different pathogens and it is specific
Name the four parts of a neuron.
Dendrites, cell body, axon, synaptic terminals
Farmers increasingly use pesticides to protect their crops from being eaten by insects. Over time, insects carry more and more genes for pesticide resistance. What type of evolution is occurring? What is the mechanism?
Micro-evolution through natural selection
Why are fungi considered to be the base of most food chains?
They decompose dead organic waste and return vital nutrients to the soil. This is critical for the survival of plants.
Provide the order of blood flow from the heart, to the body, back to the heart. Include the names of the relevant blood vessels.
Heart -> arteries -> arterioles -> capillaries -> body tissues -> venules -> veins -> heart
Describe the general organization of the nervous system using the terms sensory neuron, integration, and motor neuron.
Sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system detect stimuli in the environment and send that information to the brain/central nervous system. The brain then integrates all of the sensory information to make a decision about what action to take. The brain then sends information to motor neurons to execute that action.