Population Dynamics
How would a population decrease in primary consumers affect the ecosystem?
Producer population would increase; secondary consumers would decrease; all other levels up would decrease eventually too
What is the first step of the scientific method?
Identify a problem or ask a question
All of the biotic and abiotic factors that interact together in a specific area
What is an ecosystem?
Explain the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Give an example of each.
prokaryotic - no organelles or nucleus - bacteria
eukaryotic - have a true nucleus and organelles - plant or animal cell
The study of living things
What is biology?
Explain the difference between r and k reproductive strategies. Give an example of an organism that uses each.
r-strategies: producing many offspring at once, use little energy/time on offspring, usually smaller organisms with short life span (ex: fish or insects)
k-strategies: produce very few offspring at once, spend a lot of time/energy raising offspring, usually larger organisms with longer life span (ex: elephant or human)
In an experiment to test which brand of nail polish lasts the longest, what would be independent variable be?
brand of nail polish
The layer of the Earth that supports life
What is the biosphere?
Explain the difference between active and passive transport. Give an example of each.
Passive transport - moves from high to low with no energy
Active transport - moves from low to high and uses energy
The ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment
What is homeostasis?
Name three types of population distribution. Describe each and give an example of an organism that might demonstrate this distribution.
Uniform - fairly evenly space - bear
Clumped - found in small groups - buffalo
Random - random - deer
In an experiment to see which brand of socks causes your feet to sweat the least, what would the dependent variable be?
amount of sweat produced by your feet
Explain how biomes differ from one another. Name three examples of different biomes.
differ in temperature and amount of precipitation
examples: desert, temperate forest, rainforest, etc.
Name three substances that would diffuse across the plasma membrane with no assistance or energy needed.
carbon dioxide, oxygen, water
When a Venus fly trap closes on a fly, which characteristics of life is it demonstrating? Name two other characteristics of all living things.
This is response to stimuli.
Others: adapts to the environment, reproduces, requires energy, maintains homeostasis, displays organization, growth and development, made of cells
Explain the difference between density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors. Give an example of each.
density-independent - not affected by number of organisms in an area; temperature
density-dependent - effect is felt more if more organisms live in the area - food availability
In an experiment to see which flavor of cat food my cat prefers, what should three constants be?
time she is fed, amount of food offered, brand of food, etc.
What happens to energy as it passes through an ecosystem?
90% from each level is lost as heat and to other life processes; only 10% is available to the next trophic level
While viewing a slide of rapidly moving cells, a student concludes that these cells require a large amount of energy to maintain their activity. What organelles provide this needed energy?
mitochondria
What are the three different types of biodiversity?
genetic, species, ecosystem
Explain the idea of logistic population growth.
Rapid population growth followed by leveling out at carrying capacity
In an experiment to see if a new fertilizer increases the number of green peppers produced in your garden, what would the control be?
The green pepper plants that do not have the fertilizer (and how many peppers they produce)
Name four different types of consumers and describe each. Give an example of each.
herbivore - eats only plants - cow
carnivore - eats only other animals - lion
omnivore - eats both - human
detritivore - eats dead/decaying material - vulture
Name four organelles and explain their function.
answers vary
Explain the idea of biomagnification. Give an example of this and how this information might be used.
increasing concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of it consuming other organisms with toxins; concentration levels increase as you go up the food chain; this would be helpful when making food selections, etc.