Final Exam Study Guide - Scientific Skills
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What is the role of the independent variable in an experiment?

  • It is the factor that is manipulated to observe its effect. (correct)
  • It is the factor that is measured as an outcome.
  • It is the support for analyzing data trends.
  • It is the variable kept constant to ensure fair testing.

    • What does a low p-value, such as 0.03, suggest about the null hypothesis?

  • There is strong evidence against the null hypothesis. (correct)
  • It indicates a high probability of experimental error.
  • The results should be disregarded due to chance.
  • There is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

    • In a scientific experiment, controlled variables serve what purpose?

  • They help to ensure a fair test and accurate results. (correct)
  • They are changed to test the independent variable's effect.
  • They define the initial conditions for the experiment.
  • They measure the outcome of the experiment.

    • What does standard deviation indicate about the data from an experiment?

    <p>It shows how closely the data points cluster around the mean.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do error bars represent in a graph of experimental data?

    <p>The uncertainty or variability of the data measured.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How should one interpret a scenario where the p-value is 0.08?

    <p>The results are likely due to chance with limited evidence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When designing an experiment, what is a key first step?

    <p>Identifying and defining the variables.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the dependent variable in an experiment?

    <p>The outcome that is measured in response to the independent variable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of energy is typically passed from secondary consumers to tertiary consumers?

    <p>10%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which process is primarily responsible for the majority of energy loss in an ecosystem?

    <p>Heat Loss during Metabolism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do detritivores and decomposers play in an ecosystem?

    <p>They recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In a food web, what happens to most of the energy consumed by an organism?

    <p>It is lost as heat or used in metabolism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one reason not all parts of an organism are consumed?

    <p>Some components are not palatable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What visual representation illustrates the energy available at each trophic level?

    <p>Energy Pyramid</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of consumers primarily feed on primary consumers?

    <p>Secondary Consumers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main consequence of energy loss through incomplete assimilation?

    <p>Energy is not fully utilized by the organism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main role of salivary amylase in the digestive process?

    <p>Breaking down starch into maltose</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following mechanisms contributes to speciation by preventing mating between different species?

    <p>Temporal isolation by different mating seasons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In relation to predation, which type of selective pressure is most likely to encourage the development of predator-avoidance adaptations in a population?

    <p>Increased predation on less adapted individuals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following correctly describes the process of natural selection?

    <p>Environmental factors establish non-random survival and reproduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which class of animals is characterized by a body plan that includes bilateral symmetry and a complete digestive system?

    <p>Annelida</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines allopatric speciation?

    <p>Populations are geographically isolated from one another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a primary function of the stomach during digestion?

    <p>Mixing food with gastric juices to form chyme</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement correctly differentiates sympatric and allopatric speciation?

    <p>Sympatric speciation occurs without geographical separation, while allopatric does</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following conditions most likely leads to exponential growth in a population?

    <p>High birth rate and low death rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary use of energy in individuals according to the energy allocation model?

    <p>Cell maintenance and growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which life history trait is typically associated with K-selected species?

    <p>Long lifespan and substantial parental care</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What signifies the carrying capacity (K) in a population growth graph?

    <p>The maximum number of individuals an environment can sustain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of survivorship curve is characterized by high mortality in older individuals and low mortality in young?

    <p>Type I (Convex)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor is considered a density-dependent limit on population growth?

    <p>Predation and competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which phase of logistic growth do populations generally experience leveling-off?

    <p>As a result of carrying capacity being reached</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common characteristic of opportunistic (r-selected) life history strategies?

    <p>Rapid maturity and low parental care</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of the Central Nervous System (CNS)?

    <p>Processing information and making decisions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which division of the Peripheral Nervous System is responsible for involuntary actions?

    <p>Autonomic Nervous System</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In community ecology, what term describes the interaction where one species benefits at the expense of another?

    <p>Predation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does the Somatic Nervous System play within the Peripheral Nervous System?

    <p>Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following interactions in a community typically involves competition?

    <p>Two species fighting for the same food source</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the two main responses associated with the Autonomic Nervous System?

    <p>Fight or flight and rest and digest</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component of a community ensures the transfer of energy through consumption?

    <p>Predators</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What best defines a 'community' in ecological terms?

    <p>A group of different species interacting in the same area</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of community interaction involves both species benefiting?

    <p>Mutualism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What describes the role of keystone species in their communities?

    <p>They control the population of other species, maintaining ecological balance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following correctly distinguishes fundamental and realized niches?

    <p>Fundamental niche represents the potential range of conditions; realized niche is the actual use due to limitations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In a bottom-up control system, which factor primarily governs the population sizes of herbivores and predators?

    <p>Nutrient availability and plant growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of these examples is representative of commensalism?

    <p>Barnacles attaching to whales</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What impact does the removal of a prey species typically have in a food web?

    <p>Leads to a decrease in the predator population.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Top-down control in ecological systems is best exemplified by which scenario?

    <p>Predation of herbivores by carnivores controlling plant populations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of a kelp forest ecosystem, what role do sea otters fulfill?

    <p>They are keystone species that control sea urchin populations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Final Exam Study Guide

    • The final exam is worth 100 points and will have 50 questions.
    • The exam will focus on main concepts from the semester, including details that make the concepts meaningful.
    • Scores on the final exam will count toward the course grade.
    • If a final exam score is higher than a regular exam score, the lower regular exam score will be boosted to match the final exam score.

    Scientific Skills

    • Define independent, dependent, and controlled variables in a scientific experiment.
      • Independent variable: The factor changed or manipulated.
      • Dependent variable: The factor measured or observed.
      • Controlled variable: Factors kept constant to ensure a fair test.
    • Design a simple experiment to study a specific question or explored in module labs.
    • Interpret graphs, including error bars (e.g., using Excel). Error bars show the range of possible values and variability in data.
    • Define "standard deviation" and explain its relevance to experimental data. (Standard deviation measures the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values around a mean.)
    • Explain the role of statistics in experimentation.
    • Interpret p-values.
      • Low p-value (e.g., <0.05): Strong evidence against the null hypothesis.
      • High p-value (e.g., >0.05): Weak evidence against the null hypothesis. The results may be due to chance.

    Plant Diversity

    • Key characteristics for plant groups (Mosses, Liverworts, Hornworts, Ferns, Horsetails, Club mosses, Conifers, Cycads, Ginkgo, Flowering Plants)
    • Alternation of Generations
    • Adaptations (e.g., vascular tissue and seeds)

    Plant Structure and Function

    • Plant organ systems
      • Roots: Anchor, absorb water and minerals, store nutrients.
      • Stems: Support, hold leaves up, transport water and nutrients.
      • Leaves: Photosynthesis, gas exchange.
    • Plant tissues
      • Dermal: Outer protective layer.
      • Ground: Photosynthesis, storage, support.
      • Vascular: Transportation (xylem, phloem).
    • Growth
      • Primary Growth: Growth at the tips of roots and shoots.
      • Secondary Growth: Growth in thickness.
    • Plant Nutrition
      • Essential elements (like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) and how plants and animals acquire these elements.

    Animal Diversity

    • Identify animals based on key traits.
    • Animal systems: digestive and nutritional
    • Digestion and nutrient absorption
    • Processes along the digestive tract
      • Identify locations (e.g., mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus).
      • Enzymes and functions
      • Nutrient absorption (water and electrolytes).

    Animal Physiology

    • Surface area to volume ratio
    • Cellular transport
    • Gas exchange
    • Circulation of gases and nutrients.
    • Basic circulatory system (heart, blood vessels).
    • How/where gases and nutrients move during exchange
    • Basic action potentials and ion gradients

    Animal Reproduction and Ecology

    • Animal diversity: different traits/characteristics of animals
    • Hormones controlling blood sugar and calcium
    • Understanding the role of ions and their influence on processes like nerve signaling, muscle contraction, osmoregulation, and reproduction.

    Plant Transport

    • Explore the dynamics of transpiration (water transport).
    • Sugar (food) movement within the phloem.
    • Trade-offs associated with opening and closing stomata (needed for gas exchange).

    Evolution

    • Natural Selection: Explain the pressures driving adaptation and outcome of selection.
    • Origin of Species: Explain and apply the biological species concept, prezygotic and postzygotic isolation mechanisms.
    • Phylogeny: interpret a phylogenetic tree.

    Community Ecology

    • Species interactions (e.g., competition, predation, symbiosis).
    • Role of keystone species (e.g., within kelp forests, rocky intertidal, or Yellowstone).
    • Niche (fundamental vs. realized niche).
    • Community structure and stability
    • Interdependence (e.g., species interactions and how these interactions shape community structure)

    Biological Principles

    • Counter-current exchange
    • Biological processes involving ions (Na+, K+, and Ca2+)

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    BIOL 106 Final Exam Study Guide Fall 2024 PDF

    Description

    Prepare for your final exam with this comprehensive study guide focused on scientific skills. You'll learn how to identify variables in experiments, design effective studies, and interpret data through graphs and standard deviation. Master these key concepts to excel in your course!

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