Jeopardy questions

Question 1

Define Parsimony and how it relates to phylogenetic trees?

Answer 1

Parsimony is the fewest character changes.

Simplest is always best.

Question 2

List one challenge and one adaptation of a plant living in each condition:

• epiphytes
• insectivory
• desert
• tropical
• chemical

Answer 2

epiphytes:
Chal: competition for sunlight
Adp: they are small and grow on other plants (parasitic)

Insectivore:
Chal: lack of nutrients
Adpt: Break down chitien and eat insects

Desert:
Chal: Retaining moisture
Adpt: Thick waxy cuticle

Tropical:
Chal: Dense and hyper competition environment
Adpt: Broad dark green leaves

Chemical:
Chal: predation
Adpt: stinging, nettle, smells

Question 3

Regarding phylogenetic trees, explain and contrast a revision and conversion?

Answer 3

A reversion goes back to an ancestral state (whales going back into the ocean)

a conversion is when 2 independent organisms evolve to show a similar features, although they independently evolved.

Question 4

what are the advantages and disadvantages between a compound and dissecting microscope?

Answer 4

• Advantages:
  Compound:
  High magnification/able to view smaller objects and ability to measure with optical ruler.

Dissecting:
can manipulate objects - can have animals in their environment, and see things in 3d

-Disadvantages:
Compound:
Object must be able to fit on the slide, dose not work well with opaque and thick samples, image is inverted and reversed

dissecting:
Lower magnification of the object, less targeted focus

Question 5

Define speciation and how it may occur and the two different types?

Answer 5

• Speciation is an event that separates populations into tow isolated groups leading to evolutionary changes.
• Allopatric: geographic barrier
• Sympatric: reproductive barrier

Question 6

What is the rationale behind the goodness of fit test? what does this tell us about the distribution of Artemia? What does this tell us about habitat selection?

Answer 6

• To determine if differences are due to treatment

- Compare treatment distribution to normal distribution and show significance.

Question 7

What are the advantages and disadvantages of molecular and morphological data?

Answer 7

molecular data:
- Dis: more invasive, difficult to collect, expensive, not always available.
Adv: More precise at multiple levels, compares distantly related organisms, not subjective.

Morphological data:
Dis: Less precise, less heritable, variable, affected by environment, less data rich
Advantages: Inexpensive, easy to conduct in field, non-invasive, can be completed by using imaging.

Question 8

What are the five steps in making a wet mount?

Answer 8

1. clean the slide
2. place slide on flat surface
3. place specimen in middle of forceps
4. add one drop of water with eye dropper
5. put cover slide on top at a 45 degree angle ridding the slide of bubbles.

Question 9

What are the qualities of a good figure and figure caption?

Answer 9

• the figure is appropriately sized
• Caption number and description placed under the figure.
• contents of caption: what was studied, and what information is being showed.

Question 10

What makes the species Arabidopsis thaliana a good study organism for research purposes?

Answer 10

• small plant that requires vert little space
• It is easy to grow
• it is self fertilizing and has a very short generation time that produces thousands of seeds in only 4-6 weeks

Question 11

What are five ways to practice antiseptic techniques?

Answer 11

• Bunsen burner
• wash hands and surrounding area
• tie back hair
• do not breath on culture
• wear gloves
• hold opening of plates at a 45 degree angle to prevent dust settlement.

Question 12

define ecology?

Answer 12

The study of interactions of individuals and their environment, very broad field with questions from global sales down to individual scales, such as habitat selection and preferences.

Question 13

Define Habitat?

Answer 13

environment that an organism exists in, consists of a series of conditions required for the species to survive, variables include:

• food availability
• predication
• competitors
• open space to move.
• light
• gases
• salinity
• pressure

Question 14

define Habitat selection:

Answer 14

an environment that a species selects based on requirements for survival.

Question 15

What is the difference between generalists and specialists? What are some examples?

Answer 15

Generalists cam survive in a wide variety of environments - humans

specialists exist in a narrow range of conditions; some species have adapted to very extreme environments that are not habitable by other organisms - Thermophilic bacteria.