biol final Flashcards
(164 cards)
1
Q
What is biodiversity?
A
Variety of life across all levels of biological organization.
2
Q
What is systematics?
A
Study of evolutionary relationships among organisms.
3
Q
What is taxonomy?
A
Science of naming and classifying organisms.
4
Q
What is a taxon?
A
A classification unit (e.g., species, genus).
5
Q
What is classification?
A
Organizing organisms into groups based on similarities.
6
Q
What is phylogeny?
A
Evolutionary history of a species or group of species.
7
Q
What is the root in a phylogenetic tree?
A
The common ancestor of all organisms in the tree.
8
Q
What is a node in a phylogenetic tree?
A
A branching point representing a common ancestor.
9
Q
What is a clade?
A
A group that includes a common ancestor and all its descendants.
10
Q
What is binomial nomenclature?
A
Two-part naming system for organisms; Genus species, italicized or underlined.
Example: Homo sapiens
11
Q
What are the hierarchical classification ranks?
A
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
12
Q
What is Linnaean classification?
A
Traditional classification system based on similarities.
13
Q
What is phylogenetic classification?
A
Classification based on evolutionary history and relationships.
14
Q
What is a limitation of the Linnaean system?
A
It is based on physical traits, which can lead to misclassification and doesn’t reflect evolutionary relationships.
15
Q
What are homologous features?
A
Structures with common ancestry but different functions.
16
Q
What are analogous features?
A
Structures with similar functions but different evolutionary origins.
17
Q
What is a monophyletic group?
A
Includes common ancestor and all descendants.
18
Q
What is a paraphyletic group?
A
Includes common ancestor and some descendants.
19
Q
What is a polyphyletic group?
A
Group with unrelated organisms without a common ancestor.
20
Q
What evidence supports the bird-dinosaur relationship?
A
Morphological similarities like feathers and skeleton structure.
21
Q
What are the three domains of life?
A
Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya.
22
Q
What is the composition of a plant cell wall?
A
Cellulose.
23
Q
What is the composition of a fungal cell wall?
A
Chitin.
24
Q
What is the composition of a bacterial cell wall?
A
Peptidoglycan.
25
What color do Gram-positive bacteria stain?
Purple due to thick peptidoglycan layer.
26
What color do Gram-negative bacteria stain?
Pink due to thin peptidoglycan and outer membrane.
27
What is a bacterial capsule?
Sticky layer for protection and adherence.
28
What is an endospore?
Dormant structure for surviving harsh conditions.
29
What are fimbriae?
Hairlike structures used for attachment.
30
What is binary fission?
Asexual reproduction producing identical cells.
31
What is transformation in bacteria?
Uptake of DNA from the environment.
32
What is transduction in bacteria?
Transfer of DNA via bacteriophages.
33
What is conjugation in bacteria?
Transfer of DNA between bacteria through direct contact.
34
What is an obligate aerobe?
Requires oxygen to survive.
35
What is an obligate anaerobe?
Oxygen is toxic to the organism.
36
What is a facultative anaerobe?
Can survive with or without oxygen.
37
What is a microaerophile?
Requires low levels of oxygen.
38
What is Treponema pallidum?
Bacterium that causes syphilis.
39
What are halophiles?
Archaea that live in high-salt environments.
40
What are thermophiles?
Archaea that live in high-temperature environments.
41
What is symbiosis?
Close relationship between different species.
42
What is mutualism?
Both species benefit.
43
What is commensalism?
One benefits, the other is unaffected.
44
What is parasitism?
One benefits, the other is harmed.
45
What is the status of protists as a taxon?
Not a formal group; they are polyphyletic.
46
What is endosymbiosis?
Process where one cell engulfs another that becomes an organelle.
47
What is Trypanosoma?
Protist that causes African sleeping sickness via tsetse fly.
48
What are the structures of brown algae?
Holdfast (anchor), stipe (stem), blades (leaves).
49
What is a sporophyte?
Diploid generation that produces spores.
50
What is a gametophyte?
Haploid generation that produces gametes.
51
What does Plasmodium cause?
Causes malaria; uses mosquito and human hosts.
52
What is the common name for red algae?
Rhodophyta.
53
What are the groups of green algae?
Chlorophyta and Charophyta.
54
What is Pediastrum?
A type of green algae; not harmful.
55
What is Ulva?
Sea lettuce; lacks true plant structures.
56
How do fungi acquire nutrients?
Absorptive heterotrophy via hyphae.
57
What is fungal asexual reproduction?
Spores or budding.
58
What is fungal sexual reproduction?
Fusion of hyphae and nuclei.
59
Who are the closest relatives of fungi?
Animals.
60
What is fungal mutualism?
Mycorrhizae with plants; lichens with algae.
61
What impact do chytrid fungi have?
Affect amphibians like frogs.
62
Why did charophytes move to land?
Access to more light, CO₂, and nutrients.
63
What are unique plant features?
Cuticle, stomata, multicellular embryo.
64
What are the nonvascular plant phyla?
Hepatophyta (liverworts), Bryophyta (mosses), Anthocerophyta (hornworts).
65
What is the function of xylem?
Transports water upward from roots.
66
What is the function of phloem?
Transports sugars from leaves to rest of plant.
67
What are homosporous plants?
Produce one type of spore; bisexual.
68
What are heterosporous plants?
Produce two types of spores; male and female.
69
What are gametophyte dominant plants?
Bryophytes.
70
What are sporophyte dominant plants?
Vascular plants.
71
What are coniferophyta as evergreens?
Retain leaves year-round to conserve resources.
72
What are sterile flower parts?
Sepals and petals.
73
What are reproductive flower parts?
Stamen (anther, filament) and carpel (stigma, style, ovary).
74
What is radial flower symmetry?
Multiple mirror planes.
75
What is bilateral flower symmetry?
One mirror plane.
76
What is the function of fruit?
Protect and disperse seeds.
77
What are cells?
Basic structural and functional unit of life.
78
What are tissues?
Groups of similar cells performing a function.
79
What are organs?
Structures made of tissues that perform functions.
80
What is the shoot system?
Above ground; includes stems and leaves.
81
What is the root system?
Below ground; absorbs water/nutrients and anchors plant.
82
What is primary growth in plants?
Lengthening of roots and shoots.
83
What is secondary growth in plants?
Increase in thickness via lateral meristems.
84
What is indeterminate growth in plants?
Plants grow continuously due to meristems.
85
What are photoautotrophs?
Use light to produce food.
86
What are chemoautotrophs?
Use chemicals to produce food.
87
What are heterotrophs?
Consume other organisms for energy.
88
What is self-pruning in plants?
Shedding unproductive leaves.
89
What determines water potential?
Determines direction of water movement via osmosis.
90
What is transpiration?
Water loss from leaves, pulling water upward.
91
What is translocation?
Movement of sugars through phloem.
92
What are xerophytes?
Plants adapted to dry conditions.
93
What is the adaptation of Cephalocereus senilis?
Hair reduces heat and moisture loss.
94
What is leaching in soil?
Loss of nutrients due to water flow; affects anions more.
95
What is soil nutrient management?
Crop rotation and fertilization.
96
What are the components of inorganic fertilizers?
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK).
97
What is phytoremediation?
Using plants to remove pollutants from soil or water.
98
What are the major plant elements?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur.
99
What are absorbable nitrogen compounds?
Nitrate (NO₃⁻) and ammonium (NH₄⁺).
100
What is the process from animal zygote to gastrula?
Zygote ’ blastula ’ gastrula via cleavage.
101
What is a larval stage?
Immature form that differs from adult.
102
What is an example of bilateral symmetry?
Humans.
103
What is an example of radial symmetry?
Jellyfish.
104
What is an example of asymmetry?
Sponges.
105
What are diploblastic animals?
2 germ layers: ectoderm and endoderm.
106
What are triploblastic animals?
3 germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm.
107
What is protostome development?
Mouth forms first.
108
What is deuterostome development?
Anus forms first.
109
What are sponges?
No true tissues; filter feeders.
110
What are choanocytes and amoebocytes?
Specialized sponge cells for feeding and digestion.
111
What is hermaphroditism?
Both sex organs; can self- or cross-fertilize.
112
What is coral bleaching?
Loss of symbiotic algae due to heat stress.
113
What do gills do?
Extract oxygen from water.
114
What do lungs do?
Extract oxygen from air.
115
What does ubiquitous mean?
Found everywhere.
116
What is hemolymph?
Circulatory fluid in open systems.
117
What is Trichinella spiralis?
Roundworm causing trichinosis; from undercooked pork.
118
What is complete metamorphosis?
Egg ’ larva ’ pupa ’ adult.
119
What is incomplete metamorphosis?
Egg ’ nymph ’ adult; no pupa stage.
120
Why is Chordata important?
Group includes all vertebrates.
121
What are the characteristics of chordates?
Notochord, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, post-anal tail.
122
What are cyclostomes?
Jawless vertebrates like lampreys.
123
What are gnathostomes?
Jawed vertebrates.
124
What are Chondrichthyes?
Cartilaginous fish (sharks, rays).
125
What are Osteichthyes?
Bony fish.
126
Why do sharks swim?
To breathe and avoid sinking.
127
Why do amphibians need moist habitats?
For skin respiration and reproduction.
128
What is an amniotic egg?
Contains amnion and other membranes; enables land reproduction.
129
What are ectothermic animals?
Rely on external heat (e.g., reptiles).
130
What are endothermic animals?
Generate internal heat (e.g., mammals, birds).
131
What are crocodilians?
Alligators and crocodiles; differ in snout shape.
132
What are bird flight adaptations?
Hollow bones, feathers, efficient metabolism.
133
What are flightless birds?
Ratites (e.g., ostrich, emu).
134
What are oviparous mammals?
Lay eggs (e.g., platypus).
135
What are viviparous mammals?
Give birth to live young (e.g., humans, kangaroos).
136
What are New World monkeys?
Prehensile tails; arboreal.
137
What are Old World monkeys?
No prehensile tails; some ground-dwelling.
138
What is a misconception about human evolution?
Humans evolved from modern apes (false).
139
What is another misconception about human evolution?
Evolution is linear (false—it's branching).
140
What are opposable thumbs?
Found in primates; used for grasping and manipulation.
141
What is the study of human evolution?
Paleoanthropology.
142
What is deforestation?
Cutting down trees to clear land for farming, development, or other uses.
143
What is pollution?
Releasing harmful chemicals, smoke, and gases into the environment.
144
What is fragmentation?
Dividing large areas of habitat into smaller pieces with roads, development, dams, and other barriers.
145
What is degradation?
Altering natural processes like flooding or fire, or introducing invasive species.
146
What is water use?
Reducing water flow with dams and irrigation.
147
What is hunting?
Over-exploiting species for wildlife trade or wild capture fisheries.
148
What is climate change?
Warming and changing rainfall patterns that alter species' range.
149
What is conservation biology?
The integrated and interdisciplinary study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics in order to sustain biological diversity at all levels.
150
What is genetic diversity?
Considers genetic variation within a population, but also genetic differences between populations. Erosion reduces adaptive potential.
151
What is a population?
A group of the same species within an environment.
152
What is species diversity?
Accounts for the number of species within an ecosystem or biosphere.
153
What is an endangered species?
Species that is in active danger of extinction throughout all or much of its range.
154
What is a threatened species?
Species that is considered to likely become endangered in the near future.
155
What percentage of birds and mammals are threatened?
13% of the known 10,000 species of birds and 22% of 5,500 mammals are threatened.
156
What is the status of plant species in the U.S.?
Of the nearly 20,000 known plant species in the U.S., 200 have become extinct. Currently, 730 are endangered/threatened.
157
What is the status of freshwater animal species?
At least 123 freshwater animal species have become extinct since 1900, and hundreds more are threatened. The extinction rate for American freshwater fauna is about 5x higher than terrestrial animals.
158
What is ecology?
Study of interactions amongst different organisms across a variety of ecosystems.
159
What is biophilia?
Human connection to nature.
160
What is Taq polymerase?
Used in a lab technique called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) that can be used to make billions of copies of DNA.
161
What does anthropogenic mean?
Human-caused; threats to biodiversity.
162
What is habitat alteration?
Greatest threat to biodiversity; 73%.
163
What are introduced species?
Species that humans move intentionally or accidentally from the species' native location(s) to new geographic regions.
164
What is overharvesting?
Harvesting of wild organisms at rates that exceed the ability for their populations to rebound.
