Unit 1

Question 1

What are the two characteristics of a hypothesis?

Answer 1

Must be testable and falsifiable

Question 2

What is descriptive science?

Answer 2

Describing nature through observation

Question 3

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 3

Leads to a generalization based on many observations

Question 4

What is experimental science?

Answer 4

Explaining nature through experimentation

Question 5

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 5

A reasonable answer to a well-framed question that leads to predictions that can be tested using experiments

Question 6

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 6

If experimental results are consistent with the prediction, they support the hypothesis

Question 7

What is an independent variable?

Answer 7

The variable being tested

Question 8

What are matched variables?

Answer 8

Variables that are made the same between controls and experimental groups

Question 9

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 9

The results

Question 10

What is a positive control?

Answer 10

You should see a positive result

Question 11

What is a negative control?

Answer 11

You should see a negative result

Question 12

Correlation does not indicate…

Answer 12

Cause and effect

Question 13

How can we conclude something is causal and not just correlated?

Answer 13

Use a controlled experiment

Question 14

What is a theory?

Answer 14

A major unifying idea with extensive testing and attempts to disprove it have failed

Question 15

Evolution is a…

Answer 15

FACT-it is measured and observed

Question 16

What is a scientific fact?

Answer 16

An objective and verifiable observation

Question 17

What is evolution?

Answer 17

The change in a population or a species over time

Question 18

What is natural selection?

Answer 18

The process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals best adapted to their environment

Question 19

What is genetic drift?

Answer 19

Random events that can cause some genes to disappear from a population

Question 20

What is sexual dimorphism?

Answer 20

Males and females have different physical characteristics for non-random mating

Question 21

What is the order of the hierarchy of biological organization?

Answer 21

Biosphere-Ecosystem/Biome-Community-Population-Organism-Organ-Tissue-Cells

Question 22

What is ecology?

Answer 22

Study of distribution and abundance of organisms and interactions between organisms and their environment

Question 23

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 23

Community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact

Question 24

How are biomes generally defined?

Answer 24

Type of vegetation (primary producer)

Question 25

Describe the Tundra.

Answer 25

Northern latitudes, low temperatures, little rain, and mostly composed of mosses and grasses (permafrost restricts plant growth)

Question 26

Describe the Northern Coniferous Forest (Taiga/Boreal).

Answer 26

Northern latitude, cooler temperatures, a little more rain than the tundra, and has conifers (pine, spruce, fir, hemlocks) *Largest terrestrial biome*

Question 27

Describe a Temperate Forest.

Answer 27

Mid-latitudes, cold winters and warm summers, moderate-high precipitation (seasonal), has deciduous trees (canopy) and a shrub layer

Question 28

Describe Temperate Grasslands.

Answer 28

Mid-latitudes, rain varies seasonally, cold winters and hot summers, single layer of grasses with large numbers of herbivores

Question 29

Describe a Desert.

Answer 29

30 degrees above/below equator, low precipitation (highly variable), hot temperatures, sparse, single-layer vegetation (cacti, shrubs, herbs, succulents)

Question 30

Describe a Tropical Rainforest.

Answer 30

Equatorial, high precipitation, always hot/humid, broadleaf plants/epiphytes with a canopy, sub canopy, and herb layers

Question 31

What explains the different biomes?

Answer 31

Temperature and precipitation

Question 32

Why are places along the equator hotter than other places at higher latitudes?

Answer 32

There is more constant, direct sunlight and travels through less atmosphere

Question 33

Why are seasons more pronounced at higher latitudes?

Answer 33

The tilt of the earth towards and away from the sun

Question 34

Why are deserts found 30 degrees from the equator?

Answer 34

Moist air rises at the equator and rains on the equator and the cool, dry air sinks 30 degrees from the equator

Question 35

What are rain shadows?

Answer 35

Mountains near a body of water receive moist temperatures and precipitation on the coast side and dry, cool air on the leeward side

Question 36

What is an Estuary?

Answer 36

Where freshwater meets salt water

Question 37

What is the photic zone?

Answer 37

Where light penetrates and photosynthesis can take place

Question 38

What is the aphotic zone?

Answer 38

Area too deep for light to penetrate

Question 39

What is the euphoric zone?

Answer 39

Enough light for photosynthesis

Question 40

What is the dysphotic zone?

Answer 40

Not enough light for photosynthesis

Question 41

What is the littoral zone?

Answer 41

Shallow zone: shore to depth of photic zone

Question 42

What is the limentic zone?

Answer 42

Deep, well-lit surface waters

Question 43

What is the pelagic zone?

Answer 43

The entire water column above the bottom

Question 44

What is the benthic zone

Answer 44

The sediments at the bottom

Question 45

What is a thermocline?

Answer 45

Transition between warm, oxygenated, low nutrient H2O and cold low O2, nutrient rich water

Question 46

What are oligotrophic lake?

Answer 46

Clear, mountain water with low nutrients (not much productivity/growth), O2 rich

Question 47

What is an Eutrophic lake?

Answer 47

High nutrients, lots of growth, O2 poor

Question 48

What is lake turn over?

Answer 48

Carrying sediments and nutrients up from the benthic zone

Question 49

What is an intertidal zone?

Answer 49

Shore between tide lines

Question 50

What is the neritic zone?

Answer 50

Shallow ocean, low tide line to the continental shelf

Question 51

What is the oceanic zone?

Answer 51

Open sea

Question 52

What are tropical estuaries called?

Answer 52

Mangrove Forests

Question 53

What are temperate estuaries called?

Answer 53

Salt-water marshes

Question 54

Describe Mangrove Forests.

Answer 54

Roots suspended in water column, efficient nutrient usage, prevent coastline erosion and runoff

Question 55

Describe Salt Marshes.

Answer 55

Contains emergent grasses and high productivity

Question 56

Describe coral reefs.

Answer 56

Found in the neritic (shallow) zone, warm but nutrient poor water

Question 57

Describe Kelp Forests.

Answer 57

Found in neritic (shallow) zone, cool temperate waters

Question 58

What is population ecology?

Answer 58

Study of how and why the number of individuals in a population changes over time

Question 59

How do you estimate the population size?

Answer 59

Marked recaptures/total in second sample=marked initially/total population size

Question 60

What does a exponential model (J-curve) represent?

Answer 60

No immigration/emigration, small population, no competition (resources are unlimited), and conditions do not change

Question 61

What is the rate of change (r) influenced by?

Answer 61

Age of first reproduction, frequency of reproduction, fecundity (average # of female offspring), length of reproductive lifespan, and survival rate of young

Question 62

What is type 1 survivorship curve?

Answer 62

Low mortality in young, few offspring and high parental care

Question 63

What is type 2 survivorship curve?

Answer 63

Equal chance of dying throughout life, less common, some invertebrates and rodents

Question 64

What is type 3 survivorship curve?

Answer 64

High mortality in young, many offspring, low parental care