Biology 1b Flashcards

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0
Q

How has a polar bear evolved to stay warm ?

A

Thick layer if blubber for insulation

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1
Q

True or False - animals in the desert have a large surface area to volume ratio

A

True

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2
Q

What is another benefit of blubber ?

A

Acts as an energy store when food is scarce

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3
Q

How has the arctic fox evolved to avoid predators ?

A

Light fur to blend in with snow

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4
Q

Why do cacti have spines rather than leaves ?

A
  • Plants lose water vapour from the surface of the leaves. Spines have a smaller surface area so less water is lost
  • They deter predators as they are sharp
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5
Q

give two ways wasps deter predators

A
  • Stinger
  • Sting contains poisons
  • Yellow and black coat signifies danger
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6
Q

What is an extremophile ?

A

A microorganism that can live in very extreme environments, like volcanic vents

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7
Q

What do plants compete for ?

A

Light
Space
Water
Minerals from soil

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8
Q

What do animals compete for ?

A

Space (territory)
Food
Water
Mates to reproduce with

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9
Q

What is a living factor ?

A

Disease
Predators
Prey or food sources
Competitors

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10
Q

What is a non-living factor ?

A

Temperature
Rainfall
Pollution - air or water

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11
Q

What is a living indicator of air pollution ?

A

Lichen

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12
Q

What is lichen an how does it show pollution ?

A

They are a moss like plant that grow on tree bark. Different species grow in different areas depending on the sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere.

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13
Q

What is a pollution indicator of water pollution ?

A

Mayfly lavae

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14
Q

How does mayfly larvae indicate water pollution ?

A

They are very sensitive to the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water - left by sewage. If you see mayfly larvae the water is clean

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15
Q

What is an example of a non-living indicator of environmental change ? How does it measure this ?

A

Satellites, it can measure snow and ice cover and sea temperature

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16
Q

What does a pyramid of biomass show ?

A

The mass of living material on each tropic level of a food chain

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17
Q

What is a tropic level ?

A

It is the word given for the different stages of the food chain

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18
Q

What is a producer ?

A

A plant

19
Q

The energy gradually decreases as you go up a tropic level. Why does this happen ?

A

Each tropic level uses some of the energy for movement ( any of the 7 life processes )

20
Q

What are the perfect conditions for microorganisms ?

A

Moist, warm conditions

21
Q

How do you make the most of a compost bin ?

A

Finely shredded waste

Air holes

22
Q

How is carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere ?

A
  • Burning fossil fuels
  • Plant/animal respiration
  • CO2 released from decay
23
Q

How is carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere ?

A

Mainly photosynthesis

Some dissolves in sea

24
Q

What is genetic variation ?

A

Your characteristic differences to others that is down to your genetic information

25
Q

What is environmental variety ?

A

When you are different because of the environment. Like dying your hair or losing a limb

26
Q

What is the nucleus ?

A

The part of a cell which holds your genetic material in chromosomes

27
Q

What is a chromosome ?

A

Coils of DNA

28
Q

What is DNA ?

A

DNA is the genetic material of humans, found in the nucleus of cells

29
Q

What is sexual reproduction ?

A

It involves the fusion of male and female gametes. There are two parents so the offspring will contain a mixture of their parents’ genes

30
Q

What is asexual reproduction ?

A

Only one parent, so no gamete fusion no mixing of DNA and therefore no genetic variation. Producing a clone of the parent

31
Q

How do you clone plants from cuttings ?

A

You cut parts of the plant off and re-plant them making identical copies

32
Q

How do you clone a plant by tissue cloning ?

A

When a few plant cells are put on hormones an quickly grow to be clones of the parent

33
Q

How do you clone animals ?

A

An egg is taken from a prize cow and fertilised by a prize bull. The embryo is split and placed in other cows, when born you will have multiple clones

34
Q

Explain adult cell cloning

A
  1. Adult cell cloning is when you take an unfertilised egg and taking the genetic information out of it.
  2. A males body cell’s DNA is then implanted in
  3. The now fertilised egg is implanted into a surrogate mother and a clone will be born
35
Q

What is genetic engineering ?

A

It is when you can change the genes to alter the corresponding characteristics

36
Q

How do scientists ‘cut’ parts of the genes out ?

A

They use enzymes

37
Q

What is a GM crop ?

A

A genetically modified plant

38
Q

What are the benefits if GM crops ?

A

Resistant to:
Insects
viruses
Herbicides (weed killer)

39
Q

How do scientific milestones like genetic engineering help the human body ?

A

Cystic fibrosis is a disorder caused by faulty genes, by developing genetic engineering we may be able to eradicate it

40
Q

What is the theory of evolution ?

A

The idea that more than 3 billion years ago life on earth began as simple organisms from which more complex organisms have evolved into

41
Q

What is natural selection ?

A
  1. Individuals within a species have variety because of genetic differences
  2. If they have better characteristics then they will survive and reproduce
  3. Eventually only the new variation will survive
42
Q

What, other than genetic variety, can cause natural selection

A

Mutation

43
Q

Why did some not believe in Darwin’s theory ?

A
  • Went against religious beliefs that life was created by god
  • He couldn’t give a reason why these varieties occurred
  • There wasn’t enough evidence
44
Q

What was lamarck’s theory ?

A

He thought that if the characteristics were used a lot then they would develop and pass on to their offspring. For example if a rabbit ran a lot then its legs would get longer

45
Q

Why was lamarck’s theory wrong ?

A

Because these changes weren’t involved with your DNA, therefore it wouldn’t pass on to offspring

46
Q

What are genes ?

A

They develop different characteristics like eye colour