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Biology 110 > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Characteristics of Living things

A
  • Highly organized
  • Requires energy (put order into system)
  • Have & use information (can generate & maintain organization)
  • Composed of at least 1 cell
  • Are regulated: respond to change, keep everything just right for function
  • Reproduce (individual life ends, species continues)
  • Contribute to evolution of their species by reproducing or not (an individual cannot contribute individually by adding or subtracting our genes)
  • Interact with other organisms in ecosystems
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2
Q

Definition of species from lecture

A

A group of organisms who can 1) interbreed 2) naturally 3) and produce fertile offspring

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3
Q

What do the terms “prezygotic” and “postzygotic” mean by themselves?

A

Before fertilization (union of egg and sperm) and after fertilization

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4
Q

The mating of a horse and a donkey produces a mule. Does this mean that horses and donkeys are the same species?

A

No, they are not the same species. Yes, Horses and donkeys can reproduce and do it naturally but their mule offspring are not fertile

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5
Q

Two ways in which the biological species definition IS NOT useful?

A
  • Classifying asexual species (do not require mate to reproduce)
  • Classifying fossil species (differences in size and shape of bones cannot show if there was reproductive isolation)
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6
Q

Correct each of the following statements to make sure you understand the use of the word “species” in singular and plural meanings:
1- Members of species have the same binomial (taxonomic) name; 2- There is competition for resources between human species.

A

1- Members of A species have the same binomial name

2- There is competition for resources between THE human species

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7
Q

What is Cuvier’s contribution to ideas of evolution?

A

Study of fossils (paleontology) and the idea of extinction

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8
Q

What is Lamarck’s contribution to ideas of evolution?

A

He published the idea of evolution

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9
Q

Biological definition of population

A

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same geographic region (ecosystem)

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10
Q

If the population is the smallest unit of evolution, don’t individuals matter in evolution? Explain clearly how individuals do or do not matter.

A

Individuals matter in that they contribute to the evolution of a population. Reproducing and not reproducing both contribute to evolution because you are either adding your genes to the population or subtracting your genes from the population

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11
Q

Tell which of the following statements is correct: 1-There may be more than one population of a species; 2-There may be more than one species of a population.

A

1- There may be more than one population of a species

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12
Q

What does taxonomy mean?

A

Naming and classification of organisms

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13
Q

What is a taxon? Give an example of a particular taxon and a specific case of that taxon.

A

Taxon is a category of classification

Ex. Kingdom Animalia

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14
Q

What, in addition to taxonomy, do people who study systematics study?

A

Phylogeny (evolutionary history of organisms)

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15
Q

If you compare specific parts of the Grand Canyon in 19999 to 2009 to 2019, how does it illustrate Lyell’s geological principle?

A

Illustrates gradualism (continual, slow process of change over time)

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16
Q

Darwin’s idea of evolution was similar to Lyell’s geological idea, except applied to life instead of rocks/Earth. Besides the same general idea, why was Lyell’s principle so helpful to Darwin’s thinking?

A

It suggested that the Earth had a lot of slow, gruadual changes and that earth was really old. Old enough for evolution to have generated complex forms such as humans

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17
Q

What is the lecture definition of a fossil?

A

The remains or traces of an ancient organism, incorporated into rock/ mineral

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18
Q

Why is Phelan’s definition of fossil incomplete?

A
  • Fossils are anxient

- He does not mention that fossils are remains or traces that are incorporated into rock/mineral

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19
Q

When fossils were first discovered, how did paleontologists decide that one fossil was older or younger than another fossil? Could they get the actual ages of the fossils?

A

Palentologists determine age by observing the different sedimentary layers. They could use this method because the rock forms in layers pilling up where fossils on the bottom layers are older and the shallower ones are younger. You can only get relative dates

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20
Q

How can modern paleontologists study the ages of fossils even if they are not in sedimentary rocks?

A

Radiometric dating (get exact ages)

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21
Q

Describe four patterns in the fossil record that were described in lecture

A
  1. In older rock, fossils of organisms that are not alive today (extinction, ex. dinosaurs)
  2. Fossils of organisms alive today (modern organisms) that are not found in older rock (ex. humans, whales)
  3. Fossils of ancient, extinct organisms are similar to modern (living organisms) suggesting evolutionary pathways or sequences (ex. evolutionary history of horses, human figure)
  4. Fossils of transition organisms that fill in “missing links” in evolutionary sequences, most dramatically land-to-water and water-to-land forms (ex. Tiktaalik)
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22
Q

Which two patterns in the fossil record have examples in Phelan?

A
  • Horse fossils illustrates pattern 3, it is like a pathway or sequence of a horse
  • Tiktaalik fossils, examples of pattern 4, represent transitional phase between water to land- their fossils represent phase between lobe-finned fishes and terrestrial vertebrates (they have gills, scales and fins but arm-like joints similar to salamanders that can support their bodies)
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23
Q

Which two general patterns described are illustrated by the diagram? Refer to specific fossils that illustrate each pattern.
Modern (living today): species A
Fossil of species A, B 1
Fossil of species B, C 2
Fossil of species C 3
Fossil of species D 4
Fossil of species D, E 5

A
  • Pattern 1 would be D and E (C works) because they are in the most ancient rock layers
  • Pattern 2 would be A, fossils of organisms alive today (modern organisms) that are not found in older rock
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24
Q

Explain why it was impossible for Fred Flintstone (a caveman) to have a pet dinosaur, and refer to specific fossils in the diagram

A

A caveman could not possibly have a pet dinosaur because they were extinct by the time the caveman was around.
- Dinosaur = fossil E,D, or C
- Fred= fossil A
(never an overlap in existence of humans and dinosaurs)

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25
Q

What does this pattern suggest about the relative time of origin of fish and amphibians, i.e. who came first and how can you tell?
fish-1 salamander-1 1
fish-2 salamander-2 2 fish-3 3
fish-4 4

A

The fish came first and you can tell because they are located at the bottom most sedimentary layer and there’s no salamanders (amphibians) for a while

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26
Q

From the known fossil record in general, do you expect the four fish fossils to look identical? Do you expect the two salamander fossils to look identical?
fish-1 salamander-1 1
fish-2 salamander-2 2 fish-3 3
fish-4 4

A
  • No, the four fish fossils would not look identical, nor would the two salamander fossils look the same
  • The fossil record in general says organisms change over time due to evolution.
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27
Q

If salamanders evolved from fish, which one of two pairs of fossils will be more similar, salamander-1 and fish-1 or salamander-2 and fish-2?

A
  • Salamander 2 and fish 2 would be more similar because they have gone through less evolutionary stages and change over time than fish 1 and salamander 1.
  • The amount of time since S2 and F2 evolved from their common ancestor is less time than F1 and S1 (more time to evolve, therefore more time to change)
28
Q

Human arms, bat wings, and cow front legs are used for different functions and look different from each other. What do they have in common?

A

They share the same set & arrangement of bones, showing that they share a common ancestor (homologous structures)

29
Q

What is the term for the relationship of bones of human arms, bat wings, and cow front legs?

A

Homologous structures - body structures in different organisms that, although they may have been modified over time to serve different functions in different species, are derived through inheritance from a common evolutionary ancestor

30
Q

Explain the following statement and relate it to idea of homologous structures: Bat and bird wings are homologous as forelimbs, but they are not homologous as wings

A

Bat and bird forlimbs are homologous in that they have the same bones but do not carry out the same functions. Their wings are analogous bc none of them had a common ancestor

31
Q

Compare the evolution of bat and bird wings to the evolution of bat and insect wings. Give the term that applies to these structures

A

Vestigial structures - a structure that was once useful to the organism but has lost its function over evolutionary time; an example is molars in bats that now consume an exclusively liquid diet

32
Q

Human and cow forelimbs are________; humans’ and cows’ common ancestor had _______.

Bat and bird wings are __________ as forelimbs, but not as wings; their common ancestor had __________ but did not have ______________.

Bird and insect wings are _______.

A

Human and cow forelimbs are___homologous_structures_____; humans’ and cows’ common ancestor had ______the basic forelimb anatomy or underlying anatomy_______.

Bat and bird wings are ___homologous_____ as forelimbs, but not as wings; their common ancestor had __forlimbs____ but did not have __wings (arose independently)_____.

Bird and insect wings are _analogous__.

33
Q

Explain why it is useful to study embryos, not just adults, when looking for evidence of evolution. Give some specific examples

A

It’s useful because embryological stages show that organisms share a common ancestor. Study of these stages in development and the adult body provides a third line of evidence of evolution

  • during human embryonic stage, embryo has slits in neck like gills on a fish and a tail supporting idea that humans and fish share common ancestor
  • human embryos have gill pouches and tails but after we are born, we do not have either
34
Q

If you were to observe early bat and bird and human embryos, how would you expect their forelimbs to compare?

A

They would look similar bc start forming in the same way and then with the development of the embryo, they change

35
Q

What is the term for human ear muscles and snake pelvic bones, and how do biologists explain the fact that humans have ear muscles that don’t work?

A

Vestigial structures. Humans have ear muscles that don’t work bc in previous species, ear muscles were useful (we evolved from an ancestor whose ear muscles worked)

36
Q

In general, how do biologists compare specific proteins or DNAs between different species, and how do they interpret the results?

A

COMPARE SEQUENCES OF UNITS by counting the NUMBER of differences in the sequences between species: the fewer differences, the more closely related they are, which means the more recently their common ancestor lived

37
Q

What is the result of comparing hemoglobin between humans, dogs, and monkeys, and what is the interpretation?

A

If you compare humans and dogs’ sequence of units versus humans and monkeys’ sequence of units in hemoglobin, you would see more differences between human and dog. Humans and dogs’ ancestor lived longer ago. The longer the two species have been evolving on their own, the greater the number of genetic differences that accumulate. More time means more evolutionary change. We can conclude humans and monkeys have a more common recent ancestor

38
Q

Sometimes DNA can be found in fossils. If you were to compare DNA sequences between salamander-1 and fish-1 or salamander-2 and fish-2 which would be more similar?

A

If you were to compare DNA sequences, Salamander 2 and Fish 2 would be more similar. There are not as many differences in DNA sequences in S-2 and F-2 as S-1 and F-1 b/c they have not been evolving as long

39
Q

What is a resource? Give three examples of resources

A

Anything an organism needs from its environment to survive and/or reproduce
Ex. land, water, food

40
Q

What is intraspecific competition and why does it occur?

A

Within the same species there’s competition and it occurs because resources are limited and members of the same species need all of the same resources

41
Q

Why don’t all members of a population compete equally?

A

They’re genetically diverse, everyone is not identical. And due to intraspecific competition for the scarce resources.

42
Q

What is the name of the process that has generated different breeds of dogs as well as most human food crops?

A

Selective breeding or artificial selection. Choosing which (typically animal or plant males and females) will sexually reproduce and have offspring together

43
Q

Who is the selecting agent in selective breeding (artificial selection)?

A

Humans

44
Q

Who is the selecting agent in natural selection?

A

The environmnet

45
Q

What do the “selected ones” get to do?

A

Reproduce

46
Q

What is adaptation? Define addaptation as a process and a trait.

A
  • The process by which, as a result of adaptation, a population’s organisms become better matched to their environment
  • As a trait, a specific feature, such as the quills of a porcupine, that makes an organism more it
47
Q

What is the lecture definition of adaptive trait?

A

Genetic traits (characteristics, features) that provide more success than others in a particular environment in surviving and reproducing

48
Q

Two biologists studied the same population, but one studied it in 1920 and the other in 2000. The two biologists identified different adaptive traits in the population. What is the most likely reason for the different observations?

A

The environment changed and an adaptive trait is specific to the environment

49
Q

What is Phelan’s glossary definition of fitness?

A

A relative measure of the reproductive output of an individual with a given phenotype compared with the reproductive output of individuals with alternative phenotypes

50
Q

What is “survival of the fittest”?

A

Alleles that increase an individual’s fitness will “survive” in a population more than those that decrease an individual’s fitness

51
Q

Which statement is more accurate?
1- Having an adaptive trait results in greater fitness

2- Having greater fitness is the same as having an adaptive trait

3- Having greater fitness results in having an adaptive trait

A

1- Having an adaptive trait results in greater fitness

52
Q

Explain the difference between microevolution and macroevolution

A

Microevolution:
Events that involve changes in allele frequencies within a population (a change in allele frequences over one or a few generations)

Macroevolution:
Large scale changes (evolution above the species level) where products of evolutionary change involves origins of entirely new groups of organisms. (Microevolutionary changes can lead to macroevolution)

53
Q

A population of a beetle species was studied in 1925. It was 75% yellow with purple specks, 5% yellow, 5% solid purple, 10% yellow with green specks, 5% black. In 2005 the beetles were studied again and were 5% yellow with purple specks, 85% yellow, 5% solid purple, 3% yellow with green specks, 2% black. Which type of evolution occurred between 1925 and 2005?

A

Microevolution. The population’s allele frequences changed over time

54
Q

Describe one example of evolution we can observe

A

Over a few years time, grass on a golf course from the same stock turn into three distinct populations due to the frequency in which they were trimmed - the three patches range from slowest sexual maturation and seed output to fastest maturation and seed output

55
Q

In a certain fish population 80% are bright orange and 20% are dull brown. The waters these fish inhabit contain a bright orange kelp forest. Which fish color is an adaptive trait, and specifically why is it adaptive?

A

The bright orange is an adaptive trait because it blends into the environment which will contribute to its survival from being preyed on

56
Q

*In a certain fish population 80% are bright orange and 20% are dull brown. The waters these fish inhabit contain a bright orange kelp forest. Assuming no changes in these waters, what do you expect in the next generation of the population, with respect to the proportion of each color, and why is this expected?

A

With respect to the proportion of colors, we would expect the next generation to have a higher percentage of bright orange fish and lower percentage of dull brown. They will reproduce more and their traits would get passed onto future generations

57
Q

A number of years of deforestation of nearby hillsides results in a thick brown sludge entering the water, coating the orange kelp. As silt deposits increase, will the case of bright orange fish with the adaptive trait change?

A

Yes, as the brown sludge enters the water and the color changes to more of a brown, the fish that are dull brown would blend in more with the environment and would have a better chance of surviving and passing down those traits to their offspring

58
Q

With the environmental change in brown fish having the adaptive trait, what might we expect to observe as a result of evolution of this fish population?

A

As a result of evolution, we would see a higher percentage of dull brown colored fish

59
Q

What kind of evolution is do we see in the fish population that was 80% bright orange and 20% dull brown? What mechanism of evolution is illustrated by the change in the population?

A

Microevolution, and the mechanism in evolution that is illustrated by the change in the population is natural selection

60
Q

What are the two sources of variation in populations?

A

1- Mutation (‘accidental’ change in genetic information)

2- Genetic shuffling by Sexual Reproduction

61
Q

How is variation useful to populations?

A

Variation in a population is GOOD, it can enhance a populations’ “reproductive fitness” b/c it provides a chance that the population will survive when the environment changes. Those with adaptive traits will survive and reproduce, and keep the population going in the new environment

62
Q

Why should we be worried about a small population with very little or no variation?

A

When there is a change in the environment, there aren’t many that could survive

63
Q

A population of butterfly species A is 35% yellow and purple, 15% yellow, 15% purple, 10% yellow and green, 25% black. A population of butterfly species B is 99.8% orange and black, 0.2% other. Which species is in less danger, and why?

A

Species A is in less danger because they have more variation in their alleles. More variation gives the butterfly species more of a chance it will survive if the environment changes. Whereas species B will struggle due to having less variation and ability to adapt to new environments

64
Q

If a population becomes extinct, in what case is that the same thing as a species becoming extinct? In what case is it NOT the same as extinction of the species?

A

A population is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same geographic region. There may be more than one population of a species, so if a population becomes extinct that does not necessarily mean the species becomes extinct

65
Q

What is a mass extinction and what has been the general cause of mass extinctions over Earth’s history?

A

Mass extinction in when a large number of species become extinct over a geologically (millions of years) short period. They are due to “extraordinary and sudden changes to the environment” like an asteroid impact, continental drift, supernova or extreme volcanic eruptions

66
Q

What pattern is observed to follow mass extinctions in the fossil record?

A

The origin of new species (gain many new species in a geologically short period of time)

67
Q

What are humans doing today that is causing mass extinction?

A

Killing off organisms (elephants, chimpanzees, various tree species, whales, grizzlies, wolves), destroying their habitats (mining, deforestation for grazing land), conducting activities that cause climate change (burn oil, coal, gas)

Biology 110 (1 decks)

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