Final

Question 1

Dr. Smith has discovered a bird that he believes is a new species. Dr. Wilson says he will only be convinced if Dr. Smith finds several more birds of the same type. Why might Dr. Wilson feel this way?

Answer 1

He wants to be sure that the bird Dr. Smith found isn’t just an unusual example of an already-described species.

Question 2

Why is it so difficult for scientists to know how many species have already been described?

Answer 2

There isnt one location for cataloging all species

Question 3

Scientists can compare the relationships between all modern species by examining a gene that performs a similar function in species from all kingdoms. What does this one gene encode?

Answer 3

Ribosomal RNA

Question 4

According to the most current classifications, which group is the most different from all the others?

Answer 4

Bacteria

Question 5

For what reason might scientists change the most current classification system?

Answer 5

if more information became available on the evolutionary history of existing species

Question 6

What does the main trunk at the far left of the “tree of life” represent?

Answer 6

the earliest common ancestor of all the organisms in the tree

Question 7

How have classification systems for living things changed over the years?

Answer 7

The three-domain system has been introduced within the last 30 years, to supplement the five-kingdom system.

Question 8

In what period did all modern animal groups first appear in the oceans?

Answer 8

Cambrian

Question 9

In which era did primitive bacteria first appear?

Answer 9

Precambrian

Question 10

Which kingdom would include an organism that is multicellular and makes its own food?

Answer 10

Kingdom Plantae

Question 11

Which kingdom would include an organism that is multicellular, relies on other organisms for food, and reproduces by spores?

Answer 11

Kingdom Fungi

Question 12

Of the four kingdoms in the domain Eukarya, which one is most likely to be split into two or more new kingdoms as scientists perform more genetic analyses on evolutionary relationships?

Answer 12

Kingdom Protista

Question 13

DNA is found in every cell of an organism. What subset of DNA changes would be most useful to molecular biologists to determine evolutionary relationships?

Answer 13

DNA changes in genes that are shared by a common ancestor

Question 14

Which project would be conducted by an ecologist?

Answer 14

a study of squirrels and their interactions with other animals

Question 15

Which experiment would not be considered an ecological study?

Answer 15

t`he effect of a hormone on the rate of blood vessel formation

Question 16

Which activity would be an example of an ecological study?

Answer 16

comparing the effects of varying water temperature on fish egg development

Question 17

Which group would be an ecological population of organisms?

Answer 17

all chipmunks in a wood lot

Question 18

What type of distribution would include the evenly spaced distribution of stalks of corn planted in an agricultural field?

Answer 18

A uniform Distribution

Question 19

Driving along a rural two-lane highway, you notice a kestrel perched on a telephone line approximately every mile or so. This pattern continues for quite a few miles. What type of distribution applies to this example?

Answer 19

Uniform

Question 20

Walking along a mile-long path in the woods, you notice a stand of your favorite wildflower, the cardinal flower, three different times. You find each stand of cardinal flower, including many flowers in each stand, on a stream bank. What type of distribution applies to this example?

Answer 20

clumped

Question 21

Red maple tree seeds are dispersed by the wind. This species of tree can be found in fields, woods, and even wetlands. What type of distribution applies to this example?

Answer 21

random

Question 22

Which description applies to a population that’s exhibiting exponential growth?

Answer 22

It will have growth proportional to the current total.

Question 23

Over the past two centuries, how has the growth of human population changed?

Answer 23

It has increased exponentially.

Question 24

As the Industrial Revolution took place, there was a decrease in infant mortality. What situation resulted from the decrease in infant mortality?

Answer 24

an increase in the population growth rate

Question 25

In some situations, the death rate of a population declines before the birth rate begins to decline. What can be concluded about the population?

Answer 25

The population is in a demographic transition.

Question 26

Although most biologists believe that many species are becoming extinct each year because of the activities of humans, relatively few species actually appear on compiled lists of extinct species. What is one reason why so few species are listed as extinct?

Answer 26

Many species are unknown to science and go extinct before they’ve been described.

Question 27

Life on Earth has experienced several mass extinctions. What likely caused one or more of these extinctions?

Answer 27

an asteroid impact

Question 28

Approximately 200 of the 300 native species of fish in Lake Victoria haven’t been observed since the 1960s and are therefore probably extinct. Using the estimate of the background extinction rate, how many species of Lake Victoria fish would one expect to have naturally become extinct during the last 50 years?

Answer 28

less than 1

Question 29

The current rapid loss of species is considered by many scientists to be another mass extinction. What may be causing this increase in extinction rate, beyond background extinction?

Answer 29

human population growth and the resulting habitat changes worldwide

Question 30

Scientists have used the fossil record to estimate the average length of time that a species inhabits the Earth. How can this estimate be useful for assessing the impact of humans on the Earth’s biological diversity?

Answer 30

It can estimate how many species extinctions are caused by human activity.

Question 31

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is situated on land that was once a fen, a kind of wetland. The replacement of the fen is an example of

Answer 31

habitat destruction

Question 32

Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is a beautiful, long-stemmed wetlands species brought to the United States from Europe as an ornamental plant. In the United States, it has no predators and crowds out cattails, Typha latifolia, another wetlands plant that’s a valuable resource for many species. Purple loosestrife is an example of

Answer 32

an introduced species

Question 33

North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, were called “right whales” because they were the best whale for early whalers to kill. They have long baleen and lots of blubber and oil. When killed, they could be towed back to land for processing because they float. They once numbered in the millions, but the entire population of the species is now less than 400. The history of the right whale is an example of

Answer 33

overexploitation

Question 34

Global climate change is likely to increase the rate of extinction worldwide. What pollutant is most implicated in this problem?

Answer 34

carbon dioxide

Question 35

How many times greater than the calculated background rate is the current rate of extinction estimated to be?

Answer 35

100

Question 36

Approximately what percentage of the species that have ever existed on Earth are represented by the estimated 10 million species that exist today?

Answer 36

1%

Question 37

How many mass extinctions were experienced on a global scale before the alarming mass extinction that’s now occurring?

Answer 37

five

Question 38

North America is currently experiencing an unprecedented and rapid loss of species. What is believed to be the main trigger of such events, either directly or indirectly?

Answer 38

increased human population

Question 39

On August 8, 2005, the temperature in New Haven, Connecticut, was 82°F with partly cloudy skies. What term defines this description of New Haven’s conditions?

Answer 39

weather

Question 40

Los Angeles, California, has an average daily temperature between 70°F and 80°F for most of the year. There’s very little rainfall except during a rainy season beginning in the fall. What does this describe about the city’s conditions?

Answer 40

climate

Question 41

To determine a geographic area’s climate, what variable conditions must be taken into account?

Answer 41

temperature and precipitation

Question 42

What factor affects the average temperature of a region?

Answer 42

the amount of light energy per unit area hitting it

Question 43

Earth’s axis is tilted away from the sun during ________ and toward the sun during ________ in the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 43

winter; summer

Question 44

In the Northern Hemisphere, when does the summer solstice occur?

Answer 44

when the sun reaches its northern maximum

Question 45

How many degrees does the Earth’s axis tilt from perpendicular?

Answer 45

23.5°

Question 46

Which city would have the largest variation in daylight hours between the summer solstice and the winter solstice?

Answer 46

Montreal, Canada

Question 47

The temperature of a city is often warmer than the temperature in its surrounding suburbs. This is the result of an urban heat island effect. Why might this effect occur?

Answer 47

The pavement and buildings absorb heat.

Question 48

What causes the moist air of tropical rainforests?

Answer 48

warm air rising at the equator, cooling and condensing, and falling to Earth

Question 49

What factor most influences the dry deserts of Nevada?

Answer 49

the rain shadow from a California mountain range

Question 50

Why does Dallas, Texas, have a higher yearly average temperature than Chicago, Illinois?

Answer 50

Dallas receives more solar irradiance than Chicago.