Glossary

Question 1

what is an autosome?

Answer 1

Any chromosome which is not a sex chromosome

Question 2

what is an antigen?

Answer 2

a protein which may induce an immune response if it is foreign

Question 3

competitive exclusion principle?

Answer 3

when two species are in intense competition with one another and the weaker of the two species become extinct.

Question 4

what is epidemiology?

Answer 4

the study of the outbreak of diseases

Question 5

what is the kinetochore?

Answer 5

the point on the chromosomes where the spindle fibres bind.

Question 6

what is a satellite male?

Answer 6

a male that sneaks to gain access to females

Question 7

describe the difference between continuous and discrete variables?

Answer 7

continuous variables are measured with instruments and have an infinite range from greatest to smallest value. eg. temperature of the atmosphere measured using a thermometer.

discrete variables can only be expressed with whole numbers and are often observations. eg. number of a particular species in a point count.

Question 8

give examples of the sort of graphical display that would be used for each of these different types of data

Answer 8

quantitative: line graph
qualitative: bar chart, Pie chart
ranked: bar chart

Question 9

comment on the main characteristics of a results section of a scientific paper?

Answer 9

appropriate graphs, data tables
use of error bars on graphs
evidence of the consideration of outliers and anomalous resutls