midterm practice - prof questions Flashcards
Fungi are more important than bacteria and archaea as decomposers of dead plant and animal organic
matter in terrestrial ecosystems. Make three points to support this statement
1.
2.
3.
Compare and contrast fungal and vascular plant reproduction by describing three distinctive features of the
genetics and lifecycles of the Kingdom Fungi
1.
2.
3.
why do taxonomists not like fish?
- taxonomists use monophyletic groups
- fish are not monophyletic
- fish are paraphyletic
- taxonomists organize by clades, fish are not clades because they do not include all taxa that share the most recent common ancestor of all fished
Over the course of evolutionary time, ‘conserved’ nucleic acid sequences change relatively
little. Such sequences are abundant in what?
ribosomes
describe the process of evolution
by natural selection?
It requires genetic variation, results in descent with modification, and involves differential
reproductive success
Explain the primary mechanisms that generate biological diversity across the ‘Tree of Life’
- Phenotypic variability within populations caused by genetic mutation
- Environmental spatial and temporal heterogeneity (e.g. landscape, climate….)
Explain the secondary mechanisms that generate biological diversity across the ‘Tree of Life’
- Development of more complex structures within organisms (e.g. nuclear membrane,
multicellularity, vascular system, flower, seed) - Organism effects on environment (e.g. O2 in the atmosphere)
- Interactions among organisms (e.g. inter- and intra-species competition for limiting
resources, pathogens, herbivory, symbioses) - Development of more complex reproductive systems (e.g. diploidy, alternation of
generations, sexual reproduction, sexual selection) - Colonisation of novel habitats (e.g. land surfaces)
- Hybridisation and Polyploidy (esp. plants)
The concept of species is central to biology. Define the term as it is generally applied to
animal populations in their natural environment
x
Briefly explain one difficulty associated with the standard species definition when it is
applied to each of the following: i) some plants; ii) prokaryotes
I)
ii)
There are ~20 times more heterotrophic than autotrophic species on Earth. Suggest two
reasons which might explain this observation
1.
2.
Describe two distinct features of viruses that allow them to evolve extremely rapidly
x
Viruses have been detrimental to human societies in many different ways. Support this
statement using three separate examples
x
1.
2.
3.
What 3 biological criteria must be met for evolution by natural selection to occur?
- variability of character traits
- heritability of character traits
- different fitness/reproductive success
