Unit 1 Flashcards
Is trash biotic or abiotic?
A. Biotic
B. Abiotic
B. Abiotic
Are weeds biotic or abiotic?
A. Biotic
B. Abiotic
A. Biotic
Are rocks biotic or abiotic?
A. Biotic
B. Abiotic
B. Abiotic
Are flies biotic or abiotic?
A. Biotic
B. Abiotic
A. Biotic
Anika is going to take soil samples and analyze them to determine the pH. The pH of the soil can determine what kinds of plants can grow there. In order to determine the pH, the number of hydrogen ions in the soil is measured. Which level of biological organization is being examined?
Ecosystems
Atoms
Cells
Organisms
Atoms
William is going to identify and count the different kinds of plant and animal species currently living in the space. Which level of biological organization is being examined?
Tissues
Communities
Biomes
Molecules
Communities
Maria is going to research the soil compaction affected by high pedestrian traffic to see if it will affect the ability of grass to grow. Which level of biological organization is being examined?
Ecosystems
Cells
Organisms
Organelles
Ecosystems
Ren is going to select an oak tree to plant in one corner of the lot. Which level of biological organization is being examined?
Communities
Ecosystems
Cells
Organisms
Organisms
Which level of organization can have the biotic property? Choose 4
Atom
Tissue
Organelle
Organism
Molecule
Cell
Community
Tissue
Organism
Cell
Community
Science is concerned with finding out how our world works by only addressing ideas that can be tested by scientific means, either by making observations or experimental research.
True
False
True
Is the scenario described above a legitimate area for scientific research?
Yes, it is possible to investigate the health effects of sugar with observations and experiments.
No. You cannot control what people eat, so you cannot do a proper experiment to answer the question about how sugar intake affects health.
No, because it is only a matter of opinion. You can never know for sure why someone had a heart attack or stroke.
Yes, it is possible to investigate the health effects of sugar with observations and experiments.
Studying Sugar Using Data from a Big Survey
How can we collect data that will help us discover the health effects of sugar intake? We can begin by comparing groups of people to see if those who eat more sugar also have more or different health risks.
That is exactly what Jean A. Welsh and colleagues did in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2010. They began with data from 6,113 American adults that was collected through a massive national survey in 1999-2006. The available data included reports about subjects’ eating habits, plus dozens of medical test results and personal details. The researchers organized people into categories based on how much sugar they ate (percent of daily calories from sugar). They then compared blood lipid levels among people in the categories.
Statistical methods were used to “correct” for many variables that are known to affect blood lipids, such as body mass index, blood pressure, and use of certain medicines. Even so, there were clearly noticeable trends in the final data: subjects who ate more sugar had lower levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). In other words, the heavy sugar eaters had less “good,” heart-healthy HDLs in their blood.
Based on the description above, what would be an appropriate hypothesis for this experiment?
Eating sugar can lead to increased chance of being American
Sugar intake is linked to blood lipid levels
Age changes can lead to higher blood lipid levels.
Americans have poorer diets than other countries
Sugar intake is linked to blood lipid levels
Which of the following would be an example that the researchers should try to control in this experiment?
The blood lipid levels
The weight of the person
The amount of sugar each person eats
The weight of the person
Can we be sure that eating extra sugar caused lower HDL levels in the study subjects based only on the result from the study above?
No, other factors may explain why the high-sugar-intake Americans also had lower HDLs.
Yes, it was a well-designed study with a large sample, so that conclusion is clearly supported.
No, other factors may explain why the high-sugar-intake Americans also had lower HDLs.
Imagine that you are a researcher, building on the information that was published by Welsh et al. You hypothesize that the type of sugar being consumed may be a factor in blood lipid levels.
Is this a hypothesis that science can address?
Yes
No
Yes
