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Ishaan J.

EXAM STUDY GUIDE

You will need a ruler and a calculator for the final exam!

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY 01
- Name threats to biodiversity: Pollution, climate change, invasive species
- Know what are microplastics and microbeads, name their impacts in the ecosystem and human
health Microplastics: Tiny pieces of plastic that measure less than 5 millimeters
Microbeads: Tiny bits of plastic
Impact: When microplastics enter the ocean, the fish eat them and then we eat the fish. So
technically we are eating bits of plastic which is not good for our bodies.
- Identify the effects of BPA in humans It increases immunity, reproductive and neurological
problems.
- Revise the Albatross worksheet – explain the consequences of plastic ingestion The plastic
displaces water, so they can dies of dehydration. Also malnutrition, their bodies are full of plastic
so their bodies are not aware that they are hungry.
- Discuss advantages and disadvantages related with the Ocean Cleanup Project in the Pacific
garbage gyre Pros: Cleaning up microplastics-Recycling plastic- protecting marine habitats-
awareness to the people- Cons: Small marine life trapped in the floating barrier- more people
Ecology
can use more plastic- the amount of money used to make the machine instead of educating
people.
- Define the following concepts: ecosystem, population, community, species, niche and habitat
Ecosystem: Large self-contained unit of nature
Population: Specie that have the potential to breed with each other, same specie
Community: All the living things
Species: a group of individuals common ancestry that resemble each other
Niche: Role of an organism in a ecosystem
Habitat: Where the organism is normally found
- Distinguish between producers and consumers
Producers create their own food.
Consumers eat others to get their food
- Distinguish between different types of consumers
- Understand how a food web works and extract a food chain from a food web
UNIT 1 - ECOSYSTEMS: INTERACTIONS, ENERGY AND DYNAMICS
- Identity/draw the different stages of a population growth curve
The first phase is
Lag: That is where the population starts to develop and become adapted to the environment
Log: Where the species population increase ay an exponential rate
Linear: That is when the growth becomes more steady
1.1. Plateau phase: Stable state, no growth
Populations - Define carrying capacity and explain the meaning of carrying capacity
Carrying capacity: The maximum population size the environment can sustain, given the
resources
- Define and explain the meaning of limiting factor
Food, Predation, Shelter, Diseases, weather
- Identify and explain factors that increase/decrease a population
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Food, Predation, Shelter, Diseases, weather

- Distinguish and give examples of density-dependent and density-independent factors
Density dependent- Factors that depend on the size of population- food, water, shelter
Density Independent: Factors that do not depend on the size of the population: Temperature, soil

- Interpret graphs representing population growth

- List different direct and indirect methods used to measure biodiversity

Direct Methods Indirect Methods
(complete counts) (estimated counts)
Aerial Flyovers Mark-recapture (mobile species)
Aerial Photography Quadrat sampling (species with limited
Drive approach (line of individuals walks across mobility)
an area and counts the individuals of particular Transect sampling (species with limited
species) mobility)
Advantages: More accurate Advantages: Requires less personal and it’s
cheaper
Disadvantages: Requires a lot of personal and Disadvantages: Less accurate (based on
it’s expensive estimations from a sample of the population)

- Define and calculate species frequency and species density

Species Frequency= Number of quadrats containing the species x 100
Total number of quadrats
Species Density = Number of individuals counted
Total area of the quadrats
Frequency is chances of an organism being found in a quadrat
Density: How many individuals there are per unit
- Know how to use quadrat sampling to estimate the size of a population
Table: add them, do the average, multiply by 100
- Know how to use the mark-release technique to estimate the size of a population (know the
formula applied to do it)
#captured and marked x number captured the second time /marked
1.2. Cycles of - Name the different elements and monomers of biomolecules
Matter and
Energy
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- Name the different biomolecules that are part of our body and state their functions
Carbohydrates: Energy, food storage
Lipids or fats: Energy storage
Proteins: Defense, message carrier, transport
- Know what photosynthesis is, and the equation for it
Process done by producers/autotrophs that make their own food.
Carbon dioxide + Water  Sugar + oxygen
- Know what aerobic respiration is, and the equation for it
Chemicals reaction where cells use oxygen to break down nutrient molecules for energy
Water + Carbon Dioxide  Water + Carbon + Atp
- Know what anaerobic respiration is, and distinguish it from aerobic respiration
It is where their cells do not use oxygen to break down nutrient molecules and produce Alcahool
in plants and Lactic acid in animals
- Explain and interpret diagrams of the hydrological cycle, carbon cycle, phosphorus cycle and
nitrogen cycle.
- Define the concepts: producer, consumer, decomposer
- Define trophic level
Is hierarchical levels in an ecosystem
- Classify the different types of organisms in a food chain
- Identify in a food web an organism that occupies different trophic levels and explain how that is
possible
That is possible because like humans, who are omnivores we eat plants and animals.
- List the different ways energy can be lost by a producer and by a consumer
Digestion and movement
- Know the “10% rule” and be able to explain it
- Explain the importance of decomposers for the ecosystem
1.3. Trophic
Without decomposers there would be dead bodies everywhere
Levels
- Name and explain the different types of ecological pyramids
Pyramid of numbers: Is where the number of each individual is recorded. Follows the trophic
level
Pyramid of biomass: energy flows
- Suggest in which situations you will have an inverted pyramid
Pyramid of number takes into account the number of individuals per trophic level; there is only 1
so base is narrow. Pyramids of biomass take into account the living mass of the organism, so the
biggest mass is in the first level
- Explain why pyramids of numbers are not the best representation of the flow of energy through
ecosystems.
It does not take into account the size of the organism
1.4. - Define the term ecological succession
Succession A series of event in which life comes back
- Define and give examples of pioneer species
First organism to appear after a disturbance: Lichen, Bacteria, Fungi
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- Explain the role of pioneer species in an ecological succession

In a primary succession is to make soil and provide food to the soil (when they die).
- Distinguish between two types of ecological successions and give examples of both
Primary no soil Eruption St Helens
Secondary soil Kinglake fire
- Explain what a climax community is and what features a climax community has.
A mature ecosystem and has equilibrium.
- Explain why group behavior is important for survival
Because alone species do not do well
1.5. Group - Give examples of how organisms’ behavior changes due to interactions with other organisms
Behavior With other organisms
- Give examples of group communication.
Touch, feel, sound, urination
UNIT 02 – BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION: UNITY AND DIVERSITY
- Know what common ancestry means
Share a common descent
- Define fossil and identify where we can find fossils
Remains, traces or impressions of an organism that existed millions of years ago.
- Define and distinguish between trace fossil and transitional fossil
Trace fossils: Indirect signs an organism existed
Transitional fossil: Fossilized remains of an organism that have traits common to 2 ancestral
groups.
- Mention what type of information we can obtain by studying fossils
Structures, dating, environment
- Define and distinguish between homologous structures, analogous structures and vestigial
structures
Homologous: Similar structure different function.
Analogous: Different structure same function.
2.1. Evidence Vestigial: A feature that no longer has a purpose but served as something important in the past
for Evolution - List examples of homologous structures, analogous structures and vestigial structures
Homologous: Bat and human bone
Analogous: Eggs color
Vestigial: human appendix and wisdom tooth
- Define embryology and mention its importance for the study of evolution
Embryology is when you study an organism when it hasn’t hatched yet- when its in the embryo
- Understand the part played by DNA and amino acid sequences when studying evolution
When an organism has very similar amino acid sequences then it mean they share a recent
ancestor but when they are very similar they share a long time ancestor.
- Relate DNA sequences with amino acid sequences
While the genome of each organism is unique, many share some specific types of genes that are
generally similar in DNA sequence.

- Mention what type of evidence we have to support the Theory of Evolution

Natural selection
2.2. Natural - Define evolution, natural selection and selective breeding
Selection The change in the characteristics of a specie over several generation using natural selection
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Natural selection is when a variation is selected and will be passed on to the next generation
Selective breeding is when you force a specie with a specific trait to mate so that they can come
out with your own outcome, like dogs
- Explain the process of evolution through natural selection (variation, over-production, struggle
for survival, survival of the fittest, advantageous traits passed to next generation, gradual change)
Principle of natural selection
Principle 1: Variation
Principle 2: Overproduction
Principle 3: Struggle for existence
Principle 4: Survival of the fittest
Principle 5: Advantageous characteristics passed on to offspring.
Principle 6: Gradual change
- Distinguish between natural selection and selective breeding (also known as artificial selection)
Artificial selection if forced while natural selection is natural.
- Mention advantages and disadvantages of artificial selection.
Reduces adaptation
Reduces variation
- Using the principles of natural selection explain case studies that support evolution: peppered
moth and beaks of finches.
Peppered moths: After industrial revolution!
With the industrial revolution, the trees in England had changed a lot. Because of all the factories
the original white trees turned black which caused a huge change in the peppered moths. There
2.3. Statistics were white peppered moth wings, black peppered moth wings and white and black peppered
and Natural moth wings. Individuals will produce offspring. Then the white and white and black peppered
Selection moths will struggle to survive because they do not camouflage to the trees while the black moths
will be camouflaged to the tree and avoid the predators because they are hard to see. So, the
black moths will survive while the white and white and black moths disappear. The black moths
will produce offspring and will pass their color (which is advantageous) to their offspring. Then
over time there will only be black peppered moths left and the white and white and black will
eventually disappear.
- Define the concept of variation
- Distinguish between phenotype and genotype
Phenotype is physical characteristics/traits of an organism.
Genotype is genetic characteristics/traits of an organism.
2.4.
- Explain the different types of evolution (directional, stabilizing and disruptive) and provide
Adaptation
examples for each type.
Directional- is where one trait is favored
Stabilizing is when the middle trait is favored
Disruptive- Is when 2 traits are favored.
2.5. - Explain how changes in the physical environment have contributed to:
Environment  the expansion of some species (spread of diseases due to global warming – case study);
al changes Global warming is raising the temperature providing an ideal condition for bacteria to
and Evolution reproduce. And in Siberia the frozen disease is melting infecting people and reindeer.
 emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge (antibiotic resistance – case
study);
When the antibiotic is applied, the non-resistant bacteria will die, leaving more resources
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to the resistant ones to thrive, less competition. Resistant bacteria survive, produce more
offspring with the mutation that allows antibiotic resistance, reproduction of favorable
traits.

 decline or extinction of some species

Is when 3/4 of the population dies all across earth with no time for natural selection
- Explain the process of speciation and relate it with isolation (geographic and reproductive
isolation).
Geographical isolation: 2 populations are spilt by a barrier
Natural selection: With the resources available they adapt to their environment
Gradual change: Over time as DNA mutation occur and get passed on to the next generation the
species will change.
Reproductive isolation: the species now are different and the female wont recognize the male
and will not be able to mate.