Biology 102 Final – Old Test Questions – Flashcards
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A pattern of evolution in which most change in appearance takes place during a relatively short period of time fits the ______ model of speciation.
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punctuated equilibrium
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The science of naming, identifying, and classifying organisms is called ______.
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taxonomy
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Thirty people are selected for a long-term mission to colonize a planet many light years away from Earth. The mission is successful and the population rapidly grows to several hundred individuals. However, certain genetic diseases are unusually common in this group, and their gene pool is quite different from that of the Earth population they have left behind. Which of the following phenomena has left its mark on this population?
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Founder effect
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Genetic drift is the result of ______.
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chance
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According to the theory of endosymbiosis, which organelles evolved from small prokaryotes that established residence within other, larger prokaryotes?
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mitochondria and chloroplasts
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Homology is evidence of ______.
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common ancestry
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Why is RNA thought to have been the first genetic material?
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RNA is capable of self-replication; DNA is not.
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What name is given to the single supercontinent that formed near the end of the Paleozoic?
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Pangea
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Scientists have warned doctors of the danger of their increasing use of antibiotics for treating minor illnesses. They are concerned because _____.
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strains of bacteria that are resistant to these drugs will become more widespread
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______ is an example of bioremediation.
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The use of prokaryotes to treat sewage
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The figure below shows what happens in insect populations when crops are sprayed with insecticides. This is an example of ______.
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natural selection
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Which one of the following is the only domain that contains eukaryotes?
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Eukarya
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While examining a rock surface, you have discovered an interesting new organism. Which of the following criteria will allow you to classify the organism as belonging to Bacteria but not Archaea or Eukarya?
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Cell walls are made primarily of peptidoglycan.
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Which of the following is a characteristic of a population at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
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The population is not evolving.
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______ is the study of the evolutionary relationships of organisms, past and present.
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Systematics
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In The Origin of Species, Darwin argued that the mechanism of descent with modification was _____.
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natural selection
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Which of the following is most likely to decrease genetic variation?
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stabilizing selection
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The modern synthesis was a fusion of ______.
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genetics and evolutionary biology
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Feathers in birds appear to have first evolved for insulation but later conveyed a new advantage in helping create light aerodynamic surfaces. This switch in function is an example of ______.
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an exaptation
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Eukaryotes that are not fungi, animals, or plants are classified in a "catch-all" category called ______.
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protists
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All of the alleles of all of the genes within a population make up that population's ______.
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gene pool
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Which of the following include the two classes of poisons produced by pathogenic bacteria?
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endotoxins and exotoxins
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The biological species concept cannot be applied to ______.
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bacteria that only reproduce asexually
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The idea that life regularly arises from nonliving matter is referred to as ______.
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spontaneous generation
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Which of the following is a species name?
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sapiens
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Natural selection can be defined as ______.
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a process in which organisms with certain inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than other individuals
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Which of the following is an example of sexual selection?
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Peahens choose to mate with peacocks that have the most beautiful tails.
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The smallest unit of evolution is the ______.
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population
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Which prokaryotic group is most closely related to eukaryotes?
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domain Archaea
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What organisms are most numerous on Earth?
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prokaryotes
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What was the first stage of the process that led to the abiotic origin of life?
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abiotic synthesis of monomers, such as amino acids and nucleotides
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Which protozoan group consists solely of parasitic forms?
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apicomplexans
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What does Darwinian fitness measure?
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reproductive success
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On what basis are populations assigned to the same biological species?
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being able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring
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Which of the following would likely be the most difficult to kill were you to can your own food?
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endospores
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A reproductive barrier that prevents species from mating is an example of ______.
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pre-zygotic barrier
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Bacilli are ______ prokaryotes.
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rod-shaped
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Which of the following describes allopatric speciation? A) A male horse and a female donkey mate, producing a sterile
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A population of squirrels is separated by the Grand Canyon. Through time the two subpopulations evolve into two distinct species.
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All prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms that photosynthesize fit into which nutritional category?
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photoautotrophs
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The two basic types of cells are ______ and ______.
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prokaryotic...eukaryotic
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Which of the following is a component of the fossil record?
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bones of extinct whales
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A slimy layer of bacteria coating a surface is also known as a ________.
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biofilm
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What theory states that all living things are composed of cells?
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cell theory
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New branches form on the tree of life through the process of _____. A) speciation
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speciation
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The original source of all genetic variation that serves as the raw material for natural selection is ______.
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mutation
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The absence of ______ in the primitive atmosphere was essential to the origin of life on Earth.
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oxygen
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Which of the following options lists taxonomic categories in the correct order from most specific to most general?
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genus, family, order, class, phylum
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Analogous structures are evidence of ______.
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convergent evolution
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Prokaryotes reproduce by means of ______.
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binary fission
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Characteristics shared by both snakes and birds include ______.
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the amniotic egg
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Sharks are a type of ______.
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cartilaginous fish
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______ are the most diverse group of arthropods.
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insects
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Which of the following actions would increase your carbon footprint?
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eating more beef and less chicken
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A(n) ______ is an example of a mollusc that does not have a shell.
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octopus
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The ______ helps plants retain water.
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cuticle
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Which of these adaptations to a terrestrial existence evolved most recently?
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seeds
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The greenhouse effect causes an increase in global temperatures. This increase is primarily due to ______.
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C02 and other greenhouse gases slowing the escape of heat from Earth
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Which of the following is abiotic?
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a rock
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Permafrost, or permanently frozen subsoil, characterizes _____.
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tundra
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Which of these human characteristics evolved first?
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upright posture
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Water-storing plants and deeply-rooted shrubs are plants that characterize ______.
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deserts
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The effect of deforestation is to ______.
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increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
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What are estuaries?
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regions where fresh water and salt water mix
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What name is given to the seafloor?
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benthic realm
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What does the term tetrapod mean?
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having 4 feet
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How do sponges differ from all other animals?
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sponges lack true tissues
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Where did humans first appear?
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Africa
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The mobile stage of the cnidarian life cycle is the ______ stage.
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medusa
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What level of ecology is concerned with both the biotic and abiotic aspects of an environment?
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ecosystem
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______ are seedless vascular plants.
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ferns
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______ are the mammalian group that lay eggs.
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Monotremes
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Ecology is the study of ______.
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interactions between organisms and their environments
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What name is given to the open ocean?
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pelagic realm
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Which of the following is a characteristic of all chordates?
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They all have a notochord sometime during the life cycle.
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Swim bladders ______.
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help bony fish maintain buoyancy
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______ have radial symmetry.
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Cnidarians
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Why does it make sense that many fruits are green when their seeds are immature?
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They are harder to see and thus less likely to be eaten than other fruits.
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Like plants, fungi have ______; however, in plants they are composed of ______, whereas in fungi they are composed of ______.
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cell walls . . . cellulose . . . chitin
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Which of these biomes is maintained by fire?
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chaparral
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Gametophytes are ______; sporophytes are ______.
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haploid...diploid
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What are hyphae?
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threadlike filaments that make up fungal bodies
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What is the primary source of energy for nearly all of Earth's ecosystems?
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sunlight
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Mutualistic associations of plant roots and fungi are called ______.
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mycorrhizae
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Which of the following correctly illustrates the sequence of the origin of modern groups of plants?
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bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms
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What is the name given to the process by which a larva develops into an adult?
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metamorphisis
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In an aquatic ecosystem, what name is given to the region where photosynthesis can occur?
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photic zone
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What important role do fungi play in many ecosystems?
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they decompose organic material
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Most adult insects have three major body parts or sections. They are the
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head, thorax and abdomen
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Nearly all ______ are aquatic.
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crustaceans
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Unique features of vertebrates include the presence of a(n) ______.
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skull and backbone
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A true coelom is ______.
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completely lined with tissue derived from mesoderm
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Which of the following can moderate climate by absorbing heat when the air is warm and releasing heat when the air is cold?
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oceans
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With regard to the environment as a whole, when is the worst time to apply pesticide to your lawn?
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before/after rain
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Among vertebrates, the unique feature of lampreys and hagfish is the ______. A) absence of a post-anal tail
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absence of jaws
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A(n) ______ is an example of an invertebrate chordate.
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lancelet
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What is a population?
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a group of organisms of the same species living in a particular geographic area
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Nearly all food plants are classified as ______.
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angiosperms
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Nutritionally, all fungi are ______.
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heterotrophs
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Aquatic organisms ______.
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may experience problems with the solute concentration of the surrounding fluid
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The primary goal of conservation biology is to ___.
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counter the loss of biodiversity
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Why are most energy pyramids limited to 3-5 levels?
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There is insufficient energy to support more levels
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Modern conservation science increasingly aims to ___.
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sustain entire ecosystems
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An assemblage of interacting ecosystems is a _____.
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landscape
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Integrated pest management ____
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advocates mixed-species plantings and rotating crops
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Which of these convert organic matter to inorganic matter by breaking down dead organisms?
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decomposers
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In the food chain (grass -> antelope -> human -> lion), the human is ____
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secondary consumer
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A demographic tool used to predict a populations future growth is
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age structures
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The number of individuals of a population unit per area is the
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population density
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In terms of population, what is boom and bust cycling?
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when a population oscillates around the carry capacity of its environment
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Humans are ____
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omnivores
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Species only found in one area of the earth are called _____ species
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endemic
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The present rate of species loss _____
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is as much as 1,000 times higher than it has been in the last 100,000 years
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Species that exhibit an equilibrial life history typically ______
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have long lives
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The major abiotic reservoir for phosphorous is
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rock
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Rate at which organic matter is produced into an ecosystem is its _____
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primary productivity
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In order to asses the species diversity of a community, you would need to know the different number of species as well as
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the relative abundance of different species
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What form of carbon is incorporated into organic matter by producers?
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CO2
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Organisms at the first trophic level are ____
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producers
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Biomass is the amount of _____ in an ecosystem
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organic material in
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The ecological footprint of the USA _____
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shows Americans consume disproportionate amounts
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Bears eat berries, etc....
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A food web
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The Endangered Species Act aims to help protect species that _____
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are in danger of extinction
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An unexpected freeze that kills a population of chipmunks is an example of
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a density-independent factor
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Which of these describes a Type II survivorship curve?
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relatively constant death rate
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As a result of disturbance, a community will ____
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undergo succession
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In the absence of limiting factors, a population's growth follows a _____ growth model.
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exponential
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Which of these organisms convert atmospheric nitrogen gas to a form that can be utilized by plants?
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bacteria
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In most developed countries, overall population growth rates _____
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are near 0, population size is stable
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Which of these organisms are ultimately responsible.....
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producers
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The death by bubonic plague...
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density-dependent factor
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Type I survivorship curves are typical of species that exhibit ____
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few offspring and good parental care
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Introduced species can have important effects on biological communities by ____
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all of the above
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E.O. Wilson coined the term....
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biophilia
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The intentional release of a natural enemy to attack a pest population is ____
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biological control
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Most plants have a variety of chemicals, spines and thorns because the plants _____
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cannot run away from herbivores
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Small areas that have a large number of endangered species....
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biodiversity hot spots
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What is a population?
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group of same species individuals that occupy the same general area
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____ is the maximum population size that a particular habitat can support
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Carrying capacity
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Which of the following will decrease population size?
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decreasing food supply
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Single greatest threat to biodiversity comes from ______
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habitat destruction and fragmentation
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Competition among the same species is _____ competition
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intraspecific
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An ecological footprint
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is a means of understanding resource availability and usage
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The sum total of a populations of the biotic and abiotic resources of its habitat constitutes its _____
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niche
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What is one way that chemical flow and energy cycling differ?
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energy flow is unidirectional, chemical elements can be recycled
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Sustainable development ____
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involves all of the above
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A movement corridor _____
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unites otherwise isolated patches of quality habitat for a species
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A community is composed of
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potentially interacting populations of different kinds of organisms
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An example of mutualism....
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corals/algae
