BIO 230 LATEST 2026 EXAMINATION TEST QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Discuss the reasons for the high productivity of continental shelves - ✔✔-offshore
winds blow phytoplankton out to sea and some die
-upwelling brings nutrients up from the bottom
✔✔Discuss how the marine food base can be smaller in biomass than the consumer
trophic levels that feed upon it. - ✔✔-producers (dinoflagellates) reproduce extremely
quickly, and so although their biomass seems small at one point, they are constantly
replenishing themselves (multiple times a day)
✔✔Primary vs accessory photosynthetic pigments - ✔✔primary - chl. A. required for
photosynthesis
accessory - can absorb other wavelengths and pass energy on to other molecules
✔✔What are primary products of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of
photosynthesis? How are they related - ✔✔-light dep: NADPH and ATP
-light indep: NADP+ and ADP
-light dependent makes its products from the light independent products (recycling)
✔✔When light is absorbed by a photosynthetic pigment, one of three things can occur—
what are these? - ✔✔-energy can be passed to a different molecule
-released as fluorescence
-chl. A in the reaction center can pass energy to the electron transport chain
✔✔Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) - ✔✔-NOT algae
-prokaryotic
-photosynthetic
-phycocyanin: blue algal dye
-found anywhere with water
-can form toxic blooms
-unicellular or colonies
-asexual reproduction
✔✔Why aren't cyanobacteria algae? - ✔✔-cyanobacteria are prokaryotic
-algae are eukaryotic
✔✔Describe Cyanobacteria colony diversity. Why isn't a colony considered a
multicellular organism? - ✔✔-can be sphere shaped, sheet-like, spiral, etc.
-can have a mucillage sheath
-opinions vary, but basically prokaryotes can't be multicellular
✔✔Cyanobacteria specialized cells - ✔✔-heterocyst
, -akinete
✔✔Heterocyst - ✔✔thick walled specialized cell in cyanobacteria that participate in
nitrogen fixation.
✔✔Akinete - ✔✔A resting cell of cyanobacteria. Thick walled spore
✔✔Fission - ✔✔form of asexual reproduction
organism splits in two
✔✔Cyanobacteria Ecological benefits - ✔✔-nitrogen fixation (N2 + H = NH3)
-photosynthetic
-cryptobiotic crusts
-pioneer organisms
✔✔What role do cyanobacteria have in the endosymbiotic theory? - ✔✔idea is that they
were engulfed by the mitochondria and later formed chloroplast. Evidenced by two layer
walls in chloroplasts today.
✔✔What are protists? - ✔✔-informal group name
-all organisms that are not fungi, animals, or plants
-Kingdom is not monophyletic (so its not really a kingdom)
✔✔Myxotrophy - ✔✔Obtaining nutrients through photosynthesis as well as other
means, like phagocytosis or osmosis.
✔✔Phytoplankton - ✔✔-unicellular and colonial
-rapid reproduction
-base of marine food pyramid
-includes cyanobacteria, cryptomonads, haptophytes, and dinoflagellates
✔✔Euglenoids - ✔✔-"true eye"
-2 unequal flagella
-stigma, vacuole, chloroplast, nucleus. No rigid cell wall
-many are heterotrophic, 2/3 photosynthetic (through 2ndary endosymbiosis)
-mostly freshwater
-chl a, b, carotenoids
-store food as paramylon
-monophyly is uncertain
✔✔Stigma - ✔✔light-sensing eyespot in the euglenoids
✔✔Contractile Vacuole - ✔✔collects excess water, present in euglenoids
✔✔Dinoflagellates - ✔✔-"to whirl or rotate"
AND ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Discuss the reasons for the high productivity of continental shelves - ✔✔-offshore
winds blow phytoplankton out to sea and some die
-upwelling brings nutrients up from the bottom
✔✔Discuss how the marine food base can be smaller in biomass than the consumer
trophic levels that feed upon it. - ✔✔-producers (dinoflagellates) reproduce extremely
quickly, and so although their biomass seems small at one point, they are constantly
replenishing themselves (multiple times a day)
✔✔Primary vs accessory photosynthetic pigments - ✔✔primary - chl. A. required for
photosynthesis
accessory - can absorb other wavelengths and pass energy on to other molecules
✔✔What are primary products of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of
photosynthesis? How are they related - ✔✔-light dep: NADPH and ATP
-light indep: NADP+ and ADP
-light dependent makes its products from the light independent products (recycling)
✔✔When light is absorbed by a photosynthetic pigment, one of three things can occur—
what are these? - ✔✔-energy can be passed to a different molecule
-released as fluorescence
-chl. A in the reaction center can pass energy to the electron transport chain
✔✔Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) - ✔✔-NOT algae
-prokaryotic
-photosynthetic
-phycocyanin: blue algal dye
-found anywhere with water
-can form toxic blooms
-unicellular or colonies
-asexual reproduction
✔✔Why aren't cyanobacteria algae? - ✔✔-cyanobacteria are prokaryotic
-algae are eukaryotic
✔✔Describe Cyanobacteria colony diversity. Why isn't a colony considered a
multicellular organism? - ✔✔-can be sphere shaped, sheet-like, spiral, etc.
-can have a mucillage sheath
-opinions vary, but basically prokaryotes can't be multicellular
✔✔Cyanobacteria specialized cells - ✔✔-heterocyst
, -akinete
✔✔Heterocyst - ✔✔thick walled specialized cell in cyanobacteria that participate in
nitrogen fixation.
✔✔Akinete - ✔✔A resting cell of cyanobacteria. Thick walled spore
✔✔Fission - ✔✔form of asexual reproduction
organism splits in two
✔✔Cyanobacteria Ecological benefits - ✔✔-nitrogen fixation (N2 + H = NH3)
-photosynthetic
-cryptobiotic crusts
-pioneer organisms
✔✔What role do cyanobacteria have in the endosymbiotic theory? - ✔✔idea is that they
were engulfed by the mitochondria and later formed chloroplast. Evidenced by two layer
walls in chloroplasts today.
✔✔What are protists? - ✔✔-informal group name
-all organisms that are not fungi, animals, or plants
-Kingdom is not monophyletic (so its not really a kingdom)
✔✔Myxotrophy - ✔✔Obtaining nutrients through photosynthesis as well as other
means, like phagocytosis or osmosis.
✔✔Phytoplankton - ✔✔-unicellular and colonial
-rapid reproduction
-base of marine food pyramid
-includes cyanobacteria, cryptomonads, haptophytes, and dinoflagellates
✔✔Euglenoids - ✔✔-"true eye"
-2 unequal flagella
-stigma, vacuole, chloroplast, nucleus. No rigid cell wall
-many are heterotrophic, 2/3 photosynthetic (through 2ndary endosymbiosis)
-mostly freshwater
-chl a, b, carotenoids
-store food as paramylon
-monophyly is uncertain
✔✔Stigma - ✔✔light-sensing eyespot in the euglenoids
✔✔Contractile Vacuole - ✔✔collects excess water, present in euglenoids
✔✔Dinoflagellates - ✔✔-"to whirl or rotate"
