JMU BIO 140 FINAL LAB DISCOVERY
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
experimental study - ANSWER-the best way to establish casual relationship,
manipulates independent variable and measures dependent variable
non-experimental study - ANSWER-not manipulating any variable, only gathers data to
test a hypothesis
descriptive study - ANSWER-not test a hypothesis, simply making observations
causation - ANSWER-the idea that one variable cause or influences another
correlation - ANSWER-A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and
thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
main flaws in experimental design - ANSWER--no controls
-insufficient sample size
-lack of replication
-not really testing the hypothesis
-important variables not held constant
phylogeny - ANSWER-proposed evolutionary relationships that arise from analyzing
heritable traits among organisms
node - ANSWER-each branch point on a phylogenetic tree which represents a
divergence of two taxa from a common ancestor
tip - ANSWER-where the lineage gives ride to a taxon
clade (lineage) - ANSWER-each branch stemming from a branch point
cladogram - ANSWER-a branching diagram showing the cladistic relationship between
a number of species.
outgroup - ANSWER-A taxon that is closely related to the study group, but branched off
from the lineage of the in-group prior to the origin of the common ancestor of the
ingroup
convergent evolution - ANSWER-similar characteristics arise in often distantly related
taxa due to similar selective pressures in similar environments
, systematics - ANSWER-the study of biological diversity in an evolutionary content
taxonomy - ANSWER-branch of biology that describes, names, and classifies species
and groups of species
8 major taxonomic groups - ANSWER--domain
-kingdom
-phylum
-class
-order
-family
-genus
-species
binomial nomenclature - ANSWER-Classification system in which each species is
assigned a two-part scientific name
first word = genus
second word = specific epithet
How taxonomy relates to phylogeny - ANSWER-taxonomy should reflect phylogeny:
taxa that are closely related taxonomically should be closely related phylogenetically
Biodiversity - ANSWER-increases are more tips and branches are added to the tree of
life
species richness - ANSWER-number of species found in an area
shannon diversity - ANSWER-measure of biodiversity which accounts for species
richness and evenness
species abundance - ANSWER-total number of individuals of each species present
why can using transects be advantageous for quantifying biodiversity? - ANSWER-its a
way to control for the size of the area sampled for accuracy
Why is biodiversity important? - ANSWER-Biodiversity's benefits to society include
contributions to medicine and agriculture, and the provision of ecosystem goods and
services.
how do we measure biodiversity? - ANSWER-species richness, abundance, and
diversity
ecosystem services - ANSWER-these are the direct and indirect benefits human derive
from other organisms
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
experimental study - ANSWER-the best way to establish casual relationship,
manipulates independent variable and measures dependent variable
non-experimental study - ANSWER-not manipulating any variable, only gathers data to
test a hypothesis
descriptive study - ANSWER-not test a hypothesis, simply making observations
causation - ANSWER-the idea that one variable cause or influences another
correlation - ANSWER-A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and
thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
main flaws in experimental design - ANSWER--no controls
-insufficient sample size
-lack of replication
-not really testing the hypothesis
-important variables not held constant
phylogeny - ANSWER-proposed evolutionary relationships that arise from analyzing
heritable traits among organisms
node - ANSWER-each branch point on a phylogenetic tree which represents a
divergence of two taxa from a common ancestor
tip - ANSWER-where the lineage gives ride to a taxon
clade (lineage) - ANSWER-each branch stemming from a branch point
cladogram - ANSWER-a branching diagram showing the cladistic relationship between
a number of species.
outgroup - ANSWER-A taxon that is closely related to the study group, but branched off
from the lineage of the in-group prior to the origin of the common ancestor of the
ingroup
convergent evolution - ANSWER-similar characteristics arise in often distantly related
taxa due to similar selective pressures in similar environments
, systematics - ANSWER-the study of biological diversity in an evolutionary content
taxonomy - ANSWER-branch of biology that describes, names, and classifies species
and groups of species
8 major taxonomic groups - ANSWER--domain
-kingdom
-phylum
-class
-order
-family
-genus
-species
binomial nomenclature - ANSWER-Classification system in which each species is
assigned a two-part scientific name
first word = genus
second word = specific epithet
How taxonomy relates to phylogeny - ANSWER-taxonomy should reflect phylogeny:
taxa that are closely related taxonomically should be closely related phylogenetically
Biodiversity - ANSWER-increases are more tips and branches are added to the tree of
life
species richness - ANSWER-number of species found in an area
shannon diversity - ANSWER-measure of biodiversity which accounts for species
richness and evenness
species abundance - ANSWER-total number of individuals of each species present
why can using transects be advantageous for quantifying biodiversity? - ANSWER-its a
way to control for the size of the area sampled for accuracy
Why is biodiversity important? - ANSWER-Biodiversity's benefits to society include
contributions to medicine and agriculture, and the provision of ecosystem goods and
services.
how do we measure biodiversity? - ANSWER-species richness, abundance, and
diversity
ecosystem services - ANSWER-these are the direct and indirect benefits human derive
from other organisms
