BIOL102 Unit 1 – Biodiversty Dr. Epstein Fall 2025 Unit 1
Questions With Complete Solutions
Are media reports always completely accurate accounts of
scientific studies? Correct Answers No.
Be able to draw a diagram of the life cycle of the mosses, ferns,
and angiosperms. Which step(s) require external water? Correct
Answers Something like a plant cycle. But its gametophyte is
spread out everywhere instead of being contained inside the
sporophyte. Angiosperms are contained. Gametophyte requires
external water.
Can you define evolution in under 10 words? Explain how
unequal reproductive success leads to evolution in populations.
Correct Answers Unequal reproductive success leads to
evolution of population with varied inherited traits, elimination
of individuals with certain traits and reproduction of survivors,
and increasing frequency of traits that enhance survival and
reproductive success
Carnivorous plants can make all the sugar (food) they need via
photosynthesis. So why do they 'eat' animals? Correct Answers
For protein
Define the term 'protist'. Are these organisms closely related to
each other? Correct Answers Protists are a group of all the
eukaryotes that are not fungi, animals, or plants. No
Describe mycorrhizal associations. How common is this among
plants? How does it benefit the plant? Correct Answers A
,mutualistic association between plant roots and fungi. It is very
common among plants and its beneficial to plants by offering
water and protection.
Describe some of the ways humans rely on plants for food,
medicine, ecosystem services Correct Answers Seed plants are
our primary food source. Many hundreds of medicines are
derived from plants, both traditional medicines used in
herbalism and chemical substances purified from plants: plants
clean air and filter water.
Describe the characteristics of marsupials that distinguish them
from other mammals. Correct Answers Have short pregnancies
and undeveloped young. Marsupial carries and feeds young in a
ventral pouch. The young are born early and crawl into pouches
for further development. Most are in Australia
Describe the development of antibiotic resistance in terms of
evolution by natural selection. Correct Answers It adapted to
its environment and evolved to adapt.
Distinguish between an independent variable, dependent
variable, and a control Correct Answers Independent variable -
the variable that is altered during a scientific experiment.
Dependent variable - the variable being tested or measured
during a scientific experiment. Control - a variable that is kept
the same during a scientific experiment. Any change in a control
would invalidate the results.
Distinguish between homologous and analogous structures and
provide examples of each. Correct Answers Homologous
, structures have features that often have different functions but
are structurally similar because of common ancestry. ex. radius,
ulna, carpals, and phalanges. Analogous structures have features
of different species that are similar in function but not
necessarily in structure and which do not derive from a common
ancestral feature ex. wings
Distinguish between monotremes, marsupials, and eutherian
mammals. What are the key features of all mammals? Correct
Answers Monotremes lay shelled eggs, and have sprawling
legs. Marsupials carry and feed young in a ventral pouch.
Eutherians have placentas and are more developed at birth than
marsupials. They all have mammal eggs.
Do we have more fossils of hard shells or of soft feathers? Why?
Correct Answers More of harder shells because the softer ones
decompose faster.
Do you think that genetic makeup is a 100% responsible for
human behavior? Correct Answers Genetics is not 100%
responsible for human behavior
Does environmental challenges result in organisms changing to
meet those challenges? Does environmental change cause
variation to increase or appear in populations? Does the need of
an organism to survive cause variation to appear? Correct
Answers Yes to all of them
Explain how and why adaptive radiations occur. Use the
marsupial example in your explanation. Correct Answers
Adaptive radiation is the relatively fast evolution of many
Questions With Complete Solutions
Are media reports always completely accurate accounts of
scientific studies? Correct Answers No.
Be able to draw a diagram of the life cycle of the mosses, ferns,
and angiosperms. Which step(s) require external water? Correct
Answers Something like a plant cycle. But its gametophyte is
spread out everywhere instead of being contained inside the
sporophyte. Angiosperms are contained. Gametophyte requires
external water.
Can you define evolution in under 10 words? Explain how
unequal reproductive success leads to evolution in populations.
Correct Answers Unequal reproductive success leads to
evolution of population with varied inherited traits, elimination
of individuals with certain traits and reproduction of survivors,
and increasing frequency of traits that enhance survival and
reproductive success
Carnivorous plants can make all the sugar (food) they need via
photosynthesis. So why do they 'eat' animals? Correct Answers
For protein
Define the term 'protist'. Are these organisms closely related to
each other? Correct Answers Protists are a group of all the
eukaryotes that are not fungi, animals, or plants. No
Describe mycorrhizal associations. How common is this among
plants? How does it benefit the plant? Correct Answers A
,mutualistic association between plant roots and fungi. It is very
common among plants and its beneficial to plants by offering
water and protection.
Describe some of the ways humans rely on plants for food,
medicine, ecosystem services Correct Answers Seed plants are
our primary food source. Many hundreds of medicines are
derived from plants, both traditional medicines used in
herbalism and chemical substances purified from plants: plants
clean air and filter water.
Describe the characteristics of marsupials that distinguish them
from other mammals. Correct Answers Have short pregnancies
and undeveloped young. Marsupial carries and feeds young in a
ventral pouch. The young are born early and crawl into pouches
for further development. Most are in Australia
Describe the development of antibiotic resistance in terms of
evolution by natural selection. Correct Answers It adapted to
its environment and evolved to adapt.
Distinguish between an independent variable, dependent
variable, and a control Correct Answers Independent variable -
the variable that is altered during a scientific experiment.
Dependent variable - the variable being tested or measured
during a scientific experiment. Control - a variable that is kept
the same during a scientific experiment. Any change in a control
would invalidate the results.
Distinguish between homologous and analogous structures and
provide examples of each. Correct Answers Homologous
, structures have features that often have different functions but
are structurally similar because of common ancestry. ex. radius,
ulna, carpals, and phalanges. Analogous structures have features
of different species that are similar in function but not
necessarily in structure and which do not derive from a common
ancestral feature ex. wings
Distinguish between monotremes, marsupials, and eutherian
mammals. What are the key features of all mammals? Correct
Answers Monotremes lay shelled eggs, and have sprawling
legs. Marsupials carry and feed young in a ventral pouch.
Eutherians have placentas and are more developed at birth than
marsupials. They all have mammal eggs.
Do we have more fossils of hard shells or of soft feathers? Why?
Correct Answers More of harder shells because the softer ones
decompose faster.
Do you think that genetic makeup is a 100% responsible for
human behavior? Correct Answers Genetics is not 100%
responsible for human behavior
Does environmental challenges result in organisms changing to
meet those challenges? Does environmental change cause
variation to increase or appear in populations? Does the need of
an organism to survive cause variation to appear? Correct
Answers Yes to all of them
Explain how and why adaptive radiations occur. Use the
marsupial example in your explanation. Correct Answers
Adaptive radiation is the relatively fast evolution of many
