UIC BIO 120 Exam 1 Questions & Answers Already Passed!!

A population of organisms is measured to have an instantaneous exponential growth parameter, r, of .93. Which of the following statements are reasonable, given this infomation? - The population will increase over time Birds and Mammals, among other organisms, exhibit a latitudinal gradient in species diversity. Based on this, and from your reading of chapter 53 of the textbook and from the lecture, which of the statements are good conclusions? - Both these groups have their highest diversity near the equator. Compared to the mid-Paleocene, 55 million years ago, how warm is the Earth? - The Earth is a great deal cooler than it was during the Paleocene. During the Carboniferous period, plant growth and productivity were high, but rates of decomposition were low. This resulted in the accumulation of biomass, which fossilized and formed coal deposits. Another result was that atmospheric oxygen concentrations increased and carbon dioxide concentrations decreased. Based upon this, what can you predict about the climate of the late Carboniferous period? - Cooling temperatures resulting in a major ice age. From the demography lab, what conclusion can you draw regarding the fecundity of the group of human women (or at least the women who gave birth to students who enrolled in Bios 120)? - Their fecundity is greatest in the mid 20's, tapering off in their 30s. From your reading of Chapter 1 of the textbook, which statement about the long necks of giraffes is supported? - The food competition hypothesis for the origin of long necks is not supported by field studies by Simmons et al. Most foraging is done at shoulder height. Male giraffes fight for access to females using their long necks, suggesting sexual selection plays a major role in their evolution, currently. From your reading of the Predicting the Next Zoonosis paper, which was an important conclusion of the paper? - Pandemic zoonoses are particularly likely to originate in places where high densities of humans encroach on areas of wildlife habitat that harbor high diversity of certain mammals, particularly bats.In mollies, the silver color is recessive to the dominant green color. Two pure breeding lines are established, one with silver fish and one with green fish. A silver male is mated to a green female. All of the resulting F1 offspring are green. What proportion of the Soren from a MALE F1 have the allele for silver color? - .50 In terms of community eclogy, which of the following statements about fire, as an agent of disturbance, are accurate? - As an agent of disturbance, fire is essential to the maintenence of certain communities, such as grasslands. In terms of global climate, which is the most important reservoir for carbon? - the atmosphere In terms of the tree of life, which of the following statements are scientifically supported? - All organisms on Earth share a single common ancestor, and have descended from other species. In the Maquis and Whelan exclosure experiment, what was expected if birds were NOT important agents controlling insect herbivores? - No difference in insect density or leaf damage between the two groups. Japan has exhibited a negative rate of population growth, r, since 2009. Based on this, which of the following would you predict to be accurate regarding the age distribution of its non-immigrant population? - The median age of its population is getting older. The process of naming the brances of the tree of life is called which of the following? - Taxonomy. The total amount of biomass or energy fixed by producers in an ecosystem, per unit area and time, is called which of the following? - Gross primary productivity Under what circumstances would you expect a population to have a uniform distribution? - Individuals in a population are territorial, experience competition for resources, or have been planted to minimize competition.What is the biological function of Meiosis? - To produce haploid "daughter" cells from a diploid progenitor cell, all of which have, half the DNA and different genetic information than the progenitor and from each other. What would be the function of Rhizobium bacteria in an ecosystem? - To fix atmospheric Nitrogen into a form plants can use as nutrients. Which form of speciation involves a geographic barrier? - Allopatric speciation