BIOL-1020 FOUNDATIONS OF
BIODIVERSITY: FINAL EXAM REVIEW
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
| NEW UPDATE 2025
Definition: Biology - ANSWER The scientific study of how life works
Early Formulations of the Scientific Method (All Sciences) - ANSWER -
Reductionism
- Inductive reasoning
- Deductive reasoning
- Popperian Hypothetico-deductive method
Definition: Reductionism - ANSWER The scientific approach of reducing
complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable
Ex. Understanding the functioning of a tree by looking at the cells of that tree
The Power and Limitations of Reductionism - ANSWER - Studying tree
physiology allows an understanding of water transport at the cellular level
- Studying the molecular structure of DNA helps us to understand the chemical
basis of inheritance
- We can scale up from the results of reductionist investigations
,-> Attempt to model the dynamic behaviour of the whole biological system based
on the study of the interactions among the system's parts
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) - ANSWER - Father of inductive reasoning
- Inductive approach included 'the careful observation of nature with a systematic
accumulation of data to draw upon'
- New natural 'laws' or descriptions of pattern) were then created based on the
knowledge of particular findings through 'testing and experimentation to
determine if they were consistent with the observations from nature'
- The beginnings of 'evidence-based research'
Definition: Inductive Reasoning - ANSWER - Drawing conclusions through the
logical process of induction
- Repeating specific observations can lead to important generalizations
- Inductive reasoning goes from observations to conclusion
Ex. the sun always rises in the east
Deductive Reasoning and Hypothesis Testing (Plato, Descartes) - ANSWER
Deductive Reasoning: Uses general premises to make specific predictions
-> Deductive reasoning goes from general to specific
Ex. If organisms are made of cells (premise 1), and humans are organisms
(premise 2), then humans are composed of cells (deductive prediction)
Hypothetico-Deductive Method - ANSWER AKA The scientific method
,Karl Popper (1902-1994) - ANSWER - Wrote "The Logic of Scientific Discovery"
-> In a hurry to get an academic post outside of Nazi-run Europe
- Take-home from this book is notion of falsifiability and that falsifiability separates
science from nonscience
Steps of the Hypothetico-Deductive Method - ANSWER 1. Identify a broad
problem statement
2. Define a problem statement
3. Develop hypotheses (best guess) (plus prediction..a step that is not always
done, but should be included in these steps!)
4. Determine measures necessary to test prediction
5. Data collection
6. Data analysis
7. Interpretation of data (e.g., do data fit with your hypotheses and predictions?)
Questions That Can and Cannot Be Addressed by Science - ANSWER -A
hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable
- Supernatural and religious explanations are outside the bounds of science
Ex. Reincarnation cannot be tested (or more importantly, cannot be falsified!)
How Did Early Biologists Work? - ANSWER Darwin used mostly observations,
also artificial breeding experiments. Most early biologists (also called natural
philosophers) were ardent and skilled naturalists
, Definition: Qualitative Data - ANSWER Descriptions rather than measurements
Ex. - Jane Goodallʼs observations of chimpanzee behavior
- Counts (ie. number of flowers, which can sometimes then be expressed as
percentages)
- Continuous data (ie. heights, masses)
- Binary responses (ie. yes/no; presence/absence)
Definition: Data - ANSWER - Recorded observations or items of information
- Fall into two categories; qualitative and quantitative
Definition: Quantitative Data - ANSWER - Recorded, numerical measurements
- Often organized into tables and graphs and because they are often variable,
analysed with statistics
- Comes in various forms
Statistical Analysis of Results - ANSWER Statistics are used to determine
whether the results are probable due to chance alone
-> Usually if a statistical result is associated with a probability (denoted by P) >
0.05 (or 5%), then we say the result could have been due to chance alone
Definition: Controlled Experiment - ANSWER Compares an experimental group
with a control group
Experimental Controls and Repeatability - ANSWER - Ideally, only the variable
of interest differs between the control and experimental groups
BIODIVERSITY: FINAL EXAM REVIEW
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
| NEW UPDATE 2025
Definition: Biology - ANSWER The scientific study of how life works
Early Formulations of the Scientific Method (All Sciences) - ANSWER -
Reductionism
- Inductive reasoning
- Deductive reasoning
- Popperian Hypothetico-deductive method
Definition: Reductionism - ANSWER The scientific approach of reducing
complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable
Ex. Understanding the functioning of a tree by looking at the cells of that tree
The Power and Limitations of Reductionism - ANSWER - Studying tree
physiology allows an understanding of water transport at the cellular level
- Studying the molecular structure of DNA helps us to understand the chemical
basis of inheritance
- We can scale up from the results of reductionist investigations
,-> Attempt to model the dynamic behaviour of the whole biological system based
on the study of the interactions among the system's parts
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) - ANSWER - Father of inductive reasoning
- Inductive approach included 'the careful observation of nature with a systematic
accumulation of data to draw upon'
- New natural 'laws' or descriptions of pattern) were then created based on the
knowledge of particular findings through 'testing and experimentation to
determine if they were consistent with the observations from nature'
- The beginnings of 'evidence-based research'
Definition: Inductive Reasoning - ANSWER - Drawing conclusions through the
logical process of induction
- Repeating specific observations can lead to important generalizations
- Inductive reasoning goes from observations to conclusion
Ex. the sun always rises in the east
Deductive Reasoning and Hypothesis Testing (Plato, Descartes) - ANSWER
Deductive Reasoning: Uses general premises to make specific predictions
-> Deductive reasoning goes from general to specific
Ex. If organisms are made of cells (premise 1), and humans are organisms
(premise 2), then humans are composed of cells (deductive prediction)
Hypothetico-Deductive Method - ANSWER AKA The scientific method
,Karl Popper (1902-1994) - ANSWER - Wrote "The Logic of Scientific Discovery"
-> In a hurry to get an academic post outside of Nazi-run Europe
- Take-home from this book is notion of falsifiability and that falsifiability separates
science from nonscience
Steps of the Hypothetico-Deductive Method - ANSWER 1. Identify a broad
problem statement
2. Define a problem statement
3. Develop hypotheses (best guess) (plus prediction..a step that is not always
done, but should be included in these steps!)
4. Determine measures necessary to test prediction
5. Data collection
6. Data analysis
7. Interpretation of data (e.g., do data fit with your hypotheses and predictions?)
Questions That Can and Cannot Be Addressed by Science - ANSWER -A
hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable
- Supernatural and religious explanations are outside the bounds of science
Ex. Reincarnation cannot be tested (or more importantly, cannot be falsified!)
How Did Early Biologists Work? - ANSWER Darwin used mostly observations,
also artificial breeding experiments. Most early biologists (also called natural
philosophers) were ardent and skilled naturalists
, Definition: Qualitative Data - ANSWER Descriptions rather than measurements
Ex. - Jane Goodallʼs observations of chimpanzee behavior
- Counts (ie. number of flowers, which can sometimes then be expressed as
percentages)
- Continuous data (ie. heights, masses)
- Binary responses (ie. yes/no; presence/absence)
Definition: Data - ANSWER - Recorded observations or items of information
- Fall into two categories; qualitative and quantitative
Definition: Quantitative Data - ANSWER - Recorded, numerical measurements
- Often organized into tables and graphs and because they are often variable,
analysed with statistics
- Comes in various forms
Statistical Analysis of Results - ANSWER Statistics are used to determine
whether the results are probable due to chance alone
-> Usually if a statistical result is associated with a probability (denoted by P) >
0.05 (or 5%), then we say the result could have been due to chance alone
Definition: Controlled Experiment - ANSWER Compares an experimental group
with a control group
Experimental Controls and Repeatability - ANSWER - Ideally, only the variable
of interest differs between the control and experimental groups
