BIOL 1104 EXAM 3 QUESTIONS WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS
decomposition - Correct Answers -the process through which living organisms
(decomposers) break down dead organic matter in the environment into its simpler
components
decomposition vs digestion - Correct Answers -source of organic matter for
decomposition is dead plants/animals vs living for digestion
decomposers - Correct Answers -earthworms, termites, millipedes, flies
bacteria/protists
fungi
what happens to carbon during decomposition? - Correct Answers -large molecules
broken into smaller components and some remain in the soil for plants to use
most components are absorbed by decomposer itself as its own source of food
examples of decomposition - Correct Answers -microbial and fungal
Grandma Nguyen & the Coyote - Correct Answers -Grandma Nguyen contains carbon
atoms. Decomposers take up carbon atoms from her through decomposition.
decomposers release those carbon atoms as carbon dioxide through cellular
respiration.
Plants carry out photosynthesis which takes in CO2 and carbon atoms from that are
used to make glucose which is used to build plant biomass.
An herbivore eats the plant and then digests the biomass. The herbivore incorporates
carbon atoms from plant into its own biomass via biosynthesis. Coyote eats
rabbit/herbivore.
Geologic Time & Climate Proxy Tools - Correct Answers -Climate proxies (when
analyzed correctly) let us see what conditions were like on Earth at various points in
Earth's history
On their own provide much insight, but when combined they're a very powerful tool
Examples of climate proxy tools - Correct Answers -sediment cores
coral reefs
cave rock layers
ice cores
, What has been found from climate proxies? - Correct Answers -Earth's climate has
fluctuated, and these fluctuations are a natural part of Earth's history
Why are levels of atmospheric CO2 and average global temperature positively
correlated with each other? - Correct Answers -The Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse Effect - Correct Answers -Gases in the atmosphere trap heat from solar
radiation, which warms the planet
key ideas about Earth's climate history - Correct Answers -500M years: fluctuated
between ice house and hot house
500K years: ice house (CO2 never above 300 ppm)
150 years: CO2 concentrations > 400 ppm
Earth's surface temperature is strongly correlated with atmospheric CO2
Why are we so worried? - Correct Answers -CO2 released into the atmosphere faster
which makes global temperature rise faster than infrastructure & biology can keep up
Humans & the Industrial Revolution - Correct Answers -Since 1860s Earth's surface
temp has increased by .07C/.14F every decade
due to advancements of the era and the use of fossil fuels to run new machines
Examples of acclimation - Correct Answers -Dogs shedding fur
Natural skin tanning
Metabolic/dietary changes (eating more or respiring more)
NOT EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES
Adapt (evolution) - Correct Answers -A POPULATION to experience natural selection
for desired traits in a particular environment
Adapt means EVOLVE
Populations adapt, individual organisms acclimate
Example of adaptations - Correct Answers -Pink salmon populations migrating earlier
Migration timing is controlled by genetics
Local water temps have increased by 1 deg. C in the past 40 years, so some
populations have migrated 2 weeks earlier
History of Carbon on Earth - Correct Answers -Carboniferous period where plants
sucked up CO2 from atmosphere and incorporated it into biomass via photosynthesis
When pants died they settled on the ground and carbon stayed with them
Over millions of years the deposits of dead plants became beds of coal
Some of the coal burned and released CO2 back into the atmosphere which dissolved
into ocean and was taken up by plankton
These organisms died and settled on the bottom of the ocean where the biomass
became oil & gas deposits
VERIFIED ANSWERS
decomposition - Correct Answers -the process through which living organisms
(decomposers) break down dead organic matter in the environment into its simpler
components
decomposition vs digestion - Correct Answers -source of organic matter for
decomposition is dead plants/animals vs living for digestion
decomposers - Correct Answers -earthworms, termites, millipedes, flies
bacteria/protists
fungi
what happens to carbon during decomposition? - Correct Answers -large molecules
broken into smaller components and some remain in the soil for plants to use
most components are absorbed by decomposer itself as its own source of food
examples of decomposition - Correct Answers -microbial and fungal
Grandma Nguyen & the Coyote - Correct Answers -Grandma Nguyen contains carbon
atoms. Decomposers take up carbon atoms from her through decomposition.
decomposers release those carbon atoms as carbon dioxide through cellular
respiration.
Plants carry out photosynthesis which takes in CO2 and carbon atoms from that are
used to make glucose which is used to build plant biomass.
An herbivore eats the plant and then digests the biomass. The herbivore incorporates
carbon atoms from plant into its own biomass via biosynthesis. Coyote eats
rabbit/herbivore.
Geologic Time & Climate Proxy Tools - Correct Answers -Climate proxies (when
analyzed correctly) let us see what conditions were like on Earth at various points in
Earth's history
On their own provide much insight, but when combined they're a very powerful tool
Examples of climate proxy tools - Correct Answers -sediment cores
coral reefs
cave rock layers
ice cores
, What has been found from climate proxies? - Correct Answers -Earth's climate has
fluctuated, and these fluctuations are a natural part of Earth's history
Why are levels of atmospheric CO2 and average global temperature positively
correlated with each other? - Correct Answers -The Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse Effect - Correct Answers -Gases in the atmosphere trap heat from solar
radiation, which warms the planet
key ideas about Earth's climate history - Correct Answers -500M years: fluctuated
between ice house and hot house
500K years: ice house (CO2 never above 300 ppm)
150 years: CO2 concentrations > 400 ppm
Earth's surface temperature is strongly correlated with atmospheric CO2
Why are we so worried? - Correct Answers -CO2 released into the atmosphere faster
which makes global temperature rise faster than infrastructure & biology can keep up
Humans & the Industrial Revolution - Correct Answers -Since 1860s Earth's surface
temp has increased by .07C/.14F every decade
due to advancements of the era and the use of fossil fuels to run new machines
Examples of acclimation - Correct Answers -Dogs shedding fur
Natural skin tanning
Metabolic/dietary changes (eating more or respiring more)
NOT EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES
Adapt (evolution) - Correct Answers -A POPULATION to experience natural selection
for desired traits in a particular environment
Adapt means EVOLVE
Populations adapt, individual organisms acclimate
Example of adaptations - Correct Answers -Pink salmon populations migrating earlier
Migration timing is controlled by genetics
Local water temps have increased by 1 deg. C in the past 40 years, so some
populations have migrated 2 weeks earlier
History of Carbon on Earth - Correct Answers -Carboniferous period where plants
sucked up CO2 from atmosphere and incorporated it into biomass via photosynthesis
When pants died they settled on the ground and carbon stayed with them
Over millions of years the deposits of dead plants became beds of coal
Some of the coal burned and released CO2 back into the atmosphere which dissolved
into ocean and was taken up by plankton
These organisms died and settled on the bottom of the ocean where the biomass
became oil & gas deposits
