Includes book notes from module 1 chapters. Book chapters include: intro to ecology, evolution before Darwin, what the rocks say, raw material, the ways of change, and beyond alleles. Also includes sample math, sample quiz questions, and extra questions. All mistakes are the responsible of the crea...
Bio 220 – Module 1 Exam Study Guide
Chapter 1 – An Intro to Ecology (Ecology)
1. What is ecological and ecological systems? Ecology – study of interactions btw. org. + the
environment (biotic + abiotic)
• Ecological systems – entities w/ their own internal processes + interactions w/ their
surroundings
o All obey the same basic principles → physical/chemical attributes, regulation of
structure/function
2. What are the different types of ecological systems? Give details of each.
Individuals – living being
• Most fundamental
unit of ecology • Individual separates processes/structures from ext.
resources
• Individual transforms E + processes mat erial
Approach: how morphology, physiology, + behavior enable
org. to survive
• Helps understand adaptation
Populations – individuals
of same species in a
particular area 5 distinct properties:
• Geographic range – extent of land/water which
population lives
• Abundance – total # of individuals in a defined area
• Density - # individuals/unit of area
• Change in size – increases/decreases in # of individuals
over time
• Composition – makeup of population
Approach: e xamines each property
• One challenge → defining species (group of org. that can
naturally interbreed + produce fertile offspring)
Communities – all
population of species
living in a particular area • Populations w/in a community can interact w/ each other
in various ways
Approach: understand diversity + relative abundance of the
diff. kinds of org.
• Focus on interactions among population → can
promote/limit coexistence of species
Ecosystems – one or
more communities
interacting w/ nonliving
physical/chemical
environ. • Focus on movement of E and matter btw. physical +
biological components
o Most E originates w/ sunlight + escapes Earth as
heat
Landscape – 2 or more
ecosystems connected by
individuals, pop., matter,
and E • Include both aquatic + terrestrial ecosystems
Approach: concerned w/ movement of E, matter, and
individuals between different ecosystems
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Biosphere – includes all
ecosystems + landscapes • Distant ecosystems linked by exchanges of E + nutrients
carried by air/water and mvt. of org.
Approach: concerned w/ largest scale in hierarchy of
ecological systems
• Tackles movement of air + water (and the E + c hemical
elements they contain) over Earth’s surface
3. What basic principles are all ecological systems governed by?
Conservation of Matter and Energy
• Can track mvt . of matter + E as it’s
converted into diff. forms thru diff.
levels of organization Law of conservation of matter – matter
can’t be created or destroyed
• Can only be converted into diff. forms
Law of conservation of E (1st LOT) – E can’t
be created or destroyed
Dynamic Steady States – when gains/losses of ecological systems are in balance
Evolution – change in genetic composition
of a population over time
*Species don’t evolve in isolation → 1
species’ evolution opens up new
possibilities for other species Phenotype – attribution of an org.
Genotype – set of genes an org. carries
Natural Selection – change in gene
frequency in a pop. thru differential
survival + reproduction
• Individual org. vary in their traits
• Parental traits are inherited
• Variation in traits cause some
individuals to experience higher fitness
(survival + reproduction)
Chapter 1 – Evolution before Darwin (Evolution)
1. What did common descent show and how did Darwin respond to this? *common descent
showed that humans + all other species on Earth are related (homology)
• Darwin → descent w/ modification – passing of traits from parent to offspring → could
account for gradual changes in species traits + homology
2. Regarding natur al selection, what could it produce? Adaptations – inherited aspect of an
individual that allows it to outcompete other members of the population that lack the trait
3. What are different ideas related to evolution that have a basis in Darwin’s ideas ?
• Heredity – transmission of characteristics from paren t to offspring
o Genetics – study of heredity (Gregor Mendel, 1860s)
• Genes – segment of DNA whose nucleotide sequence codes for proteins, RNA, or
regulates expression of other genes
o DNA (1950) – how genetic information is stored
• Genetic drift – evolution arising from random changes in genetic composition of a pop.
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Chapter 4 – What the Rocks Say (Evolution)
1. What were some of the earliest signs of life?
• Earliest = 4.1 billion years old → isotopic signatures
• Darwin’s time → oldest fossils dated back to the Cambrian period (541 million years old)
o Today: fossil record pushed back 3 billion years earlier
• 1980’s → 3.5 billion year old fossils of bacteria found
2. With the rise of life, what are the 3 domains living things are di vided into?
Bacteria – prokaryotic (include E coli + other microbes)
• Earliest signs of life resemble today’s bacteria
Archaea – prokaryotic
• Superficially resemble bacteria, but have unique biochemical features
• Diverged from bacteria 3.5 billion years ago
Eukarya – eukaryotic (animals, plants, fungi, protists)
• Traits: membrane -enclosed cell nuclei + mitochondria
• Emerge in fossil record about 1.6 billion years ago → first fossils are single -celled org.
3. What was one of the most dramatic transitions in evolution? The origan of multicellular
organisms
• Multicellularity evolved dozen of times
• Oldest known fossil of recognizable multicellular eukaryotes = 1.6 billion years old
4. Describe some key events that occurred during the dawning of the animal kingdom.
• Sponges mark earliest appearances of animals in fossil record (abt. 600 million years old)
• 570 million years ago → bigger organisms in the fossil record
o Ediacaran fauna – existed before Cambrian period (went extinct)
o Cambrian fauna – 540-485 million years ago → divided into 4 stages
▪ Chordates – includes vertebrates, lancelets, + tunicates (515 mya)
• As embryos, have: notochord, pharyngeal gill slits, + postanal tails
▪ Trilobite – marine arthropod (present until 252 mya)
5. What was another major transition in evolution? Transition of life from ocean to land
• Earliest hint of terrestrial life = prokaryotes (rocks w/ remains of microbial mats)
• Oldest plant fossil = 475 millions years old
• Animals – 480 million year old rocks display invertebrate tracks
o Oldest fossil of full terrestrial animal = 414 million yea rs old
o Oldest known track by a vertebrate = 390 million years old
o Oldest known fossil of vertebrates w/ legs (tetrapod) = 370 million years old
6. Describe some recent arrivals in the history of life.
• Fish – most species belong to teleosts (lineage of bon y fish)
• 280 million years ago → dominant vertebrates = synapsids
o 200 million years ago → emergence of synapsids similar to today’s mammals
o 160 million years ago → 1st members of living groups of mammals evolved Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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