University of Miami



BIL 330 - Study Guide for Exam I (Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30pm Cox 126)This is not a substitute for reading your text or your notes. Anything said in class or in the assigned readings is expected knowledge. This study guide is just a checklist. Use it wisely.If you can’t find information on a particular item in your notes, Google it! Fun!Introduction to Ecology (Chapter 1)Understand the reasons that the study of ecology is relevant to everyone.Understand the mechanism that promote algal blooms and how they can be controlled.Know the definition/meaning/significance of:wastewaterbioprospectingeutrophicationanthropogenicalgal bloomprovisioningcultural eutrophicationUnderstand how ecological knowledge can be applied to the control of zoonotic (i.e., spread from non-human to human animal) diseases. How might climate change affect vector-borne disease transmission?Understand the relevance of wild species to the discovery of potential medicines. Why do plants, in particular, have so many potentially useful bioactive compounds (secondary metabolites)?Understand how ecosystem services benefit humans:pollinationGenetic resourcesnutrient cyclingpest and disease controlErosion controlsoil fertilityfresh waterProtection against natural disastersfood and other resourcesAir and water pollution controlKnow the major global environmental challenges facing humans todaywaste disposalfood shortagesair pollutionloss of biodiversityfresh water shortageswater pollutionterrestrial pollutionclimate changehuman overpopulationloss of arable soilozone layer depletionKnow the definition/meaning/significance and recognize examples of:bioticecologist population range/distributionpopulation densityabioticenvironmentalistpopulation abundancepopulation compositionKnow the definition/meaning/significance and recognize examples of:organismcommunitylandscapepopulationecosystembiosphereBe able to recognize examples of ecology studied at each of these levels. What defines their boundaries?Understand what is meant by a biogeochemical cycle. What is its significance?Understand the how the laws of thermodynamics apply to ecosystems. What is “dynamic steady state”?Recall the Darwin’s tenets of evolution by means of natural selection and how they apply to ecological systems.Recall the evolutionary origin of eukaryotes from prokaryotes undergoing endosymbiosis and autogeny.Be able to identify examples of described: archaeansprotistsanimalsbacteriafungiplantsKnow the meaning of these organismal terms:Fungi: thallus, mycelium, mold, yeast, heterotroph, saprobe, parasite, mutualist, mycorrhizaePlants: autotroph, photosynthesis, vascular tissuesAnimals: ingestive heterotrophsUnderstand the concept of the ecological niche. Know the meaning/significance ofCircadian rhythmCompetitive Exclusion Principleproducer (autotroph)fundamental nicheresource partitioningconsumer (heterotroph) (1o, 2o, 3o, etc.)realized nichehabitatmixotrophscavengerdetritivoredecomposerBe able to recognize the various forms of species interactions/symbioses and related terms:protocooperationneutralismparasitoidismcoevolutionobligate mutualismpredationcommensalismcompetitionparasitismamensalismWhat are the major anthropogenic impacts on animal extinctions? Which are most important?What are the five major anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems represented by the acronym “HIPPO”?What is the difference between Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming? What is “climate change”?The Scientific Method in Ecology (Chapter 1)Remember the basic process of the scientific method.Be able to recognize examples of:descriptive studynatural (comparative) studymanipulative (experimental) studynatural trajectorylab studiesnatural snapshotfield studiesWhat are the hallmarks of each type of study?What are the strengths and weaknesses of each type of study?Know the meaning/significance ofpilot studypositive association between speciesnull and alternative hypothesesquadrat samplingnegative association between speciesoverall hypothesisexperimental unitreplicationsrandomizationproximate vs. ultimate questionsUnderstand how to do a Chi Square statistical test, if provided with the formula and some data.Individual Adaptations (Chapter 2)Know the definition/significance and be able to recognize examples ofhomeostasisevolutionary adaptationacclimatization vs. acclimationexternal environmentindividual adaptations:regulator vs. conformerinternal environmentphysiologicalanadromous vs. catadromous fishsensed/regulated variablemorphologicaleury- vs. steno- (factor)controlled/non-regulated variablebehavioralmicrohabitat, microclimateUnderstand the precise definition/meaning ofhomeothermendothermpoikilothermectotherm…and be able to recognize examplesUnderstand the difference between positive and negative feedback, and be able to recognize examples. Which is more common?Know the meaning/significance/examples of:set pointsensoreffectoroutputresponsereceptorcontrol centerstimulusinputUnderstand how a species or individual’s limits of tolerance for various abiotic factors can affect its natural history and distribution.Adaptations to Aquatic Environments (Chapter 2)Understand the physical and chemical properties of water that make it especially hospitable to life as we know it.density (liquid vs. solid)adhesionhigh specific heatsolvent propertiescohesionpHWhat adaptations do animals exhibit to overcome differences between density of water and their bodies?Understand the biological consequences of ocean acidification. Why does increased CO2 lower ocean pH?In what pH range do most living processes optimally operate? Why?What are the projected increases in acidity if human carbon emissions do not change?What is the effect of ocean acidification on calcifying organisms?What types of organisms might actually benefit from ocean acidification?Recall the meanings of:solventdiffusionselectively permeable membranehypertonicsoluteosmosisosmotic potentialhypotonicUnderstand the different challenges faced by marine and freshwater fish when it comes to osmoregulation in their habitats, and how each type of fish meets these challenges, physiologically.Do marine invertebrates generally face the same challenges? Why? Why not?Which gases are limiting in aquatic environments? Carbon dioxide? Oxygen?How does the gaseous content of marine water compare to that of the atmosphere in various zones such asphoticaphoticsedimentsabyssbenthosWhat strategies are used by various types of organisms to cope with low aquatic oxygen levels?What are Hypoxia Inducible Factors, and what do they do?Understand the mechanism of countercurrent gas exchange, and how it increases oxygen uptake efficiency.Understand the biological and physical consequences of increase in ocean temperature.In what temperature range do most living processes optimally operate? Why?Understand the concept of natural selection for variant enzymes from a common ancestor.Know the meaning/significance of:homologous traitsisozymeorthologsupercoolinganalogous traitsallozymeparalogfreezing point/melting pointconvergent evolutionheat shock proteinsproteopathyintracellular vs. extracellular freezingUnderstand how extracellular freezing can set up feedback that actually helps prevent intracellular freezing.What is a cryoprotectant? What type of molecule serves as a cryoprotectant in Ice Fish and other species?Adaptations to Terrestrial Evironments (Chapter 3)Understand the challenges faced by the first organisms to leave water and colonize land.What are the advantages to colonizing land (especially if you’re the first pioneer)?What types of organisms first colonized land? Why did they cause an Ice Age?How did they cause a massive algal bloom that caused a marine mass extinction?What biological processes requiring water necessitated the evolution of special adaptations to allow them to proceed on land?What evolutionary adaptations do plants exhibit that help them meet each of these challenges?Know the meaning/significance/examples/adaptive advantage ofbryophytexylemroot hairapoplastbulk flowguard cellstracheophytephloemsymplastCasparian stripstomateUnderstand how the processes of root pressure and shoot tension move water through plants.Which one moves water higher?Which depends on adhesion and cohesion of water molecules?Understand how soil particle size affects both water and nutrient retention.Know how we definesandclayloamsilthumusUnderstand the meaning/significance/adaptive significance of:matric/matrix potentialplasmolysisclosable stomatespubescencedrip tipspermanent wilting pointwaxy cutclerecessed stomatescompound leavesWhat are the general characteristics you might expect to find in a xerophyte, hydrophyte or mesophyte?Understand the basic processes and differences between C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis.What is Rubisco? What is its role in these processes?How common is each form of photosynthesis? In which plant cells does each occur?Which types of plants exhibit each type of photosynthesis?Which is most energy efficient? Which is most water conserving?Know the various mechanisms used by plants in marine habitats to conserve water and reduce salt in their tissues.Why is soil water vital for plants to acquire nutrients?What physical factors can alter a particular nutrient’s availability in the soil?Are all nutrients equally available under all abiotic conditions?Why do carnivorous plants “eat” animals?Why are amphibians (frogs, salamanders, caecilians) not entirely independent of water?What evolutionary adaptations allowed amniotes to become more independent of water than amphibians?Know the structure and significance of the amniotic egg. What is the function of…chorionallantoisyolk sacshellamnionvitelline membranealbuminWhat structures are homologous to each of these in a mammal?Understand the importance of urine, and the three different types of nitrogenous waste: ammonia, urea, uric acidWhich is most toxic? Least toxic?Which requires the most water to void? The least?Which requires the most energy to produce? The least?Which types of animals would you expect to produce each of these waste products?(Careful! Consider their evolutionary history, not just where they occur now!)Understand the U/P ratio and what is implies about an organism’s osmoregulatory needs.Why is drinking seawater worse than drinking no water at all, for most terrestrial animals?How to marine birds and mammals deal with excess salt they acquire in their diets?Know which physiological processes result in water loss in animals.Understand the concept of metabolic water production vs. acquisition of preformed water. Do any animals show a net gain of metabolic water?What mechanisms allow this amazing feat?Understand the basic mechanisms animals use to survive temperature extremes (hot and cold), includingsurface area to volume ratiocryoprotectantsskin morphologyheat shock proteinsbehavioractivity cyclesevaporative coolingcountercurrent heat exchangebody morphologyWhat is thermal inertia? Is it greater or smaller in large animals?Know the meaning/significance of: diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular (in terms of thermoregulation).Understand the basic mechanisms of body temperature cycling and hyperthermia in thermoregulation.Know the meaning/significance of each of these, in terms of thermoregulation:regional heterothermyinsulationtorporhibernationrete mirabileaestivationWatch the videos of the Wood Frog and understand the unique mechanisms it uses to be able to freeze solid in winter, and awaken in spring as if nothing unusual had happened!Any videos embedded in the lecture should be considered REQUIRED VIEWING. Questions may be taken from the video material. ................
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