Environmental Biology, ECOL206, spring 2004, U of A

Bonine, Cable, Price

08 February, 2004 206Exam1_Study_Guide2004.DOC

EXAM ONE WILL BE IN LECTURE ON MONDAY 16 FEBRUARY, 2004.

This list of questions/topics is not exhaustive, but should give you an idea as to the range of material and types of questions we are likely to present on the exam. Please refer to your syllabus, text, readings, and lecture and lab notes for information relevant to the first exam. The exam covers Chapters 1-4 in your text, Ishmael, guest speakers, the assigned readings listed in your syllabus, as well as the readings assigned for the labs you will have attended through 13 February, 2004.

Likely Exam Format (total of 100 points):

True or false and matching (~15 points)

Really Short Answer or Definitions (one word or sentence) (~40 pts)

Short Answer (a couple of sentences) (~45 pts)

Think about links among the material presented in different parts of the course as you study:

Primarily from your text:

1.  What are important contributors to human population growth? Are different parts of the world experiencing different growth rates?

2.  Where do the energy and resources originate that humans (and all organisms for that matter) consume?

3.  What are nature’s ‘building blocks’?

4.  What happens to solar energy reaching the earth?

5.  What is important about nutrient cycling and energy flow?

6.  How do abiotic and biotic factors interact in the biosphere?

7.  Discuss energy flow efficiency and the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

8.  Different categories of species, biomes, and niches.

9.  Limits to exponential growth.

10. How are photosynthesis and aerobic respiration similar and different?

11. Describe the biogeochemical cycle for carbon.

12. Natural selection, evolution, adaptation. Do individuals or populations evolve?

13. Biodiversity – types and importance.

14. Trends associated with latitude and altitude. Can you graph one or two?

Primarily from your lecture notes:

15. What things did we cover in lecture that are also covered in the book? These are likely topics that you will see again.

16. How do the ‘organism of the day’ examples illustrate certain principles of ecology or environmental biology that we have covered in lecture and/or the text?

17. Define and discuss the IPAT model of ecological impact of a society.

18. What can be the role of nonnative/alien species in changing an ecosystem? Are they always invasive?

19. How can the season during which a prescribed burn is applied alter the effects of the burn?

20. What are some of the common terms that we have used and their definitions?

21. How does the chapter entitled ‘fecundity’ illustrate principles related to natural selection and carrying capacity?

22. What concepts do the outside readings illustrate and help explain?

23. How do increased consumption and population growth have similar or different origins? Solutions?

24. Define tragedy of the commons.

25. What is a species? Do definitions vary?

26. In general, how does effective population size differ from total population size?

27. What abiotic factors determine the distribution and abundance of marine organisms?

28. Describe an example of a mutualism; an indicator species; ecological succession.

29. Point and nonpoint source pollution.

30. Distinguish between exponential and logistic population growth. What ecological processes cause them to differ?

31. How have the movements of individual tortoises between populations been affected by the urbanization of the Tucson basin?

Primarily from your lab meetings:

32. What are important morphological and physiological features of some plants that suit them for an arid environment?

33. Discuss two unique characteristics of Boojums.

34. Did gymnosperms or angiosperms evolve first?

35. How can you tell a monocot from a dicot?

36. How is human population density in Tucson changing?

37. What limits human population growth in Tucson?

38. Ishmael…

39. Impacts of groundwater pumping.

40. Define ‘basin and range.’

41. What are some characteristics of the climate in Tucson?

42. How are relative and absolute humidity different?

43. How has repeat photography allowed us to come to some conclusions about changes in our local ecosystems?

44. Why has an entire hill been removed from Avra Valley in the last 20 years?

45. Does the sun rise over the Rincon or the Tucson Mountains?

46. Why is the sky so cold? How do clouds affect the IR temperature reading of the sky?

47. Please give an example of the importance of biodiversity from the E.O.Wilson CD-ROM you worked with in lab.

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