Trimester A
GENERAL BIOLOGY COMMON ASSESSMENT STUDY GUIDE
14-15
Chapter 1: Introduction to Science
What do scientists do? Scientists ask questions about the natural world and then systematically
study them to test possible explanations or answers to the questions.
Know the steps of the process of science (scientific method):
Ask a question
Gather information
Formulate a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis (either by experiment or field study)
Draw conclusions about the validity of the hypothesis
Repeat
Be able to define & identify a:
Hypothesis—a possible solution to a problem, which can be tested through a study
Theory—A well tested explanation for a natural phenomenon that links together many
hypothesis and is supported by huge amounts of data.
Variables (Manipulated (Independent), responding (dependent), constants or controls)—The
Independent variable is the factor that the scientist changes in order to see how that change impacts
the dependent variable. Constants are all the other variables that could affect the dependent
variable, but are kept the same so that results can be more easily interpreted. A control is a version
of the experiment in which the independent variable is not changed.
Conclusion—Once data have been collected, a scientist evaluates her data and draws a
conclusion about whether the hypothesis was supported or not.
Unit 1: Ecology Ch 2-5
Ch 2 Principles of Ecology
Know the order of the living world from smallest (organism or individual) to the largest (biosphere) and
Define each.
Organism—one plant, animal, fungus, protest or bacterium
Population—a group of organisms of the same kind living in the same area.
Community—all of the life forms living and interacting in a given area.
Ecosystem—the living community along with all the nonliving (abiotic) factors necessary for their
surivival.
Biome—A large region with similar climate and soil, and therefore having similar ecosystems within
it.
Biosphere—The entire region of the earth that supports life.
Habitat and Niche—Habitat is the physical environment that a species or organism lives in. Its Niche
is the role or occupation that it has within the ecosystem.
Be able to understand a food chain & food web—You can do this. Practice drawing some and labeling
the trophic levels.
Ultimate Energy Source - SUN
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Define & give examples of
Producers—Also called autotrophs, these are the organisms capable of making their own food
energy by using the energy of sun or other chemicals to build inorganic molecules (carbon dioxide
and water) into carbohydrates.
Herbivores (primary consumers)—Organisms that receive energy by eating or digesting
producers directly.
Omnivores (secondary consumers)—Organisms that feed at multiple trophic levels (eating
both producers and other consumers.)
Carnivores—Organisms that feed primarily on other animals.
Decomposers—Organisms that feed on dead or organic material and help break it down into
smaller pieces that can be recycled by biogeochemical processes.
Symbiosis – Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism
Symbiosis refers to close relationships between species or individuals. In mutualism, both parties
benefit; in commensalism, one benefits and the other is unaffected; In parasitism, one benefits at
the expense of the other.
Competition, Predation
Competition occurs both within a species and between species. It occurs when individuals or species
both need the same resource. The best adapted will get it.
Predation occurs when one organism eats another.
Ecological Pyramids (pyramid of energy) How do you calculate?? Pyramids show that the most energy
is available to producers, then herbivores, then first consumers etc. At each trophic level, 90% of the
incoming energy is used or given off as heat (most of it) and only 10% is able to be passed to the next
trophic level.
Biogeochemical Cycles (general understanding)
Water, Carbon/Oxygen, Nitrogen
Refer to chapter 2 section 3 for detailed discussion of these cycles.
Ch3 Communities, biomes, & ecosystems
Abiotic and Biotic Factors—Biotic factors are living things in an ecosystem; Abiotic factors are the
non-living things that the living things depend upon.
Define:
Primary succession—Change in communities beginning with an environment devoid of all soil
and life (bare rock). Pioneer species are usually lichens.
Secondary succession—Succession after a disturbance such as a flood or fire. Soil and
microbial life are still intact. Pioneers are often grasses or annual plants.
Minnesota Biomes—Know the three major ones and their key species.
What are Wetlands (examples of)—Any areas that are always water saturated (swamps, bogs, fens,
marshes etc.) and have rooted plants growing throughout)
Ch4 Populations
How is the growth rate determined? (Birth + Immigration) – (Death + Emigration)
Death Rate—Number of individuals that die per unit of time
Birth Rate—Number of offspring “born” per unit of time.
Emigration—Number of organisms that enter the population from elsewhere.
Immigration—Number of organisms that leave the population to go elsewhere.
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Define:
Density Dependent and Density Independent Factors—Both limit the growth of populations by
increasing death rate or decreasing birth rate or both. The impact of DD factors is dependent on the
size of population (ex: Disease or predation); DI factors (ex: natural disaster) impact populations the
same way regardless of size.
Carrying capacity—The maximum size of a given population that can be supported in an
ecosystem. Determined by the limiting factors at work in the ecosystem.
Logistic growth curve (S- curve)—Population growth as it occurs when limiting factors are at
work.
Exponential growth curve (J-curve)—population growth as it occurs when no limiting factors
are acting .
Understand how to read a predator-prey graph (saw-tooth graph)—As prey populations drop (for a
variety of reasons, predator populations respond (slightly later) with a drop. Somewhat after their
numbers have dropped, prey respond by increasing their numbers.
Ch5 Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
The variety of living organisms in an area. It can be measured as genetic diversity, species diversity
and ecosystem diversity.
Define:
Invasive species—Nonnative species that disrupt the ecosystem’s native inhabitants.
Introduced species—Any species that is non-native that is added to an ecosystem (either
intentionally or not)
What is the greenhouse effect?—Heat being trapped by gasses like methane, water vapor and
nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. It is responsible for keeping our planet livable, but as amounts
are artificially increasing, it is leading to global climate change.
What is the main cause of global climate change?—Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Who is causing it? How and why? A large part of the change is due to heavy use of fossil fuels by
humans. This introduces carbon dioxide that was “trapped” as fossilized material into the
environment at a rate faster than plants (autotrophs) can use it up.
Unit 2: Cells Ch 6-8
Ch 6 Chemistry of Life
What is the chemical formula for sugar (glucose)?
C6H12O6
Write out a balanced chemical equation & label reactants and products
6CO2 + 6H2O
C6H12O6 + 6O2
If something is organic, it contains?
Carbon (and hydrogen)
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What are enzymes and what do they do? They are proteins that act as biological catalysts. They
lower activation energy and allow reactions to happen faster and at lower temperatures.
What is a catalyst? See above—it is any chemical that speeds a reaction up without being changed by
Or involved in the reaction itself.
Know the 4 organic compounds (macromolecules) and what they do for you
Carbohydrates--Short/medium energy (structure in plants)
Lipids—Long term energy, cell membranes, hormones, waxes
Proteins—Everything: Building material, enzymes, transport, communication
Nucleic Acids—Instructions for building protein; Transmit hereditary information.
What is the single unit (monomer) of each of the 4 macromolecules ?
Carbohydrates—monosaccharides
Lipids—Gycerol/fatty acids
Proteins—amino acids
Nucleic acids--nucleotides
Ch 7 Cells
Know the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes & an example of each
Know the differences between an animal and a plant cell
Know the 12 cell parts from Cell Guts and what they do
Cell/Plasma Membrane Structure
Define:
Diffusion
Osmosis
Facilitated diffusion
Active Transport (endocytosis, exocytosis)
What happens to a cell if it is placed in a hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic solution?
Ch 8/9 Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration
Write out the equation for photosynthesis and respiration in chemical formula (symbols)
Know reactants and products
6CO2 + 6H2O
C6H12O6 + 6O2
Know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration – Fermentation(lactic acid/alcoholic)
Aerobic respiration occurs in mitochondria and requires oxygen; anaerobic happens in
cytoplasm and does not require oxygen. Aerobic generates far more ATP
What happens in your body when you increase your rate of exercise? (in terms of gas exchange)
Increased rate of exercise increases your level of carbon dioxide in the blood. This increase means
that precious oxygen is given to critical organs and skeletal muscles often have to switch over to
lactic acid fermentation to generate ATP (temporarily) until oxygen levels return to normal.
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Label the diagram below: (Boxes and arrows). Also identify which part is photosynthesis and which
is cellular respiration.
Water
Respiration
(mitochondria)
CO2
O2
Photosynthesis
(Chloroplast)
Glucose
C6H12O6
ATP (36 net)
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