Backyard Biologist
a. Know the structure and function of roots, stems, leaves, seeds, and flower parts.
b. Know the distinct stages of the life cycle of seed plants.
c. Describe how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow in a particular
environment.
d. Explain how basic properties (texture and capacity to hold water) and components (sand, clay, and
humus) of soil determine the ability of soil to support the growth and survival of many plants.
e. Know the habitats, stages, and life cycle of reptiles and amphibians.
f. Be able to identify specimens by common name from the Official Specimen List. No more than 50% of
the test will be from identification of specimens.
g. Know which specimens on the Official Specimen List are North Carolina official state symbols.
Trees (Identify by leaves, bark, and seeds.):
Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) *NC State Flower
Long leaf pine (Pinus palustrus)**
Pond pine (Pinus serotina)**
Post oak (Quercus stellata)
Red bud (Cercis canadensis)
Red maple (Acer rubrum)
River birch (Betula nigra)
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Sycamore (Platinus occidentalis)
Tulip poplar (or yellow poplar) (Liriodendron tulipifera)
White oak (Quercus alba)
**Pine tree generic (no specific type) is the state tree of NC.
Bushes, Vines, and Flowers
Azalea (Rhododendron obtusum)
Blueberry (genus vaccinium) *NC State Blue Berry
Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii) *NC State Wildflower
Catawba Rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense)
Eastern Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)
Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)
Oriental Bittersweet, (Celastrus orbiculatus)
Scuppernong Grape (Vitis rotundifolia) *NC State Fruit
Strawberry (genus fragaria) *NC State Red Berry
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) *NC State Carniverous Plant
Virginia Chainfern (Woodwardia virginica)
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
American Toad Bufo americanus
Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana
Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix
Corn snake Elaphe guttata
Eastern box turtle Terrapene Carolina *NC State Reptile
Eastern Hellbender Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
Green Anole Anolis carolinensis
Green Treefrog Hyla cinerea
Loggerhead Caretta caretta
Mudpuppy Necturus maculosus
Red-spotted Newt Notophthalmus viridescens
River Cooter Pseudemys concinna
Rough Green Snake Opheodrys aestivus
Southeastern Five-lined Skink Eumeces inexpectatus
Sky Quest
THE COMPETITION:
This event will be run in a station format. Teams will rotate through stations that assess any or all of the following
topics:
a. Understanding of the Sun including: Size and composition of Sun’s layers, sunspots, solar cycle, solar flares,
prominences, and solar wind.
b. Understanding of the Earth/Sun relationship including how rotation and revolution cause day/night, shadows
and seasons and how solar radiation affects Earth and our technology.
c. Understanding of the Earth/Sun/Moon relationship including how these bodies interact to cause tides, lunar and
solar eclipses and phases of the moon.
d. Identification and understanding of the planets in our solar system, how they relate to each other in size,
distance from the sun, physical properties, and what is unique about each one.
e. Identification of: Major Constellations and their Alpha stars from the list below:
Major Constellations and their Alpha star in parentheses, if noted:
Andromeda Capricornus, Cassiopeia Libra, Lyra (Vega) Scorpius(Antares)
Aquarius Cygnus (Deneb) Orion (Betelgeuse) Taurus (Aldebaran)
Aries Gemini (Castor and Pollux) Pegasus Ursa Major
Bootes (Arcturus) Hercules Perseus Ursa Minor (Polaris)
Cancer Hydra Pisces Virgo(Spica) and Canis Major (Sirius) Leo (Regulus) Sagittarius
Ecology Experts
THE COMPETITION: This event will be run in a station format. Teams will rotate through stations with questions, models,
pictures, diagrams, and maps that assess any or all of the following topics:
a. The following ecosystems and biomes:
i. Marine: oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries
ii. Freshwater: ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and swamps
iii. Arctic: ocean/ice and arctic tundra
b. Components of marine, freshwater, and arctic ecosystems and biomes.
i. Location on earth
ii. Biotic and abiotic components
iii. Adaptations of organisms that live in the biome
c. Understand and analyze the functions of organisms within each ecosystem and biome.
i. Producers
ii. Consumers
iii. Decomposers
d. An ecosystem's capacity to support life is based on certain physical characteristics of a water environment
i. Light
ii. Temperature
iii. Nutrients
iv. Salinity
e. The interaction of organisms within an ecosystem
i. Food webs
ii. Trophic levels
iii. Predator/prey interaction
iv. Symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
Weather Permitting
THE COMPETITION: This event will be run in a station format. Teams will rotate through stations
that assess any or all of the following topics:
a. Water cycle (processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and run-off)
b. Weather instruments (thermometer, barometer, rain gauge, hygrometer, sling psychrometer, wind
vane, anemometer, weather balloon, radar, satellite)
c. Types of clouds and their relationships to weather conditions
d. Using weather maps to identify weather conditions
e. Weather versus climate
f. Factors that affect the climate of a region
g. World climate zones
h. Prevailing and local winds
i. The jet stream and it’s effect on local weather
j. The Gulf stream and it’s effect on local weather
k. Severe weather safety
l. The following severe storms: tornado, hurricane, derecho, haboob, water spout, and dust devil.