Biology MCAS Coaching Session #2 Population ecology and biodiversity
Ecology is the interaction among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
What the state expects you to know about Population ecology and biodiversity;
1.
2.
Explain how birth, death, immigration, and emigration influence population size.
Analyze changes in population size and biodiversity (speciation and extinction) that result from the following: natural causes, changes in climate, human activity, and the introduction of invasive, non-native species.
Vocabulary Matching
____ Population density A. number of individual moving away from an area
____ Dispersion
____ Density-dependent
____ Density-independent
____ Population growth rate
____ Emigration
____ Immigration
____ Carrying capacity
____ Extinction
____ Biodiversity
____ Genetic diversity
____ Species diversity
B. maximum number of species an area can support
C. variety of genes present in a population
D. numbers of individuals in a given area
E. a species that permanently disappears
F. abiotic factors that affect population size
G. the pattern of spacing in a population
H. number of different species found in a community
I. biotic factors that affect population size
J. variety of life found in an area
K. how fast a given population grows
L. number of individuals moving into an area

Visual interpretation of concepts
What is the relationship between the lynx and the hare?
How does lynx populations affect the snowshoe hare’s population? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjs4Kf8Hg0k

What is happening to the human population in this graph?
What shape is this graph line?
Why can’t this population growth continue?

Describe this population growth shown in the graph.
What controls the size a population can reach? http://glencoe.mcgrawhill.com/sites/dl/free/0078695104/160350/00050757.html

Practice MCAS Questions
1. When locust populations grow too large for an area, the individual locusts are crowded and food becomes scarce. In response to these conditions, some of the locusts leave the area and find a new habitat.
Which of the following terms best applies to the response of the locusts that leave for the new habitat?
A. commensalism
B. emigration
C. hibernation
D. mutualism
2. The graph below shows changes in the sizes of four animal populations over a 16-year period.
In which population was birthrate most likely greater than death rate from year 8 to year 12?
A. population 1
B. population 2
C. population 3
D. population 4

3. Populations of Caribbean coral have decreased significantly over the past 30 years due to disease. Which of the following is most likely a major factor leading to the increased amount of disease in the coral?
A. Symbiotic algae are living in the coral cells.
B. Several different species of fish live on the coral reefs.
C. Levels of spawning have decreased and lowered reproductive rates.
D. Water temperatures have increased and favored the growth of microorganisms.

Biology MCAS Coaching Session #2 Chemistry of Biology
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2
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Recognize that biological organisms are composed primarily of very few elements. The six most common are C, H, N, O, P, and S.
Describe the basic molecular structures and primary functions of the four major categories of organic molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids).
Explain the role of enzymes as catalysts that lower the activation energy of biochemical reactions. Identify factors, such as pH and temperature, that have an effect on enzymes.
Vocabulary Matching
____ ionic A. helps maintain pH in a specific range
____ ion B. minimum amount of energy to start chemical reaction
____ reactant
____ product
____ activation energy
____ catalyst
____ enzyme
____ substrate
____ active site
____ polar
____ solvent
____ solute
____ pH
____ buffer
____ carbohydrate
____ lipid
____ protein
____ nucleic acid
C. what an enzyme combines with
D. a charged particle or molecule
E. a substance in which another substance is dissolved
F. attraction between 2 oppositely charged atoms
G. molecules that react (on left side of equation)
H. site on enzyme where substrate binds
I. a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction
J. composed of amino acids
K. a protein that speeds chemical reactions
L. biological molecule composed of carbon and hydrogen
M. biological molecule made of nucleotides
N. measurement of hydrogen ions in a solution
O. molecule with oppositely charged areas
P. substance formed by chemical reaction
Q. substance that gets dissolved in a solution
R. biological molecule made of simple sugars

Library research/practice
Go to http://tewksbio9.wikispaces.com/ , click on links, click on MCAS biology coach to get quick links to the sites below
Go to http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/biokit/chnops.html
Answer the following questions;
Concept 1 What are the six most abundant atoms found in organic molecules?
Concept 2 How many bonds can hydrogen form?
Concept 3 What does the term hydrocarbon mean?
Concept 5 What is the example of a polar molecule in the diagram?
Go to http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AP13104
What kind of molecule is glucose?

Go to http://www.chem4kids.com/files/bio_nucleicacids.html
Describe the shape of a DNA molecule.
What is a nucleotide of DNA made of?
Go to http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookEnzym.html
How does an enzyme speed up a chemical reaction?

Practice MCAS Questions on enzymes
1. Which of the following best explains why enzymes are necessary for many cellular reactions?
A. Enzymes supply the oxygen necessary for the reactions.
B. Enzymes change reactants from solid to liquid during the reactions.
C. The reactions take up too much space in the cell if enzymes are missing.
D. The reactions are too slow to meet the needs of the cell if enzymes are missing.
2. Some bacteria live in hot springs. Their cells contain enzymes that function best at temperatures of 70°C or higher. At a temperature of 50°C, how will the enzymes in these bacterial cells most
likely be affected?
A. The enzymes will be destroyed by lysosomes.
B. The enzymes will lose their bond structure and fall apart.
C. The enzymes will require less energy to function than at 70°C.
D. The enzymes will not increase the rate of reactions as much as they would at 70°C.