Ecology 11/11
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Ecology Final Exam Review Guide
Final Exam Date & Time:
The Ecology final exam will cover the material studied throughout the course of the semester. The exam is
multiple-choice and worth approximately 20% of your semester grade. You may use a 3x5 hand-written note
card (both sides) during the exam.
This study guide is intended to focus your preparation for the exam - know the bold-faced terms and be
able to accurately and thoroughly complete each prompt provided.
I. Introduction to Ecology
 Refer to the following items in your Ecology binder:
Guidelines for Experimental Research and Reporting; Ecosystem Review and Preview; Debating Gaia Reading Log;
Garden Quadrats; Ecosystem Productivity
1. Identify the independent variable, dependent variable, treatments, control, constants of an experiment.
2. Define the following: ecology, ecosystem, abiotic factors, biotic factors.
3. Define biomass and biodiversity and describe how they are studied (describe quadrats and how they are
used).
4. Restate the “Gaia Hypothesis”. Give examples of evidence for and against this hypothesis.
5. Explain primary production and secondary production. Describe how they are measured using
assimilation and ingestion values. Explain the importance and efficiencies of producers, consumers and
decomposers.
II. Soil and Nutrients
 Refer to the following items in your Ecology binder:
Composition of Soil Investigation; Decomposition Reading Log; Soil and Nutrients Notes; Soil Nutrient Testing;
Global Population and the Nitrogen Cycle Reading Log; Compost Notes
6. Define the following: topsoil, subsoil, humus, clay, sand, loam, colloids, parent rock material.
7. Define compost and explain why it is important. Describe the conditions that promote decomposition in
composting.
8. Describe the processes of nutrient cycling.
9. Explain the relevance of micronutrients, macronutrients, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium (potash), and
acidity (pH) to plants. Describe chemical and suspension/float soil tests and what they indicate.
III. Issues and Impacts of Agriculture
 Refer to the following items in your Ecology binder:
Modern Agriculture Reading Log; Issues of Agriculture Notes; Save the Earth, Feed the World and Modern Marvels
Video Notes; Ecological Agricultural Solutions Notes
10. List and describe the benefits and drawbacks of industrial agricultural practices including: monoculture,
synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, tilling, GMO’s, and precision farming.
11. List and describe the benefits and drawbacks of sustainable agricultural practices including: regenerative
agriculture (cover crops, intercropping, crop rotation), sustainable tillage, biointensive farming, IPM/
beneficial insects.
IV. Botanical Structures - Seeds & Other Botanical Adaptations
 Refer to the following items in your Ecology binder:
Seeds: Structure and Function; Plant Geneology and Taxonomy Notes; Seed Germination Experiment; Botanical
Adaptations Notes; Flowers; Private Life of Plants Notes; Botanical Structures; Plant Predation, Defense &
Competition; Photosynthetic Adaptations; Photosynthetic Rate of C3, C4 and CAM Plants
12. Describe the importance of the three major steps in the process of natural selection and evolution:
variation, selection, and reproduction.
13. Distinguish between these various plant groups: vascular vs. non-vascular, seed-bearing vs. non-seed
bearing, gymnosperms vs. angiosperms, monocot vs. dicot.
14. Diagram and describe the function of the following seed and fruit structures: pericarp, seed coat,
cotyledon, endosperm, root (radicle), hypocotyl, and shoot (epicotyl).
15. Describe conditions that influence seed germination and seedling growth.
16. Diagram and describe the function of the following flower structures: petals, sepals, pistil and ovary,
stamen.
17. Describe the processes of pollination and seed dispersal in plants. Use various examples to explain how
these adaptations support the survival and/or reproduction of plants.
18. Diagram and describe the function of the following plant structures: stomata, leaves (mesophyll and
bundle sheath), stems (xylem and phloem), roots, and food storage structures. Explain how these
adaptations support the survival and/or reproduction of various plants.
19. Compare and contrast the main characteristics of the 3 photosynthetic pathways: C3, C4, CAM. Describe
the environmental conditions in which each plant type is best fit. Identify the pathway of plants based on
their structures.
20. Distinguish between intraspecific competition and interspecific competition. Describe and give an
example of each.
21. Explain the correlation between stress, population density, dispersal and competition. Give specific
examples of how plants have dealt with these factors associated with competition.
22. Describe and give an example of each of these interactions: mutualism, parasitism, predation.
23. Define and give examples of herbivores. Describe the impacts defoliation and grazing have on plants.
24. Describe plant responses to predation including: mimicry, structural and chemical defense, predator
satiation. Give examples.
IV. Winter Crop
 Refer to the following items in your Ecology binder:
Winter Crop
25. Describe how plant adaptations to the natural environment relate to creating a garden ecosystem. Give
specific examples.