Biology 101 SP08 Exam I

  • Please answer all questions on the answer sheets provided.
  • The topic number(s) are above each question. The topics are to the right.
  • Multiple choice questions are worth 1 pt each. All other questions have the points indicated.
/ Course Topic numbers
  1. Experimental design/method
  2. Structure and basic ecology of Populations
  3. Differences in Biomes
  4. Factors that determine Biomes
  5. The carbon cycle - including the importance of photosynthesis and respiration
  6. Evidence for Climate change
  7. Some effects of climate change
  8. What can I do?

[2 pt; topics 2,5]

  1. In addition to changing carbon flow, land use change also alters carrying capacity. Give an example illustrating land use change increasing or decreasing carrying capacity.

A recent study published in Nature suggests that 8-15 years after atmospheric CO2 concentration is doubled, there will be a 2-11 °C change in temperature globally. Inuvit, a community in the Northwest Territory of Canada, currently has a mean annual temperature of -8 °C and mean annual precipitation of 55 cm.
Examine the diagram to the right (Whittaker 1970) that is similar to the representation of biomes you made in class.
[1 pt; topics 3,4,7]
2. Predict the biome for Inuvit given a 5 °C increase in temperature and no change in precipitation.
a. Boreal forest
b. Cold desert
c. Grassland
d. Temperate deciduous forest
e. Tropical dry forest
[1 pt; topics 3,4,7]
3. Predict the biome for Inuvit given a 5 °C increase in temperature and a 30 cm decrease of precipitation.
a. Boreal forest
b. Cold desert
c. Grassland
d. Temperate deciduous forest
e. Tropical dry forest /
(from Whittaker 1970)

[1 pt; topic 5]

4. Interpret the figure at right. The majority of the energy consumed by chipmunks is used for
  1. Excretion
  2. Growth
  3. Respiration
  4. Secondary production
/

(From Freeman 2002)

5. To the right is a representation of the global carbon cycle from an article on carbon sequestration.

[1 pt; topic 5,6]

a. What is the largest C pool?

[3 pt; topic 5,6]

b. Describe the possible impact of land use change (Vitousek) on respiration and photosynthesis. Include in your answer how that would change the atmosphere pool. /
Model of global carbon flow. Units are petagrams of carbon (1015g)

[1 pt; topic 5]

6. Given that each of the following ecosystems has a similar climatic regime in terms of temperature and precipitation, which of the ecosystems would you expect to have the greatest carbon sequestration (retains more than it releases)?

  1. Ecosystem 1: plant cell respiration is higher than photosynthesis
  2. Ecosystem 2: rates of plant photosynthesis equal the rates of plant cell respiration
  3. Ecosystem 3: plant cell respiration is low relative to photosynthesis
  4. Ecosystem 4: plant photosynthesis is equal to soil microbial respiration

[1 pt; topic 4]

7. The majority of actual weight (biomass) gained by plants as they grow comes from which of the following substances:

a. organic substances in soil that are taken up by plant roots.

b. carbon dioxide in the air that enters through leaf stomata.

c. minerals dissolved in water taken up by plant roots.

d. energy from the sun captured by leaves.

e. carbon from decomposed leaf litter in soil.

[1 pt; topic 4]

8. What are the different pathways that carbon can take once it is inside a plant? Choose all that are correct.

  1. it can exit the plant as CO2
  2. it can become part of the plant cell walls,glucose, protein, fat, DNA
  3. it can be consumed by an insect feeding on the plant and become part of the insect’s body
  4. as a plant decomposes in the soil, carbon can exit the soil as CO2

[10 pt; topic 1]

9. Recently there have been many cases of food poisoning in meat. You believe that washing a slaughtered animal with baking soda (basic) followed by vinegar (acidic) will create a strong change in pH and result in lower bacterial counts. Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Make sure you include all of the following components in your answer.

1)Hypothesis

2)Null hypothesis

3)Dependent variable

4)Independent variable

5)Experimental design

6)Graph of possible results if null is supported, if alternative is supported

[6 pt; topic5,8]

  1. I went to dinner last night at a local restaurant to celebrate Valentines day with my family. I made a conscious choice to select pinto beans and greens for dinner so that I would have a smaller ecological footprint.

a) Draw a model showing how a carbon atom might have traveled from a rabbit to my dinner if I had eaten the pinto beans and if I had eaten the beef.

b)Why did I choose the pinto beans instead of beef stew?

[3 pt; topic 8]

11. Name three things that you can due to reduce your carbon footprint. Explain how that action will decrease your carbon footprint.