Exam 1: An Introduction to the Science of Life

Which grouping contains the largest number of individual organisms?

Individuals with traits that make them more successful in their environment will,on average,produce more offspring.This "fitting" of a population to their environment is called ________.

A recent commercial advertised for a wristband that claimed to restore health and balance by taking advantage of natural frequencies of your biofield.It even showed several people struggling to balance first without the wristband and then balancing fine with the wristband.For only $20 plus shipping and handling this device can be yours.Why should you be skeptical of the claims made in this ad?

What is an antibiotic?

You discover a nucleated,unicellular organism that is photosynthetic but can also eat other organisms.Under which grouping should this organism be included?

The scientific method has limitations.It can only answer objective questions based on quantitative facts from observable,measurable,and repeatable experiments.It cannot answer subjective questions based on qualitative beliefs or opinions such as the presence of deities,ghosts,or who makes the best doughnut.Could the scientific method theoretically be used to answer the question,Does throwing a virgin into a volcano prevent it from erupting? Support your answer.

Energy flows through an ecosystem.What is typically the originating source of energy in an ecosystem?

The gasoline that fuels a car has a substantial amount of energy inside of it.What was the original source of that energy?

Intense UV light from the sun is lethal to living things.Currently,some 99% of all incoming UV is blocked by the ozone layer which didn't develop until well after the first life-forms.How might the very earliest organisms have avoided the intense UV rays?

Skin is sometimes referred to as the largest organ of the body.Why is skin considered to be an organ and not a tissue or some other structure?

If you were to evaluate these claims using the scientific method,what would be the first step?

Photosynthesis is the primary chemical reaction that creates the oxygen found on the earth.Some prokaryotic organisms and some eukaryotic organisms can produce oxygen through photosynthesis.While all eukaryotic cells and many prokaryotic cells also require oxygen,there are many prokaryotic cells that do not.What then created the oxygen in the earth's atmosphere that allowed the earliest eukaryotic organisms to evolve?

All living things require substantial amounts of carbon.Where do animals get the carbon they need to survive?

When a horse breeder chooses to breed only the fastest horses in an effort to select for speed,this is an example of which of the following?

What are the "letters" that make up the chemical language of DNA?

Name at least three organs that are part of your digestive system.Explain why the organs you chose are in fact organs and not something else.Describe their role in the digestive system.

If you were to combine all of the ecosystems on the planet,including the planet itself,you would have the ________.

"There are 628 squirrels living on campus." I have just described the ________.

A college campus-including the students,birds,trees,sidewalks,and air-makes up one complete ________.

Which organism in this picture is the consumer?