Biology 102 Study Guide for the Second Midterm Exam
Reread the first page of the syllabus for what we
are trying to accomplish in this course. "ST" below refers to your
text by Starr & Taggart
Specifically, here are the topics for which you
are responsible on the second midterm:
- Geological time as covered in lecture; the names and starting
dates of the geological eons; the names and starting dates of the geological
eras in the Phanerozoic eon; you do not need to know the names or starting
dates of the geological periods, unless this helps you with the next goal
- The order of-, and the approximate timing (within a geological eon
and/or era) of- the major events in the history of life, as we have kept
track on our time line (see your copy plus
Timeline record at Bio 102 web site
). You should understand what "forces" the organisms may have been
adapting to during each of these events.
- What is continental drift? What is the mechanism? Describe
the approximate positions of the continents over the last 1000 million years
(relative to the timing of the geological eras) and particularly how the
positions of the continents and oceans play in the evolutionary story (
here is a copy of the overhead
I showed that traces major events from the timeline along with changes in
continental configurations)
- Defining characteristics of the six kingdoms, plus additional
general characteristics as covered in lecture and ST for the Animals, Plants
and Fungi.
- Features used within the Animal, Plant and Fungus kingdoms to separate
Phyla. In the Protista, you are now responsible for the information
on the Fungus-like Protista. In the Animalia, you are only responsible
for the protostome invertebrates covered since the first midterm exam (molluscs,
segmented worms and arthropods).
- The names of the phyla covered in lecture: common names or scientific
names (in some cases there are only scientific names).
- The diversity of different kinds of organisms within the phyla of
fungus-like protista, animals, plants, and fungi covered in lecture since
the first midterm exam, use information of this sort that you can glean from
lecture and ST. You are not responsible for terms, life cycles and
other details mentioned in ST unless they were covered in lecture, except
for next three numbered points.
- For the plant life cycles, you need to know the moss life cycle and
for the four, featured phyla (Mosses, Ferns, Conifers, Flowering Plants),
what the gametophytes (male and female if they differ) look like and where
they are found (free living?, associated with the sporophyte? how?).
- Ecological and/or human (economic) importances of organisms in each
phylum mentioned in lecture: examples given in lecture OR in
ST.
- Important "symbiotic" (in the full sense of the meaning of this word)
relationships among the organisms in these phyla: coevolution, mutualism
and parasitism of and between animals, plants and fungi (and other kingdoms);
be able to intelligently discuss any of the following, giving details covered
in lecture or ST: pollinating insects, fruit dispersal by animals, fungal
plant diseases, mycorrhizas, lichens and anything else of this sort that
you have heard in lecture or read about in ST.
- You should be able to recognize the phylum an organism would be classified
in (of those covered in lecture) when given a fairly complete description
of the organism.
- Evolutionary trends within the three multicellular kingdoms:
Animals, Plants and Fungi.
- Major points in the third, fourth, and fifth chapters of E.O. Wilsons,
"The Future of Life": 3 The human-caused factors in biodiversity loss
(HIPPO); 4 Some examples of endangered and recently extinct biota; 5 Calculating
the true value of biodiversity.
If you have any questions about what I am referring
to here, please bring them up in lecture or email me
(fredr@cc.wwu.edu
).
Sample Midterm 2 Questions