Biology 102 Study Guide for the First 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 first midterm:

  1. Scales of Time and Space - The metric system of measurement (units of measure and the general sizes of the organisms studied). Geological time as covered in lecture (the names and starting times of the Eons).
  2. Hierarchical classification system - basic idea of what the benefits of using such a system are.  You can learn common names or scientific names or both for phyla.  E.g. either Ciliophora or "ciliated protozoa" is fine; "green algae" or Chlorophyta; "sponges" or Porifera; etc.
  3. Defining characteristics of the six Kingdoms, plus additional general characteristics as covered in lecture and ST for the EuBacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista (this treated as a single kingdom, not like in ST), and Animalia.
  4. Features used within these kingdoms to separate Phyla.  In the Protista, you are not yet responsible for the information on the Fungus-like Protista, although you should be aware they exist.  In the Animalia, you are responsible for only the "early" invertebrates (sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, roundworms and rotifers) covered before the exam.
  5. The general "breakdown" of diversity within the "microbial" Kingdoms: Eubacteria, Archaebacteria and Protista.  You do not need to know all the phyla covered in your text in these groups.  Treat the material as covered in lecture (i.e., the separation of the prokaryotes by means of chemical structures & great diversity of metabolic capabilities, and the rather arbitrary separation of the Protista into protozoa, algae and fungus-like protista, based on their similarity to higher, multicellular Kingdoms).
  6. Know details from the "troublesome microbe" handout of three such organisms, at least one of which is a prokaryote.
  7. Ecological/human importances of example organisms given in lecture OR in ST.
  8. What is nitrogen fixation, which organisms can do it and why is it important?
  9. Evolutionary trends within and between the prokaryotes, Protista and evolutionary connections of these Kingdoms to each other and the three multicellular Kingdoms:  Animalia, Plantae and Fungi.
  10. Relative and approximate absolute timing of these major events:  first organism, first oxygen-releasing photosynthesis, first eukaryote, first sex, first animal.  You should understand what "forces" the organisms may have been adapting to during each of these events.
If you have any questions about what I am referring to here, please bring them up in lecture or email me

Sample Midterm 1 Questions