Life Science: Biology – Regents High School Examination Notes Flashcards

A set of practice flashcards covering key concepts from the Life Science: Biology Regents-style notes, including ecology, physiology, genetics, evolution, and biogeochemical cycles drawn from the provided pages.

In the kelp forest carbon balance model, how does the presence of sea otters affect the kelp carbon pool, and why?

The kelp carbon pool is higher with otters present because sea otters eat sea urchins, reducing kelp grazing and allowing kelp forests to grow and store more carbon.

From the kelp model, which statement best explains how kelp contributes to reducing carbon entering the atmosphere?

Some of the carbon stored in the dead kelp is trapped in the geosphere of the seafloor due to slow decomposition in low-oxygen sediments.

Which model identifies the process that converts light energy into chemical energy inside the kelp?

Photosynthesis (the conversion of light energy to chemical energy stored as glucose in kelp and other producers).

What evidence from the CO2 vs pH graph supports the idea that rising atmospheric CO2 could impact sea urchin populations?

As atmospheric CO2 increases, seawater pH decreases (becomes more acidic), which can interfere with calcification in organisms like sea urchins. (pH drops below ~7.8 with higher CO2).

Which statement describes how the urinary system interacts with another body system to maintain homeostasis?

The circulatory system supplies blood to the kidneys for filtration; kidneys regulate water and salt balance and remove wastes.

Which feature of nephrons in terrestrial mammals is an adaptation to conserve water?

Longer tubules in the nephron that allow more water reabsorption and thus greater water conservation.

What evidence from the nephron model supports that natural selection favored longer tubules in land-dwelling mammals?

Nephrons with longer tubules were selected for on land to conserve the water they drink.

What evidence from the EPO and oxygen graph demonstrates a feedback mechanism that maintains homeostasis under low oxygen?

Exposure to low oxygen increases EPO production, which stimulates red blood cell production to improve oxygen transport.

What role do aquaporins in red blood cells play in homeostasis?

Aquaporins facilitate water movement across membranes, aiding osmoregulation and helping kidneys regulate salt and water balance.

Which data from the RBC water uptake exercise best supports that consuming water after exercise helps maintain homeostasis?

Taking on water increases RBC membrane flexibility and increases the rate of oxygen transfer.

Which question would help determine if frog leg abnormalities were inherited via DNA?

Is a mutation that causes abnormal legs present in the DNA of the parents’ sex cells (gametes)?

In Ribeiroia life cycle, which explanation best supports the claim that parasites with more severe limb deformities have greater survival and reproduction?

Frogs with more severe limb deformities are more likely to be eaten by birds, allowing the parasite to reach its bird host and reproduce.

How do retinoic acid levels interact with Hox genes to explain extra limbs in infected frogs?

Parasites increase retinoic acid in limb buds, causing Hox genes to transcribe more proteins that activate limb formation.

What question about retinoic acid levels would help assess inheritance of the observed changes in frogs?

Do retinoic acid levels affect the inheritance of Hox-gene–regulated leg development?

What evidence suggests that arthropods share a common ancestor based on Hox gene patterns?

A similar arrangement of forelimb bones across extinct and living arthropods indicates a conserved pattern and common ancestry.

Why can mouse and fruit fly eyes form normally when specific Hox genes are interchanged?

Regulatory Hox genes control organ development, and conserved developmental pathways allow proper organ formation even when swapped.

What evidence explains yak adaptation to high altitude?

Yaks have a large heart and lungs and carry a specialized EPAS1 allele that increases hemoglobin and oxygen transport, traits favored by natural selection at high altitudes.

What is the most likely origin of the EPAS1 allele that increases hemoglobin in yaks?

A mutation occurred in yak gametes during meiosis (germline mutation) and was selected for at high altitude.

Why is the carrying capacity for producers lower at extreme altitudes than at sea level?

Lower partial pressures of CO2 and O2 at high altitude reduce photosynthesis efficiency and biomass production.

What behavioral adaptation helps pikas survive on the Tibetan Plateau?

Pikas live in underground tunnels and forage, reducing exposure to cold and predators.

What is the general pattern of energy flow and biomass in the Tibetan Plateau biomass pyramid?

Biomass is greatest at producers and decreases at higher trophic levels, showing energy transfer from producers to consumers with less biomass up the pyramid.

Which statement best describes the greatest immediate effect on smooth cordgrass in the low salt marsh?

A temporary increase in salinity due to severe storms would most directly affect cordgrass growth and survival.

What does NASA sea-level data suggest about rising sea levels and coastal ecosystems?

Rising sea levels will alter low-marsh habitats and affect species interactions and population numbers in coastal ecosystems.

Which shoreline restoration option would most promote a stable ecosystem by supporting complex interactions?

Planting vegetation along damaged shorelines (living shorelines) provides habitat, slows water, and promotes ecosystem stability.

Which restoration option best balances cost, reliability, and aesthetics for Oswego, NY?

Living shoreline approaches with native vegetation, which are cost-effective, reliable, and visually natural, are preferable.

What pattern in front limb evolution is suggested by similarities in forelimb bone structure across taxa?

Similar forelimb bone arrangements across extinct water-dwelling species and living species indicate a common ancestry.

What evidence could support patterns in how front limbs evolved from ancestral bony fish?

Similar base sequences of genes controlling pectoral fin development in zebrafish and in tetrapod forelimbs.

Which statement identifies the evolutionary relationships shown in the limb evolution diagram?

The forelimbs of extinct water-dwelling species and living species have a similar bone arrangement, indicating common ancestry.

What explanation could demonstrate that environmental factors influence the evolution of limb development?

Environmental pressures favor limb changes that improve land locomotion, leading to different limb structures in descendants.

What evidence supports Tiktaalik as an ancestral form between ray-finned fish and early tetrapods?

Tiktaalik had strong front fins capable of supporting movement on land and shares limb-bone patterns with both fish and early tetrapods.

What evidence supports that the bone structure of Tiktaalik’s fins enabled it to walk on land?

Tiktaalik’s fin bones show transitional features between fish fins and tetrapod limbs, suggesting locomotion on land.

In the carbon cycle model, how does matter movement provide energy for different organisms?

Plants take in carbon-containing compounds from the atmosphere and convert them into sugars used by animals (e.g., cows) to produce usable energy.

What is the role of Process C in the cycling of matter between living organisms in this ecosystem?

Process C represents decomposition/respiration that returns nutrients and carbon to the environment, completing the cycle.

Which explanation best supports how Substance 1 interacts with other elements to form carbon-based molecules?

Elements in Box Y combine with nitrogen to form proteins, illustrating how Substance 1 participates in protein formation.

Which statement best supports Substance 1 as essential for plant metabolism?

Process A rearranges carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to form Substance 1, which is used to build other essential biomolecules.

Construct a quantitative explanation for how the cycling of matter affects carbon storage in the atmosphere and biosphere.

Increased carbon fixation into plant biomass reduces atmospheric CO2 and increases carbon stored in the biosphere, illustrating a shift of carbon from air to living matter.

Which question would help determine whether birth-weight–related genes were inherited from famine mothers to their children?

Did the genes that determine birth weight come from both parents (are they inherited in a Mendelian fashion)?

If IGF2 gene fragments are examined, what happens when CTC is mutated to CTG in DNA (as shown)?

The codon changes from GAG (glutamic acid) to GUG (valine) in the translated protein, altering amino acid sequence.

How does unmethylated DNA impact IGF2 function in the famine study, leading to birth-weight changes?

Unmethylated IGF2 DNA can lead to higher IGF2 expression, promoting greater fetal growth and higher birth weight.

What does evidence from offspring health suggest about methylation across generations?

Methylation levels of DNA can be inherited across multiple generations, affecting gene expression even without famine exposure.

How does demethylation of DNA influence lung cell behavior in cancer progression models?

Demethylation disrupts flow of information, potentially increasing gene expression changes that promote tumor progression.

Which intervention would most likely decrease tumor growth by modifying methylation patterns?

Using medication that adds methyl groups to genes involved in cell-cycle progression (promoting methylation) can slow growth.