Mock Lab Exam 2 examples (without life cycles)

will add more

In population ecology, the growth model that assumes unlimited resources and continuous growth is the ______________ model, whereas the model that incorporates environmental limits is the ______________ model

Exponential; Logistic

The maximum population size that a specific environment can support indefinitely without exhausting resources is called the _____________ _____________

Carrying capacity

Environmental factors such as disease, competition, and predation that exert a stronger effect as population density increases are known as _____________-_____________ factors

Density-dependent

Photosynthetic prokaryotes that contain chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin pigments belong to the group known as __________________

Cyanobacteria

Diatoms are unicellular algae enclosed in a glassy shell composed of ______________ _____________, featuring rows of thin lines with pores called ______________ for gas exchange

Silicon dioxide; striae

Disk-shaped diatoms that float in the upper water column are described as _______, while elongated diatoms that live on bottom substrates are described as _______

Centric; Pennate

During the Lab 10 primary productivity protocol, ___________________ _____________ was added to the filter sample to act as a buffer and prevent pigment degradation

Magnesium carbonate (MgCO3​)

In the PARE project, preparing multiple plate sets from the same soil sample dilution series is known as a ______________ _____________, which helps identify experimental errors

Technical replicate

Non-vascular plants anchor themselves to the substrate using hair-like structures called ____________, whereas seedless vascular plants use horizontal underground stems called ____________ for asexual reproduction

Rhizoids; Rhizomes

In liverworts (Marchantia), asexual reproduction occurs within cup-like structures called _______ _____ that contain reproductive structures called _______

Gemmae cups; Gemmae

On the underside of a fern frond, clusters of sporangia called _______ are often protected by a shield-like flap of tissue called an ____________

Sori (singular: sorus); Indusium

Leaves with a single unbranched vascular vein found in lycophytes are called _____________, while leaves with branching vascular networks found in ferns and seed plants are called _____________

Microphylls; Megaphylls

A pine pollen grain features a central body with two lateral ______ that assist in wind dispersal

Wings

In angiosperms, double fertilization results in the formation of a diploid ________ (2n) and a triploid ___________ (3n) food supply

Zygote; Endosperm

Following fertilization in flowering plants, the ovule develops into a _______, while the surrounding ovary wall thickens and develops into a _______

Seed; Fruit

Explain why an aquatic sample dominated by cyanobacteria indicates eutrophication, and state the primary cause of this condition

Cyanobacteria dominance indicates eutrophication, which is caused by excess nutrient runoff (specifically nitrogen and/or phosphorus) entering the aquatic ecosystem and triggering massive algal blooms

During the spectrophotometry procedure in Lab 10, Chlorophyll a concentration was measured at 664 nm rather than its highest absorption peak near 432 nm. Why is 664 nm preferred for concentration calculations

664 nm is used because the magnitude and distance between pigment absorption curves are greatest in this region, providing the highest sensitivity for Chlorophyll a measurement without overlapping interference from other pigments

What is the purpose of subtracting the absorbance value measured at 750 nm when calculating chlorophyll concentration

Measuring at 750 nm quantifies background turbidity (light scattering caused by dust or suspended particles in the liquid), which is subtracted to isolate true pigment light absorption

Why is 90% acetone used as the solvent for extracting chlorophyll pigments instead of water

Chlorophyll pigments are non-polar (hydrophobic) and will not dissolve in water; an organic solvent like 90% acetone is required to dissolve and extract the pigment molecules from the cell debris.

What does a clear zone of inhibition around an antibiotic disc indicate in an agar diffusion assay, and what does it mean if isolated bacterial colonies grow inside this clear zone

A clear zone of inhibition indicates that the bacterial strain is susceptible to the antibiotic diffusing from the disc. Bacterial colonies growing inside the zone represent mutant cells that have developed resistance to that antibiotic.

List three (3) shared, derived traits common to all land plants that distinguish them from green algae

Any three of:

(1) Alternation of generations

(2) Multicellular, dependent embryos

(3) Walled spores produced in sporangia

(4) Multicellular gametangia (archegonia/antheridia) (5) Apical meristems

How do non-vascular plants (bryophytes) differ from seedless vascular plants regarding dominant lifecycle generations and water-conducting tissue

Non-vascular plants are gametophyte dominant and lack vascular tissue (xylem and phloem). Seedless vascular plants are sporophyte dominant and possess vascular tissue for water and nutrient transport

Distinguish between homospory and heterospory, and give an example of a plant phylum or genus that exhibits heterospory

Homospory produces one type of spore that develops into a bisexual gametophyte.

Heterospory produces two distinct types of spores: large megaspores (developing into female gametophytes) and small microspores (developing into male gametophytes).

Example: Selaginella (Phylum Lycophyta) or any gymnosperm/angiosperm

Distinguish between pollination and fertilization in seed plants

Pollination is the physical transfer of pollen (male gametophyte) from the male reproductive structure to the female reproductive structure.

Fertilization is the union of sperm and egg cell nuclei to form a diploid zygote

Compare monocot and dicot stem cross-sections in terms of how their vascular bundles are arranged

In monocot stems, vascular bundles are scattered throughout the ground tissue. In dicot stems, vascular bundles are arranged in a distinct ring around the stem perimeter

During the filtration step of an aquatic sample to estimate chlorophyll a, a small volume of saturated MgCO3​ solution is added to the sample before filtration is complete. What is the primary purpose of this step?

It buffers the samples to prevent acidic degradation of Chlorophyll a.

Diatoms possess distinctive cell walls made of silicon dioxide (SiO2​). Which option correctly pairs an advantage of this structure with a physical challenge it poses?

The glass-like wall allows light transmission for photosynthesis, but its high density causes diatoms to sink out of the photic zone.