Untitled Flashcards Set

Module 6: Plant Nutrients

1. Macronutrients the soil provides:

   • Primary nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K)

   • Secondary nutrients: Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sulfur (S)

   Does not provide: Micronutrients (like Iron, Boron, Zinc, etc.)

2. Mobile vs. Immobile Nutrients:

   • Mobile: Can move within the plant. Deficiency shows first in older leaves (e.g., Nitrogen, Phosphorus).

   • Immobile: Stay in place. Deficiency shows in younger leaves (e.g., Calcium, Iron).

3. Secondary nutrients for plant growth: Ca, Mg, S (important for plant structure, enzymes, and metabolism).

Module 7: Species Interactions

1. Types of interactions:

   • Commensalism: One benefits, other is unaffected.

   • Mutualism: Both benefit. Can be:

     • Facultative: Both can survive without each other.

     • Obligate: Both need each other to survive.

   • Competition:

     • Interspecific: Between different species.

     • Intraspecific: Within the same species.

2. Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs:

   • Autotrophs: Make their own food (e.g., plants, some bacteria).

     • Photoautotrophs: Use sunlight (e.g., plants).

     • Chemoautotrophs: Use chemicals (e.g., some bacteria).

   • Heterotrophs: Consume other organisms (e.g., herbivores, carnivores, omnivores).

3. Bioaccumulation vs. Biomagnification:

   • Bioaccumulation: Organism accumulates toxins over time.

   • Biomagnification: Toxins increase in concentration as you move up the food chain.

4. Allelopathy: Chemical inhibition of one species by another (e.g., some plants release toxins to prevent others from growing nearby).

Module 8: Statistics

1. Hypothesis Testing:

   • Null Hypothesis (H0): No effect or difference.

   • Alternative Hypothesis (HA): There is an effect or difference.

   • Example: H0: x̄1 = x̄2 = x̄3; HA: x̄1 ≠ x̄2 ≠ x̄3.

2. P-Value:

   • p-value ≤ 0.05: Reject the null hypothesis (significant result).

   • p-value > 0.05: Fail to reject the null hypothesis (not significant).

3. Key Calculations:

   • Mean: Sum of all values / n.

   • Standard Deviation (SD): Measures spread. Larger SD = more variation.

   • Variance: SD squared.

   • Standard Error: SD / √n (estimate of the sample mean's accuracy).

4. Degrees of Freedom (DF): For a t-test, DF = n - 2.

Module 9: Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

1. Trophic Levels:

   • Primary Producers: Plants or algae.

   • Primary Consumers: Herbivores.

   • Secondary Consumers: Carnivores.

   • Energy decreases by ~90% at each trophic level, so higher levels have less energy.

2. Bioaccumulation vs. Biomagnification:

   • Bioaccumulation: Toxins build up in an organism.

   • Biomagnification: Toxins become more concentrated as you move up the food chain.

Module 10: Endnote

1. What Endnote is: Reference management software to organize citations and format bibliographies.

2. Change preferences/styles: You can quickly switch citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) through Endnote.

3. Insert references: Endnote allows easy insertion of references into Word documents.

Module 11: Human Population Growth

1. Age Pyramids:

   • Expansive: Large number of young people, high birth rate.

   • Stationary: Even distribution across age groups, low birth and death rates.

   • Constrictive: Small proportion of young people, aging population.

2. Degrees of Freedom (DF) and R Value:

   • DF = n - 2 for correlation or regression.

   • R from R²: Take the square root of R² (positive for direct correlation, negative for inverse).

   • P-value: Find p-value from the R value using a p-value table.

3. Consequences of population growth: Strain on resources (food, water), environmental degradation, overcrowding.

Module 12: Microscopy, Microbiology & Gram Staining

1. Gram Staining:

   • Gram-positive bacteria: Thick peptidoglycan, stains purple.

   • Gram-negative bacteria: Thin peptidoglycan, outer membrane, stains pink.

2. Bacterial Shapes:

   • Spirillum: Corkscrew-shaped.

   • Coccus: Spherical.

   • Bacillus: Rod-shaped.

3. Microscope Types:

   • Compound Light: Uses light and multiple lenses (most common for bacteria).

   • Electron: Uses electron beams for higher resolution.

   • Confocal: Uses laser for detailed 3D images.

4. Wet Mount vs. Bacterial Smear:

   • Wet Mount: No heat fixation, typically for live samples.

   • Bacterial Smear: Heat-fixed, used for staining.

Quick Tips for Studying:

• Focus on definitions and key differences (e.g., mutualism vs. commensalism, bioaccumulation vs. biomagnification).

• Practice calculations for mean, SD, and hypothesis testing.

• Review Gram staining images and bacterial shapes. Know the colors and shapes for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

• For human population growth, understand the types of age pyramids and be able to interpret scatter plots.

This guide will help you quickly grasp key concepts and maximize your one hour of study! Let me know if you'd like to dive deeper into any section.

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Here's a more detailed study guide with comprehensive explanations for each module. This guide will help you consolidate your knowledge and be well-prepared for your exam:

Module 6: Plant Nutrients

1. Macronutrients Provided by Soil:

   • Primary Nutrients:

     • Nitrogen (N): Essential for the production of amino acids, proteins, and chlorophyll. Plants use it for rapid growth.

     • Phosphorus (P): Important for energy transfer (ATP), root development, and flowering.

     • Potassium (K): Vital for enzyme activation, photosynthesis, and water regulation.

   • Secondary Nutrients:

     • Calcium (Ca): Strengthens cell walls, plays a role in cell division.

     • Magnesium (Mg): Central atom in chlorophyll, involved in photosynthesis.

     • Sulfur (S): Important for protein synthesis, enzyme function.

2. Macronutrients NOT Provided by Soil:

   • Micronutrients like Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), etc., are required in trace amounts and typically provided through organic matter or fertilizers.

3. Mobile vs. Immobile Nutrients:

   • Mobile Nutrients: Can move from older leaves to younger parts. Deficiency symptoms show first in older leaves. Examples: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K).

   • Immobile Nutrients: Remain fixed in the tissue where they were absorbed. Deficiency symptoms appear first in new growth. Examples: Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg).

Module 7: Species Interactions

1. Commensalism: One species benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed (e.g., barnacles on whales).

2. Mutualism:

   • Facultative: Both species benefit but can survive independently (e.g., oxpeckers and buffalo).

   • Obligate: Both species depend on each other for survival (e.g., lichens, which are a mutualistic relationship between fungi and algae).

3. Competition:

   • Interspecific: Between different species, where both are negatively affected due to competition for resources (e.g., trees competing for sunlight).

   • Intraspecific: Between members of the same species (e.g., animals competing for mates or food).

4. Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs:

   • Autotrophs: Organisms that produce their own food.

     • Photoautotrophs: Use sunlight for energy (e.g., plants, algae).

     • Chemoautotrophs: Use inorganic compounds (e.g., some bacteria in deep-sea vents).

   • Heterotrophs: Organisms that rely on consuming other organisms for food.

     • Herbivores: Eat plants (e.g., cows, rabbits).

     • Carnivores: Eat other animals (e.g., lions, sharks).

     • Omnivores: Eat both plants and animals (e.g., humans, pigs).

5. Bioaccumulation vs. Biomagnification:

   • Bioaccumulation: The build-up of a substance (usually toxins like pesticides) in an organism over time. This happens when an organism accumulates toxins faster than it can eliminate them.

   • Biomagnification: The increase in concentration of a toxin as it moves up the food chain. For example, small organisms accumulate toxins, and as larger organisms eat them, the toxins become more concentrated.

6. Allelopathy: The chemical inhibition of one plant species by another, preventing the growth of competitors. This can be beneficial for the plant releasing the chemicals (e.g., black walnut trees release juglone that inhibits other plants).

Module 8: Statistics

1. Hypothesis Testing:

   • Null Hypothesis (H0): Assumes no effect or difference between groups (e.g., "There is no difference in growth between the two plant species").

   • Alternative Hypothesis (HA): Suggests that there is an effect or difference (e.g., "There is a difference in growth between the two plant species").

2. P-Value:

   • p-value ≤ 0.05: Reject the null hypothesis (there is a significant effect).

   • p-value > 0.05: Fail to reject the null hypothesis (no significant effect).

   • Examples:

     • p-value = 0.045: Reject the null hypothesis (significant result).

     • p-value = 0.1365: Fail to reject the null hypothesis (no significant result).

3. Key Calculations:

   • Mean (x̄): Sum of all data points / number of data points.

   • Variance (s²): Measures the spread of data. It’s the average of the squared differences from the mean.

     • Formula: s2=∑(xi−xˉ)2n−1s^2 = \frac{\sum (x_i - \bar{x})^2}{n-1}s2=n−1∑(xi​−xˉ)2​

   • Standard Deviation (s): Square root of variance. A higher SD means more variation.

   • Standard Error (SE): Measures the accuracy of the sample mean. Formula: SE=snSE = \frac{s}{\sqrt{n}}SE=n​s​

4. Degrees of Freedom (DF): For a t-test or simple correlation, DF = n - 2.

Module 9: Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

1. Trophic Levels:

   • Primary Producers: Plants/algae that produce their own energy via photosynthesis.

   • Primary Consumers: Herbivores that eat primary producers.

   • Secondary Consumers: Carnivores that eat primary consumers.

2. Energy Transfer:

   • Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next level, with the rest being lost as heat or used for metabolic processes.

3. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification:

   • Bioaccumulation: Toxins accumulate in an organism's body over time.

   • Biomagnification: The concentration of toxins increases as they move up the food chain.

Module 10: Endnote

1. Endnote Overview:

   • What it is: A software for managing references and citations.

   • Functionality: Helps to organize, store, and cite sources in documents like research papers.

2. Customizing Preferences/Styles:

   • You can easily switch between different citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago) through Endnote's preferences.

3. Inserting References: Endnote can insert citations directly into Word documents, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

Module 11: Human Population Growth

1. Age Pyramids:

   • Expansive: High birth rates, expanding population (e.g., countries with high fertility rates).

   • Stationary: Stable birth and death rates (e.g., developed countries).

   • Constrictive: Aging population, lower birth rates (e.g., Japan, some European countries).

2. Key Calculations:

   • Degrees of Freedom (DF): DF = n - 2.

   • R and R²: R is the correlation coefficient (square root of R²). It shows the strength and direction of a relationship.

   • P-value: You can find a p-value from an R value using a table for statistical significance.

3. Consequences of Population Growth:

   • Resource depletion, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, increased pollution, and potential food and water shortages.

Module 12: Microscopy, Microbiology & Gram Staining

1. Gram Staining:

   • Gram-positive: Thick peptidoglycan layer, stains purple.

   • Gram-negative: Thin peptidoglycan layer, stains pink due to the outer membrane.

2. Bacterial Shapes:

   • Coccus: Spherical.

   • Bacillus: Rod-shaped.

   • Spirillum: Corkscrew-shaped.

3. Microscope Types:

   • Compound Light Microscope: Commonly used to view bacterial shapes and Gram stains.

   • Electron Microscope: Uses electron beams for higher magnification (cannot view live bacteria).

   • Confocal Microscope: Produces 3D images using lasers, often used in advanced research.

4. Wet Mount vs. Bacterial Smear:

   • Wet Mount: Used for live specimens, no heat fixation, allows observing movement.

   • Bacterial Smear: Heat-fixed and stained, used for observing cell structure and Gram reaction.