Practice questions - without answers (Topic 8-16)

Final exam practice questions (Topic 8-16). Multiple choice questions: 1. What is the role of the outer membrane in Gram negative bacteria? A. It is an adaptation to staining techniques that tend to damage the cell B. It prevents alcohol to penetrate inside the cell C. It protects the bacteria against antibiotics D. It allows the bacteria to move on its substrate E. It increases the rate of binary fission 2. What is one advantage of sexual reproduction? A. Sexual reproduction can eliminate favourable allelic combinations B. Sexual reproduction increases the rate of cell division C. Sexual reproduction leads to multicellularity D. Sexual reproduction can increase the rate of adaptation in a changing environment E. Sexual reproduction always constitutes a disadvantage 3. Why do we consider that placoid scales of Chondrichthyes are teeth derivatives? A. They contain dentine B. They are homologous structures C. They are structurally similar to the teeth of other vertebrates D. They contain enamel E. All of the above 4. Which of the following can lead to the exponential growth of a bacterial population? A. Competition for nutrients B. A population size N equal to the carrying capacity K C. A population size N higher than the carrying capacity K D. Unlimited resources E. An increasing death rate 5. In what chronological order did the following traits evolve? A. First the mesoderm, second the notochord, third calcium phosphate bones and fourth the amnion B. First the notochord, second the mesoderm, third calcium phosphate bones and fourth the amnion C. First calcium phosphate bones, second the mesoderm, third the amnion and fourth the notochord D. First the mesoderm, second the notochord, third the amnion and fourth calcium phosphate bones

E. First the amnion, second the mesoderm, third the notochord and fourth calcium phosphate bones 6. Which of the following biological interactions can be considered interspecific mutualism? A. Two lions cooperating with each other while hunting B. Pollination from a hummingbird feeding on a flower C. A lamprey feeding on the blood of a lake trout D. A population of mussels that have their population size regulated via starfish predation E. A relationship between two individuals from different species and from which only one benefits 7. Which of the following is typically found at the lowest trophic levels? A. Chemoheterotrophs B. Photoautotrophs C. Primary consumers D. Carnivores E. Omnivores 8. Which of the following is not an advantage of the amniotic egg during the development of the embryo? A. Air insulation B. Mechanical protection C. Independence from water D. Gas exchange in a moist environment E. All of the above confer an advantage during the development of the embryo 9. Lichens are examples of… A. Predation B. Competition C. Commensalism D. Mutualism E. Parasitism 10. What are cyclostomes? A. Vertebrates with jaws B. Invertebrates whose mouth is formed first during embryogenesis C. Tetrapods with lobed fins D. Vertebrates with a circular mouth E. Invertebrates that have an exoskeleton

5. Bighorn sheep and pronghorns are two mammal species that almost went extinct in the early 20 th century because of unregulated hunting. Demographic studies of two populations from Alberta (one of each species) indicate that both species are still declining locally and that more remains to be done to adequately protect them. The figure below represents the survivorship curves of each species (bighorn sheep: top curve in blue, pronghorn: bottom curve in red). a) What type of survivorship curve is depicted for each species? ( 1 mark ). b) Genetic data suggest that the pronghorn population has a low and rapidly decreasing genetic diversity and that individuals have low average fertility. Name and explain the biological phenomenon likely causing this. ( 1 mark ) c) Suggest a simple strategy that could help rescue the pronghorn population. ( 1 marks ). 6. Two students (A and B) independently perform a mark-recapture experiment to estimate the population size of the same bighorn sheep population in a natural reserve (Alberta, Canada). The population sizes that they estimate differ as follow: • Student A estimates the population size to be 254 • Student B estimates the population size to be 228 Explain two possible causes for this discrepancy. For each, provide an example of how this could occur. ( 4 marks ). 7. Two plant species (A and B) that are endemic to Northern Ontario have been monitored since 2002. Each species consists of a single population with a very restricted geographical distribution. Each year, researchers measure the average distance between new seedlings of each species and the center of their respective population. Following the reintroduction in 2014 of the Franklin's ground squirrel ( Poliocitellus franklinii ), researchers were interested in its ecological effect on both plant species. Below is a graph that shows, for each plant species, the average distance of new seedlings from the center of their respective population before and after the reintroduction of ground squirrels. a) What effects did the squirrel reintroduction have on the geographical distribution of each species. Answer separately for species A and for species B. ( 1 mark ). b) Formulate two simple hypotheses (one for species A and one for species B) to explain why this may have occurred, focusing on the modes of dispersion for each plant species. For each of your two hypotheses, justify your answer by highlighting which data in the graph you are comparing. ( 2 marks )

8. The Alder leaf beetle ( Agelastica alni ) is commonly found in Southern Ontario and mainly feeds (unsurprisingly) on alder leaves. In 1974, the Green tortoise beetle ( Cassida viridis ) was introduced to the same region by accident, and it is now considered an invasive species. The Green tortoise beetle feeds on low vegetation such as herbaceous plants, as well as higher vegetation such as the leaves of many trees, including alders. The diagram below depicts the preferred feeding habitat of each species. What consequences could the introduction of the Green tortoise beetle have on the ecological niche of the Alder leaf beetle. Justify your answer. ( 3 marks ).