CATALOG DESCRIPTION: "An introduction, through lecture, to the principles of ecology and evolution.  The concepts of ecosystems, populations, biogeochemical cycles, biogeography, natural selection and speciation will be studied.  The disciplines of sociobiology and ethology will be discussed."  LECTURE   3.0 CREDITS
  

A two-dimensional illustration of a portion of the feeding niche of the blue-gray gnatcatcher from the text (Smith & Smith, 1998).  Information like this represents the kind of material one learns in the Ecology & Evolution course.  The ecological concept of niche is not easy to understand in all of it's breadth and significance.  Through reading, lecture, discussion and study students explore such concepts.

This figure from (Smith & Smith, 1998) is illustrative of the ecosystem level information presented in the course.  Here, the carbon cycle of a forest is modeled to show the major compartments of the system and the cycling of carbon in it's simpliest form as carbon dioxide.  Some students of ecology find this scale of study more stimulating and easily graspable, whereas others prefer population or community studies more to their liking.  The course touches on all areas of ecology at the introductory level.

In addition to Ecology, this course is an introduction to Evolution.  Students learn about speciation, natural selection, Darwin's voyage of the Beagle, Hardy -Weinberg principles, and creationist thought.  This figure from Campbell & Reece (2002) illustrates the principle of clinal change from the work of Clausen, Keck & Heisey (1948).

The evolution of humans is covered in the course, too.  This cladogram from Ehrlich's book (Human Natures, 2000) is a wonderful 'spin' on the human condition, an important idea about our past.  Students are also presented information about recent fossil finds on details of our past.

The course is a challenging introduction to the subdisciplines in the Biological Sciences of Ecology and Evolution.  Primarily through lecture and reading students explore the natural world and learn something about the place of humans in that world.  Students can not leave the course without thoughts on conservation.

SYLLABUS - most recent                  Monday/Wednesday

        Instructor:  David White                                         Office Hrs: TR 2:00 - 3:30
        Class Time: MW 2:30 – 3:45                                  Classroom: Monroe Hall 156
        Office:  Monroe Hall 332                                         Phone: 865-2770 or 2288
        Web site: www.loyno.edu/~dawhite (check it out!)
        Texts:  ‘Biology’ – 6th ed.  Campbell & Reece,
                     ‘Darwin for beginners’ Miller & van Loon

DATE                                 LECTURE TOPICS                                  TEXT & CHAP.

January     12         Introduction to Ecology; then Evolution                          Chap 22 B
                 14         Early Beliefs and discoveries                                         Chap 22 B & D

                              MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY
                  21         Charles Darwin & Natural Selection                            Chap 22 B & D

                  26         Microevolution                                                            Chap 23 B
                  28         Hardy-Weinberg principles                                          Chap 23 B

February      2         Selections, Gene Flow, Founder Effect                         Chap 23 B
                    4                  TEST I

                    9         return Test; Case of the Road Kill Snail
                  11         Speciation - What's a species?; Isolating Mechanisms   Chap 24 B

                  16         Sympatric Speciation; Punctuated Equilibrium               Chap 24 B
                  18         Macroevolution; Geological Time Scale                        Chap 24 B

                               MARDI GRAS HOLIDAYS

March          1         Cladistics; Origin of Life                                     Chap 25 B to p. 498
                    3         Primate Evolution                                         Chap 34 B; pp. 707-715

                    8         Human Evolution                                          Chap 34 B; pp. 707-715
                  10                 TEST II

                  15         return Test; Guppies of Trinidad
                  17         Intro to Ecology & the Biosphere                                Chap 50 B

                  22         Population Characteristics; Life Tables                        Chap 52 B
                  24         Populations – Life Histories                                         Chap 52 B

                  29         Population Growth; Limiting Factors                            Chap 52 B
                  31         Communities; Niche; Competition                                Chap 53 B

                                EASTER HOLIDAYS
April           14         Communities; Trophic Structure; Symbiosis                 Chap 53 B

                  19          Community Structure; Diversity                                   Chap 53 B
                  21                     TEST III

                  26          return Test; Introduction to Ecosystems                       Chap 54 B
                  28          Primary Production                                                     Chap 54 B

May             3          Secondary Production                                                 Chap 54 B
                    5          Biogeochemical Cycles                                                Chap 54 B

                  10                      FINAL EXAM 2:00 – 4:00
 

Welcome into this exciting majors course in the Biological Sciences introducing you to the sciences of Ecology and Evolution. You must have taken 3 pre-requisites ‘core’ major courses (Cell & Heredity, Organismal Biology, Cell & Molecular Biology) to be enrolled in this course.  Otherwise you must have ‘permission from the instructor’. The course is packed full of relevant information and theory about the life history of our planet.  Our text for this course will be the pertinent chapters in the text (‘Biology’ by Campbell & Reece) that you have been using the past few semesters in your other core Biological Sciences courses.  Please come to class having read the assigned chapters.  Again, YOU SHOULD SIMPLY READ OVER THE CHAPTERS BEFORE CLASS. Unless I say otherwise, you must learn for the tests every bit of the material in each of the chapters assigned, plus any additional material I cover during lecture.  I will be presenting very up to date daily Powerpoint ® lectures and distributing the lecture in handout form at the beginning of each class.  It is your responsibility to obtain these lectures and to keep current with the material.  I can promise you that all ‘A’ students do so!

In addition to the Campbell & Reece text, I expect you to read the short ‘primer’ paperback entitled, ‘Darwin for beginners’.  It is a great primer on evolution and it covers material not found in your primary text.  You will be responsible for it’s contents only on the first test.  I will handout a brief list of concepts and terms from this paperback to help you with the material.
Please recognize that grades are a necessary “evil” which give you and the world my estimate of what you’ve 'earned'.  Your grade performance is relative to one based upon my experiences over my years of teaching.  I am certain that I am skilled at estimating these 'earnings' of yours.  You may or may not like my assessment, but I’m very confident of my ability to assess the amount of effort you’ve put into the subject material.

There are two outside class writing assignments for this course.  For the first writing assignment, I want you to answer 5 questions on evolution topics.  Choose any 5 from the total of 10, of which 8 are in the sections, ‘Evolution Connection’ or ‘Science, Technology, and Society’ at the back of Chapters 22 – 25 in your text.  And there are an additional 2 questions at the end of this syllabus. Write single spaced about 0.5 - 1.0 page on each question.  Each answer is worth 5 pts for a polished result for a grand total of 25 pts. This first assignment is due exactly one week after the 2nd test.  For each 24 hr period it is late I will deduct 5 pts from your total.  For the second assignment, I want you to do a similar sort of thing (answering 5 questions) with Chapters 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 and the two questions on the next page of this syllabus for a total of 12 questions to choose from.  This 2nd assignment is due the last day of class, with the same rule applying of 5pts off for each 24 hr period it is turned in late.  This assignment is also worth 25 pts.  For each assignment, please type out the question before each of your answers so I know which question you are answering (this typing does not count toward the length of your answer).

Now to the grading basics: There are 3 - one-hour tests in the course.  Each is worth 100 pts.  You must make every effort to take each test on schedule.  I will not give makeup tests unless you contact me before the test with a legitimate reason.  I may ask you for a note from the dean’s office.  Under no circumstance will you be allowed to makeup a test after I have returned the test to the class.  The Final Exam is mandatory.  You will fail the course if you do not take it.  It is worth 100 pts.  The grand total of all of these points is 450.  To be assured of earning an “A” grade in the course you must obtain 90% of those points; likewise 80% for a “B”; 70% for a “C” and 55% for a “D”.  Below 55% of those 450 points you will fail.

Additionally, you can earn up to 9 lagniappe points for attending faculty research seminars on an ecological or evolutionary subject at Loyola or some other regional institution.  You can receive up to 3 pts for each seminar by turning into me by the next class lecture a maximum one-page summary of the talk.  The summary does not have to be detailed.  I just want you to show me that you indeed attended the talk and left having learned something.  The maximum of 9 pts will be added to your total before the percent grade out of 450 is calculated.  Please take advantage of this opportunity.  I find the better students usually do.

What about class attendance?  It really is mandatory that you attend all classes so that you can easily do well in this course.  To that end, I will be taking roll in class periodically, rather frequently at first, but then occasionally, unless I find that attendance is slacking off at which point I will increase the frequency of roll call.  For each three classes you miss when I take roll I will remove 25 pts from your total of 450 pts.  Lastly, I will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism of any kind, and will seek the maximum penalty if you are caught!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Two additional questions over evolution for the 1st writing assignment.

1. Write a paragraph explaining why remote islands have a proportionately greater number of indigenous species than do islands close to the mainland.

2. What is the biological basis for assigning all human populations to a single species?  Explain why it is unlikely that a second human species could arise by cladogenesis in the future.

Two additional ecology questions for the 2nd  writing assignment.

1. Kristen, recent college graduate, is finding her idealism on a collision course with reality.  She strongly believes people who live in the United States are obliged to make the world a level playing field for all human beings, with equality in resources, health care, education, economic security, and a pristine environment for all.  Yet she also understands that the sheer size of the human population make this impossible.  Kristen recently said she cannot be party to hard choices and actions that go against her ideals, and she just wants nature to solve the problem for us.  Comment on this true story.

2. Many anti-environmental coalitions flourish in the United States.  One group, the Wise-Use Movement, has these goals among others:
    a. Cut all old-growth forests in national forest and replace them with tree plantations.
    b. Modify the Endangered Species Act so economic factors override preservation of endangered or threatened species.
    c. Eliminate restrictions on wetland development.
    d. Open all national parks, national wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas to oil drilling, mining, off-road vehicles,
        and commercial development.
    Focus on one of these Wide-Use Movement goals.  Do you agree or disagree with it?  Why or why not?

    Instructor: David White                                                 Office Hrs: TR 2:00 - 3:30
    Class Time: TR 11:00 – 12:15                                       Place: Monroe Hall 251
    Office:  Monroe Hall 332                                               Phone: 865-2770 or 2288
    Web site: www.loyno.edu/~dawhite (check it out!)
    Texts:  ‘Biology’ – 6th ed.  Campbell & Reece,
                 ‘Darwin for beginners’ Miller & van Loon

DATE                               LECTURE TOPICS                                      TEXT & CHAP.

January     13         Introduction to Ecology; then Evolution                          Chap 22 B
                 15         Early Beliefs and discoveries                                         Chap 22 B & D

                 20         Charles Darwin & Natural Selection                              Chap 22 B & D
                 22         Microevolution                                                              Chap 23 B

                 27         Hardy-Weinberg principles                                            Chap 23 B
                 29         Selections, Gene Flow, Founder Effect                           Chap 23 B

February     3                      TEST I
                   5         return Test; Case of the Road Kill Snail

                 10         Speciation - What's a species?; Isolating Mechanisms      Chap 24 B
                 12         Sympatric Speciation; Punctuated Equilibrium                  Chap 24 B

                 17         Macroevolution; Geological Time Scale                           Chap 24 B
                 19         Cladistics; Origin of Life                                        Chap 25 B to p. 498

                                MARDI GRAS HOLIDAYS

March         2         Primate Evolution                                            Chap 34 B; pp. 707-715
                   4         Human Evolution                                             Chap 34 B; pp. 707-715

                   9                      TEST II
                 11         return Test; Guppies of Trinidad

                 16         Intro to Ecology & the Biosphere                                    Chap 50 B
                 18         Population Characteristics; Life Tables                            Chap 52 B

                 23         Populations – Life Histories                                             Chap 52 B
                 25         Population Growth; Limiting Factors                                Chap 52 B

                 30         Communities; Niche; Competition                                    Chap 53 B
April           1          Communities; Trophic Structure; Symbiosis                      Chap 53 B

                                  EASTER HOLIDAYS

                  13         Community Structure; Diversity                                        Chap 53 B
                  15                      TEST III

                  20         return Test; Introduction to Ecosystems                            Chap 54 B
                  22         Primary Production                                                          Chap 54 B

                  27         Secondary Production                                                      Chap 54 B
                  29         Biogeochemical Cycles                                                     Chap 54 B

May             4         TBA

                   11                      FINAL EXAM 11:30 – 1:30
 

Welcome into this exciting majors course in the Biological Sciences introducing you to the sciences of Ecology and Evolution.  You must have taken 3 pre-requisites ‘core’ major courses (Cell & Heredity, Organismal Biology, Cell & Molecular Biology) to be enrolled in this course.  Otherwise you must have ‘permission from the instructor’. The course is packed full of relevant information and theory about the life history of our planet.  Our text for this course will be the pertinent chapters in the text, ‘Biology’ by Campbell & Reece, that you have been using the past few semesters in your other core courses in the Biological Sciences.  Please come to class having read the assigned chapters.  Again, YOU SHOULD SIMPLY READ OVER THE CHAPTERS BEFORE CLASS.  Unless I say otherwise, you must know for the tests every bit of the material in each of the chapters assigned, plus any additional material I cover during lecture.  I will be presenting very up to date daily Powerpoint ® lectures and distributing the lecture in handout form at the beginning of each class.  It is your responsibility to obtain these lectures and to keep current with the material.  I can promise you that all ‘A’ students do so!

In addition to the Campbell & Reece text, I expect you to read the short ‘primer’ paperback entitled, ‘Darwin for beginners’. It is a great primer on evolution and it covers material not found in your primary text.  You will be responsible for it’s contents only on the first test.  I will handout a brief list of concepts and terms from this paperback to help you with the material.
Please recognize that grades are a necessary “evil” which give you and the world my estimate of what you’ve 'earned'.  Your grade performance is relative to one based upon my experiences over my years of teaching.  I am certain that I am skilled at estimating these 'earnings' of yours.  You may or may not like my assessment, but I’m very confident of my ability to assess the amount of effort you’ve put into the subject material.

There are two outside class writing assignments for this course.  For the first writing assignment, I want you to answer 5 questions on evolution topics.  Choose any 5 from the total of 10, of which 8 are in the sections, ‘Evolution Connection’ or ‘Science, Technology, and Society’ at the back of Chapters 22 – 25 in your text.  And the additional 2 questions are at the end of this syllabus. Write single spaced about 0.5 - 1.0 page on each question.  Each answer is worth 5 pts for a polished result for a grand total of 25 pts. This first assignment is due exactly one week after the 2nd test.  For each 24 hr period it is late I will deduct 5 pts from your total.  For the second assignment, I want you to do a similar sort of thing with Chapters 50, 51, 52, 53, 54.  This 2nd assignment is due the last day of class, with the same rule applying of 5pts off for each 24 hr period it is turned in late.  This assignment is also worth 25 pts.  Please type out the question before each of your answers so I know which question you are answering (this typing does not count toward the length of your answer).

Now to the grading basics: There are 3 - one-hour tests in the course.  Each is worth 100 pts.  You must make every effort to take each test on schedule.  I will not give makeup tests unless you contact me before the test with a legitimate reason.  I may ask you for a note from the dean’s office.  Under no circumstance will you be allowed to makeup a test after I have returned the test to the class.  The Final Exam is mandatory.  You will fail the course if you do not take it.  It is worth 100 pts.  The grand total of all of these points is 450.  To be assured of earning an “A” grade in the course you must obtain 90% of those points; likewise 80% for a “B”; 70% for a “C” and 55% for a “D”.  Below 55% of those 450 points you will fail.

Additionally, you can earn up to 9 lagniappe points for attending faculty research seminars on an ecological or evolutionary subject at Loyola or some other regional institution.  You can receive up to 3 pts for each seminar by turning into me by the next class lecture a maximum one-page summary of the talk.  The summary does not have to be detailed.  I just want you to show me that you indeed attended the talk and left having learned something.  The maximum of 9 pts will be added to your total before the percent grade out of 450 is calculated.  Please take advantage of this opportunity.  I find the better students usually do.

What about class attendance?  It really is mandatory that you attend all classes so that you can easily do well in this course.  To that end, I will be taking roll in class periodically, rather frequently at first, but then occasionally, unless I find that attendance is slacking off at which point I will increase the frequency of roll call.  For each three classes you miss when I take roll I will remove 25 pts from your total of 450 pts.  Lastly, I will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism of any kind, and will seek the maximum penalty if you are caught!
 

Two additional evolution questions for the 1st writing assignment.

1. Write a paragraph explaining why remote islands have a proportionately greater number of indigenous species than do islands close to the mainland.

2. What is the biological basis for assigning all human populations to a single species?  Explain why it is unlikely that a second human species could arise by cladogenesis in the future.
 

Two additional ecology questions for the 2nd  writing assignment.

1. Kristen, recent college graduate, is finding her idealism on a collision course with reality.  She strongly believes people who live in the United States are obliged to make the world a level playing field for all human beings, with equality in resources, health care, education, economic security, and a pristine environment for all.  Yet she also understands that the sheer size of the human population make this impossible.  Kristen recently said she cannot be party to hard choices and actions that go against her ideals, and she just wants nature to solve the problem for us.  Comment on this true story.

2. Many anti-environmental coalitions flourish in the United States.  One group, the Wise-Use Movement, has these goals among others:
    a. Cut all old-growth forests in national forest and replace them with tree plantations.
    b. Modify the Endangered Species Act so economic factors override preservation of endangered or threatened species.
    c. Eliminate restrictions on wetland development.
    d. Open all national parks, national wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas to oil drilling, mining, off-road vehicles,
        and commercial development.
        Focus on one of these Wide-Use Movement goals.  Do you agree or disagree with it?  Why or why not?

STUDENT COMMENTS -

Below, I present a selected set of positive comments from responses to my own course evaluation before the standardized college-wide process began Spring, 2001.  For a more complete selection of statements on this course, please check out my student 'comments' page for the evaluation of this course as well as my other courses.

Spring, 2000

'I enjoyed this class immensely.  My favorite of the semester.  I learned a lot and couldn't wait for the next class.'  'I found Dr. White to be very knowledeable, friendly, patient, and interesting.'  'I really enjoyed the course and am thinking about applying for a job with the EPA after graduation, whereas before it hadn't really crossed my mind.  The class has also raised my awareness of nature and made me actually notice it more & pay more attention to how I treat it.'  Dr. White is very enthusiastic about this course and ecology in general.  I was told by other students that Dr. White was harsh and intimidating, but I have just the opposite. He is friendly and approachable.  I am glad I enrolled in this course.'  'Dr. White is very interesting and intelligent.  Even though his tests are difficult, they make sense.  Lectures are interesting and material learned was well worth taking the class'
 

Spring, 2002

'Very open to the opinions of the students on how the course was going to be taught.' 'Very interesting subject matter!  Texts were very good, especially the evolution book.  Very smart and enthusiastic.  Knows what he is talking about.  Wants everyone to learn.'  'Learned a lot about ecology & evolution.  Tries to make sure everyone understands the material.'  'Extremely interesting subject matter.  Instructor is extremely interesting and stimulates ability for students to understand information more thoroughly.'
 

Spring, 2003

'Dr. White is a great teacher not because he necessarily knows so much, but because he presents it to us in a way that we can easily understand the concepts.  This was my favorite class of the semester.'  'This course was a valuable learning experience.  It provided me with the basics of evolution and ecology, and it has made me want to learn further about the different topics.'  'Dr. White is very passionate in what he does.  In the classroom, he is enthusiastic and enjoyable.  I really like how he wants his students to more aware of their surroundings and how they effect the environment.'  'Many of the science classes I have taken give tests in multiple choice format.  This class forced me to make sure I truly knew the info and was able to clearly write about the subject matter.'  'Dr. White has a truly unique personality.  His passion for the subject shined through and I won't forget his examples!'  Did a wonderful job of conveying complex and elaborate material effectivelly and eloquently while stimulating critical thinking and application in the practical world.'  'The course was a great wayu to culminate the required biologies - I thoroughly enjoyed it!'  "I thoroughly enjoyed having him as a professor - he had great enthusiasm for this subject and a respect for the students.'  'Cool new information!'
 

Spring, 2004

'This was a very interesting course that makes students think about their role in the world.  Dr. White was very enthusiastic about the subjects and stimulated a lot of thinking from the students.'  'I learned a lot, especially when it came to affects of humans on the environment.  Communicates the material well and is passionate about what he teaches.  Powerpoint lectures were helpful for the exams.  They were useful in outlining what each chapter was about.  Dr. White gives a thorough amount of information on topics.' 'The Third Chimp' was a great book.  This course refined my views of humans and of nature.  Teaches the material effectively.  Best biology teacher I have had.  Supplying the class with notes made the learning experience easier.'  'The course covers material that should be more or less common knowledge to people, but is not.  It introduces ideas on the effects humans have on the environment.  Definately loves what he teaches.  Willing to listen and help our if you disagree with the way he graded something.'  'Dr. White is a very good professor.  I have learned so much in his class.  He has even interested me in furthering my knowledge in the ecology and evolution field.  I think there should be more ecology and evolutionary courses at Loyola and I think that every student should be required to take at least one.'  'You teach the material very well, communicating the info clearly and efficiently - something most biology profs can not do.'
 

A COPY OF A COUPLE OF PAST TESTS FOLLOW.  Use them for style - not every test are like these!.
 

February 5, 2002                                                 Name:________________________
TEST I

I.         Carefully define each of the following words.  You must write more than 3 informative sentences for each to
            get full credit.  In other words, be very complete.  5 pts.
            1. Niche -
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

            2. Ecology -
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

II.        Short answer.  Carefully answer each of the following.  Be very complete.  Give examples. 5 pts each
            1. Distinguish between hibernation and torpor.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

            2. State how two different species of plants can differ in quality versus quantity.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

            3. Describe the relationship between the two processes of mineralization and immobilization that occur through
                the action of decomposers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

            4. What are some of the advantages of being warm-blooded?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

III.         True or False.  Mark each of the following questions either true or false.  Each is worth 1 pt.
                1. Leaf production is costly to plants and so those in high nutrient environments rarely loose their leaves.
                    _______________
                2. Fossil water is water stored underground from recent surface runoff.  _______________
                3. Plant productivity increases with an increase of available nitrogen.  _______________
                4. An organism cannot do equally well in differing environments.  _______________
                5. Leibeg's Law of the Minimum is about the performance of an organism as a function of the most limiting factor.
                     _______________
                6. Ocean currents can be important to the distribution of the biomes of the earth.  ______________
                7. In both a forest and grassland, less than 5% of the light (PAR) reaches the ground. ___________
                8. Temperature does effect photosynthetic rate.  _______________
                9. Light levels that strike a forest floor more widely differ from season to season in the tropics than in the
                    temperate regions of the world.  _______________
                10. Every kind of plant has the same optimal temperature for photosynthesis.  _______________

                                Herbivores can have a difficult time obtaining sufficient nutrients.
                11. The highest quality of plant food for animals is high in nitrogen and in the form of proteins.  _______________
                12. Sodium deficiency can influence the distribution of mammals.  _______________
                13. It is generally true that ruminants face severe mineral deficiencies during the autumn just before rutting season.
                     _______________
                14. Mineral licks help supply ruminants with a supply of proteins during winter periods and thus dramatically impact
                      their winter distribution.  _______________

IV.         Multiple choice.  2 pts each.
                1. Solar energy reaching the earth's atmosphere (a) is completely absorbed by the atmosphere, (b) is nearly all
                    reflected back into space, (c) changes in wave length after being reflected back from the surface, (d) is completely
                    absorbed by water vapor.
                2. In the definition of the discipline "Ecology", the concept of an organisms "environment" is used.  This refers to (a)
                    the biotic world, (b) the abiotic world, (c) both a & b, (d) the physical world, (e) both a & d.
                3. "Microclimates" are (a) created by rain shadows, (b) are created by changes in elevation, (c) localized climates
                    even of the scale of anthills, (d) a & c, (e) all of the above.
                4. Models are (a) derived from only field study, (b) important as predictors based upon certain assumptions, (c)
                    critical in the study of animal systems but rarely used as predictors of plant systems, (d) a & b.
                5. Stomata (a) are located on plant roots, (b) play a role in transpiration, (c) are more likely to be more numerous on
                    desert plants than on plants from tropics, (d) b & c, (e) none of the above.
                6. The Coriolis force (a) is created by earth's rotation, (b) causes all moving objects to be deflected, (c) creates
                    the trade winds, (d) a & b, (e) all of the above.
                7. Water (a) is a covalent molecule, (b) is most dense when frozen, (c) has a high specific heat, (d) a & c, (e) all of
                    the above.

V.         Fill-in-the-blank.  Each numbered question is worth 2 pts.
                1. Animal activity that predictably changes every 24 hours, approximately matching the earth's rotation is called
                    _____________________________ rhythm.
                2. The study of the causes of the timing of seasonal events in plants is called ____________________________.
                3. All populations within an ecosystem are referred to as a __________________________.
                4. Cold-blooded animals are called _______________________________, whereas warm-blooded animals are
                    called ___________________________________.
                5. What is the name given to ALL of the ecosystems of earth?  _____________________________
                6. The maintenance of conditions (by the organism itself) within the range that the organism can tolerate is called
                    _______________________.
                7. Plants of salty environment are called ____________________________.
                8. The three things that a living organism does is survive, grow and _________________________.
                9. ______________________________ is the long-term average pattern of weather.
                10. A root-fungus association is called _______________________________.
                11. For some, "ecology" is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms.  Distribution refers to the
                    presence or _____________________ of an organism, whereas abundance refers to the
                    _________________________ of an organism.
                12. What is the name given to the protein class of chemicals that are the "light-detectors" in plants?
                    ______________________________
                13. The actual location or place where an organism lives is called its _______________________________.
                14. What does the acronym PAR stand for?  ________________________________________
                15. Name a short-day plant.  ________________________________
                16. Evaporation is the loss of moisture from a surface, and __________________________ occurs when fluids
                    mover over an object, and __________________________________ occurs when heat is transferred
                    between two solid objects.
                17. Name a kind of animal that is a heterotherm.  _________________________________
                18. What's the name given to the phenomena in insects of undergoing arrested development under harsh conditions?
                    __________________________________
                19. Plants in tropical regions of the world do exhibit seasonality as a result of differences in
                    _____________________ and not from differences in day-length as with more temperate plants.
                20. Living organisms require at least 30 - 40 chemical elements for life.  Those needed in relatively small quantities
                are called ______________________________, and include zinc, cobalt, etc.
                21. ___________________________ rocks are formed by the cooling of volcanic flows, whereas
                    ___________________________ rocks are formed by the deposition of sediments followed by intense
                    pressure.

April 25, 2002                                                              Name:__________________
                                                                             TEST IV
                                                                    ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
 

I.         Definitions.  Carefully define each of the following concepts or ideas.  3 pts each.
            1. essentialism -
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                2. transformatarianism -
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                3. population thinking -
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

II.         Matching.  Carefully match an entry in Column II with one in Column I.  Please note that the columns are of equal
            length.  1 pt each.

                            COLUMN I                                                                                      COLUMN II

______ 1. Homeobox genes                                                                       A. altruism

______ 2. Saltation                                                                                     B. panmictic

______ 3. Cladogenesis                                                                              C. Cambrian to present

______ 4. Artificial selection                                                                        D. same region

______ 5. Eukaryotic cells                                                                           E.  branching

______ 6. Convergence                                                                               F. unit of evolution

______ 7. Sympatric species                                                                        G. enhances fitness

______ 8. Teleological                                                                                 H. a local population

______ 9. Philopatric                                                                                    I. breeders

_____ 10. Finalism                                                                                        J. goal oriented

_____ 11. Adaptation                                                                                   K. regulatory ones

_____ 12. Kin selection                                                                                L. phyletic change

_____ 13. Norm of reaction                                                                         M. ontogeny

_____ 14. Orthogenesis                                                                                N. 'chimera' of prokaryotes

_____ 15. Deme                                                                                           O. protostomes/deuterostomes

_____ 16. Phanerozoic eon                                                                           P. 'even greater perfection'

_____ 17. Bilateria                                                                                        Q. new type by mutation

_____ 18. Recapitulation                                                                                R. cosmic teleology

_____ 19. Population                                                                                     S. breadth of phenotypes

_____ 20. Anagenesis                                                                                    T. placental/marsupials
 

III.         Short Answers.  Points as indicated.
                1. State 3 examples of 'natural selection'.  9 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                2. Why is gene flow a conservative process, or put another way, why does it have a conservative effect on a
                    species?  2 pts.
 
 
 
 

                3. List at least 5 majors lines of evidence for evolution.  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                4. 'It began in earnest with the Copernican Revolution!'  What began then?  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                5. Why are the faunas of Europe and North America on both sides of the Atlantic so relatively similar, when those of
                    Africa and South America so very different?  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                6. What is meant when one says that 'all organisms' can only be described in 'statistical terms'?  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                7. List the 5 facts that Darwin came up with to support his idea of 'natural selection'.  10 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                8. The relatively new 'molecular clock' data corroborates the much older fossil dating process remarkably well!
                    What is 'molecular clock' data?  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                9. Why do we suspect that life was derived from a single organism?  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                10. List the major dates in the early history of the earth and life on it, and what occurred on those dates.  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                11. According to Mayr, natural selection is a process of 'elimination', not 'selection'.  Why?  Is this important?  5 pts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                12. What's the importance of the hardy-Weinberg principles? -  "that certain conditions must be met for no evolution
                    to occur in a population"!  List the conditions.  10 pts.