Bio 112 final

Evolution: Populations change over time through natural selection. Structure and Function: Structure determines function. Information Flow: DNA/RNA control inheritance and communication. Pathways of Energy and Matter: Energy and matter move through living systems. Systems: Organisms interact across biological levels.

Evolution: Ticks and bacteria adapt to climate and hosts. Structure/Function: Tick mouthparts pierce skin. Information Flow: Borrelia stores/transmits genetic info. Energy/Matter: Ticks rely on blood meals. Systems: Lyme disease involves ticks, hosts, bacteria, climate.

Host: A living organism that harbors a pathogen. Vector: Agent that transmits a pathogen.

Hosts: Mouse or human. Vectors: Tick and Borrelia bacteria.

Graphs show trends, patterns, correlations (ex: humidity ↑ → ticks ↑) to explain disease spread.

Larvae hatch uninfected → feed on mice → acquire Borrelia → become nymphs → infect humans → become adults feeding on deer → lay eggs → cycle repeats.

Organism: Single living thing. Population: Same species in one area. Community: All species interacting. Ecosystem: Biotic + abiotic interactions. Biosphere: All life on Earth.

Organism: Tick. Population: Group of ticks. Community: Ticks, deer, humans. Ecosystem: Forest with organisms + environment.

Biotic: Living things that interact. Abiotic: Nonliving environmental factors.

Metabolism, homeostasis, respiration, growth, reproduction, respond to stimuli.

Abiotic: Climate change, rainfall, humidity, pH. Biotic: Plants, bacteria, animals.

Organism: One tick. Population: Group of ticks. Community: Ticks, mice, deer, humans. Ecosystem: Forest environment. Biosphere: All Earth's ecosystems.

Biotic: More mice → more infected ticks. Abiotic: Higher humidity increases tick survival.

It begins in rodents, transfers to ticks, then spreads to humans.

Transmitted from animals to humans.

Humidity, woods, temperature, rainfall.

Weather = short-term. Climate = long-term patterns.

Biome = area with consistent climate and organisms. Examples: forest, tundra, desert, savanna.

Ticks spread Borrelia when biting hosts; warmer climates and more deer/mice increase spread.

If Lyme moves north, hypothesis = warming climate expands tick habitat.

Abiotic factors determine survival; population sizes rise or fall; communities shift; ecosystems change.

Humidity, temperature, rainfall, forests, season length.

Ticks → temperate forests; camels → desert; polar bears → tundra.

Humans live globally; ticks prefer humid forests, causing higher Lyme rates there.

Greenhouse gases trap heat; climate change = long-term warming.

Rising CO₂, higher temps, melting ice, rising seas, seasonal shifts.

Ex: tick cases rise as temperature rises.

If warming continues, tick range and Lyme cases increase.

Habitat loss, fires, flooding, sea rise, crop decline.

Burning fossil fuels increased CO₂ → more trapped heat → warming.

CO₂ from burning fuels traps heat. Methane from livestock traps even more heat.

Climate always changes? Current rate is too fast and tied to CO₂. Sun? Solar activity stable while temps rise.

Same species, same area, same time, interbreeding.

More mice → more infected ticks → more Lyme disease.

Number of organisms in an area.

High deer density → more ticks. High mouse density → more infected ticks.

If tick numbers rise with temperature, climate drives population growth.

Limited food/space → populations shrink.

More resources → population growth; fewer → decline and ripple effects.

Clumped, uniform, random.

Clumped, uniform, random.

Clumped = resources. Uniform = territorial. Random = rare.

Map organisms, measure resources, observe behavior.

Type I high early survival; Type II constant; Type III low early survival.

Type I mammals; Type II rodents; Type III insects/fish.

Type I = K-selected; Type III = r-selected.

Maximize growth rate; many offspring, little care.

Life near carrying capacity; few offspring, more care.

Max number environment supports.

r = fast, many young. K = slow, few young.

r = rapid reproduction; K = competitive stability.

r = growth rate; K = carrying capacity; N = population size; t = time.

Logistic includes K; exponential does not.

High r = fast growth; K>N = growth; K=N = stable; K<N = decline.

Higher r → faster growth; higher K → larger population supported.

r = many offspring; K = few offspring.

J-curve = exponential; S-curve = logistic leveling off.

Symbiosis = close interaction; Mutualism = both benefit; Commensalism = one benefits, one unaffected; Parasitism = one harmed; Competitive exclusion = one species outcompetes another; Invasive species = disrupt ecosystems; Predator-prey = hunter and food; Plant-herbivore = animals eat plants.

All interacting species in an area.

Ticks, mice, deer, humans, bacteria interacting.

More mice → more ticks → more Lyme disease.

Remove deer → fewer ticks reproduce → fewer larvae.

S = logistic; J = exponential.

Better conditions = J-curve; limited resources = S-curve.

r → exponential; K → logistic.

Unlimited = J; limited = S.

New area, abundant resources, little competition.

One species rising while another falls in same niche = exclusion.

Mutualism both benefit; commensalism one benefits; parasitism one harmed.

Tick parasitizes mouse; deer + plants are mutualism; owl eats mouse predator-prey.

Two parasites using same host → better-adapted one wins.

Humans fragment habitats and increase climate change → more ticks → more Lyme disease.

Maintaining stable internal conditions.

Endotherms make their own heat; ectotherms rely on environment.

Constant temp = endotherm; fluctuating temp = ectotherm.

Rising temp → sweating → cooling → back to normal.

Temperature, blood sugar, pH, water balance, ions.

They enter diapause under leaves/soil to avoid freezing.

A change triggers a response that reverses the change (body temp rises → sweating cools body).

A change triggers a response that amplifies the change (ex: childbirth contractions).

Body anticipates a change and adjusts before it happens.

Negative feedback cools or warms you back to normal; feedforward = shivering when you step outside before you're cold.

Negative reverses change; positive increases change; feedforward anticipates change.

Shivering, sweating, panting, seeking shade, basking.

Thick fur = cold climate; long legs/large ears = desert.

Endotherms generate heat internally; ectotherms use environment.

Ticks are ectotherms; warmer temps increase tick activity, survival, and disease spread.

A nonliving infectious particle made of genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside a protein coat, sometimes with a lipid envelope. It must infect a living cell to reproduce.

The organism a virus infects and uses for energy and resources to replicate.

Viruses attach to specific receptors on host cells, inject genetic material, use host machinery to make viral proteins, and assemble new virions that can damage or kill cells.

Viruses contain genes, evolve over time, and reproduce (within cells), showing some traits of life.

They lack cells, do not use energy or grow, and can't reproduce without a host, so they're not considered truly alive.

Order, response to stimuli, reproduction, growth, regulation, energy use, adaptation, and evolution.

Viruses exist anywhere hosts are found: oceans, soil, plants, animals, bacteria, and even extreme environments.

Commensalism (one benefits, one unaffected), mutualism (both benefit), and parasitism (one benefits, one harmed).

Viruses act as parasites since they depend on hosts and often harm them.

Viruses control population sizes, recycle nutrients, and influence evolution by transferring genes between organisms.

Warming shifts habitats and vectors (like mosquitoes), spreading viral diseases into new areas.

Bacteria are living cells killed by antibiotics; viruses are nonliving and require antivirals or vaccines.

In symbiosis, species adapt to cooperation; in predator/prey, they evolve defenses or hunting traits; in competition, they adapt to gain resources.

Viral infections affect individuals (cell death), populations (disease), and ecosystems (nutrient cycling). Ocean viruses regulate algae blooms.

The change in inherited traits in populations over generations. Natural selection favors traits that improve survival (fitness); adaptations are those helpful traits passed on.

Humans choose desired traits in organisms (e.g., breeding dogs or crops).

Natural = environment-driven; artificial = human-driven. Both change traits over time.

(1) Variation exists, (2) traits are heritable, (3) individuals with better traits reproduce more.

Micro = small genetic changes within species; macro = large changes forming new species.

Evolution doesn't have a goal, doesn't happen to individuals, and isn't “just a theory.”

A DNA sequence that codes for a specific trait or protein.

A version of a gene (e.g., brown vs blue eye color).

A gene determines a trait; alleles are different forms of that gene.

Organisms evolve features suited to climate, food, or predators (ex: Arctic fox fur, cactus water storage).

Natural selection leads to adaptations that help organisms survive and reproduce.

Mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, natural selection, sexual selection.

Mutation adds variation; gene flow moves genes; drift changes allele frequencies by chance; natural selection favors best traits.

Migration spreads genes; drought favors drought-resistant alleles.

Differences among individuals.

The portion of variation in traits passed from parents to offspring.

Structural = body part; behavioral = action; physiological = internal process.

A diagram showing evolutionary relationships between species.

Prokaryotes lack nucleus/organelles; eukaryotes have them.

Plants have cell walls, chloroplasts, large vacuoles; animals do not.

Node = common ancestor; root = oldest ancestor; tip = current species.

Organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

When species cannot interbreed due to barriers.

Temporal, habitat, behavioral, mechanical, gametic, hybrid inviability.

Prezygotic prevent fertilization; postzygotic prevent viable/fertile offspring.

Temporal = breed at different times; habitat = different areas; behavioral = different mating calls.

Doesn't work for fossils or asexual species.

Identify ancestors, relationships, shared traits.

Ancestral = old, shared; derived = new, unique.

Monophyletic = ancestor + all descendants.

Acclimation = short-term; adaptation = inherited long-term change.

Homologous = same origin; analogous = same function, different origin.

Homologous show ancestry; analogous result from convergent evolution.

Unrelated species with similar traits due to environment.

Closest relatives share the most recent node.

Check nearest node or shared derived traits.

Connect species based on shared ancestors.

Gas exchange depends on surface area, diffusion distance, and concentration difference.

More surface area or bigger gradient increases diffusion; thicker membranes slow it.

Organisms increase surface area, thin membranes, moist surfaces, steep gradients to improve diffusion.

Influenza damages alveoli, reducing surface area and oxygen diffusion.

1) Evolution, 2) Structure and Function, 3) Information Flow, 4) Energy and Matter Pathways, and 5) Systems Interactions.

They connect all topics: evolution explains diversity, structure-function links organs and cells, energy flow drives ecosystems, information guides genetics, and systems show organism interactions.

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.

Abiotic means nonliving environmental factors like sunlight, temperature, and water.

Biotic refers to all living components in an ecosystem such as plants, animals, and bacteria.

A trophic level is a step in a food chain where organisms share the same function in energy transfer.

An organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis (e.g., plants, algae).

An organism that eats producers (e.g., herbivores like moose).

An organism that eats primary consumers (e.g., carnivores like wolves).

A chain reaction in an ecosystem where changes in one trophic level affect multiple other levels.

The ability to do work or cause change in matter.

The movement of energy through an ecosystem from the sun to producers to consumers and decomposers.

A linear sequence showing how energy and nutrients move from one organism to another.

Wolves and moose arrived naturally; wolves controlled moose populations, which affected fir trees. Disease and climate shifts altered their balance over time.

It suggests that the amount of plant growth (energy from producers) limits the number of consumers in higher trophic levels.

It proposes that predator populations indirectly affect plant growth by controlling herbivore numbers.

Compare population trends of predators, herbivores, and plants—correlations reveal if energy availability or predator effects dominate.

Ways organisms affect each other—competition, predation, and symbiosis.

When two species or individuals compete for the same limited resource.

When one organism (predator) kills and eats another (prey).

A close and long-term relationship between two species.

A relationship where one benefits and the other is unaffected.

A relationship where both species benefit.

A relationship where one species benefits at the expense of another.

Wolves prey on moose (predation); moose eat fir trees (herbivory); wolves indirectly help fir trees grow (trophic cascade).

It's lost as heat, used for metabolism, or excreted as waste.

Multiply the available energy by 0.1 (10% efficiency rule).

Divide available energy by the energy requirement of each organism.

Levels above lose food sources; levels below may overgrow without consumers.

Native consumers decline; producers may overgrow or collapse depending on food competition.

Base: Fir trees (producers), middle: Moose (herbivores), top: Wolves (carnivores); energy decreases upward.

Removing predators increases herbivores; adding predators decreases them and may boost plants.

Using known relationships to forecast population or energy changes.

Read axes, units, and trends to see how data supports or refutes hypotheses.

Compare patterns and correlations in measured variables to expected outcomes.

Ecosystem balance shifts, altering populations and energy flow.

Changes in climate, water, or temperature can alter reproduction, food availability, and behavior.

A trait that improves survival or reproduction in a specific environment.

Plants have thorns/waxes; consumers have digestive adaptations; predators have sharp teeth and stealth.

Adaptations improve an organism’s ability to get resources, avoid predators, survive climate conditions, and reproduce.

Structural = body parts (fur, claws). Physiological = internal processes (venom, digestion). Behavioral = actions (migration, hunting).

Adaptations arise through natural selection acting on heritable variations over generations.

Populations are one species; communities include multiple species; ecosystems include species plus abiotic factors.

Resources or conditions that restrict population growth.

When resources decline, population growth slows or decreases.

The maximum population size an environment can support long term.

Producers: light, water, nutrients. Consumers: food, habitat, predators.

Independent = changed on purpose; dependent = measured outcome.

A factor kept constant in an experiment.

Independent = what is changed; dependent = what is measured; controlled = kept constant.

Rapid growth without limits, forming a J-shaped curve.

Growth that slows as it reaches carrying capacity, forming an S-shaped curve.

Unlimited resources, little competition, low predation.

Limited resources, increased competition, reaching carrying capacity.

One organism hunts and eats another.

Prey increases first, then predators increase; if prey decreases, predators also decrease.

More predators = fewer prey; fewer predators = prey increase.

Species competing for limited resources like food or habitat.

Two herbivores eating the same plants; plants competing for sunlight.

Two species using the same niche cannot coexist; one will outcompete the other.

An organism’s role, habitat, and resource use in an ecosystem.

The full range of conditions a species could live in.

The actual conditions a species occupies due to competition.

Observe diet, habitat, behavior, and interactions with other species.

Climate determines available resources and conditions, shaping where species can survive.

A large region defined by climate and characteristic plant/animal life.

Desert, tundra, rainforest, temperate forest, grassland, savanna.

Weather is short-term; climate is long-term temperature and precipitation patterns.

Warming shifts where species can survive, expanding or shrinking their ranges.

Rising CO₂, increased temperatures, melting ice, sea level rise.

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, warming Earth.

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor.

Burning fossil fuels, agriculture, livestock, industry.

CO₂ has risen sharply due to human activity and fossil fuel use.

Warming climates, changing species ranges, increased disease spread.

Temperature, water, soil, and light determine which species can survive.

Humidity, temperature, rainfall, forest cover.

Ticks, mice, deer, humans, Borrelia burgdorferi.

It is transmitted from animals to humans.

Larvae → nymphs → adults, feeding on hosts at each stage.

Ticks acquire bacteria from mice and transfer it to humans or other animals.

Look for patterns in regions with higher cases and changes over time.

Warmer temperatures, higher mouse populations, and expanded tick ranges increase spread.

They determine where organisms can live by influencing temperature, water availability, soil type, and climate.

They affect reproduction, survival, and growth, which change population size.

Communities shift as some species thrive and others decline due to climate or resource changes.

They shape energy flow, nutrient cycles, and species distribution.

Humans live in many biomes but are most common in temperate biomes.

Ticks thrive in humid, wooded biomes such as temperate deciduous forests.

Lyme disease is common in forest biomes with high humidity and dense vegetation.

Look for trends, increases, decreases, or cycles over time.

Use observed patterns to forecast future outcomes.

A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area at the same time.

Mouse populations affect how many ticks get infected, influencing Lyme disease rates.

The number of organisms in a given area.

High deer or mouse density increases tick populations.

When resources run low, populations slow growth or decline.

More food increases population; less food decreases it.

Changes affect multiple species through food webs and competition.

Clumped, uniform, and random.

Clumped, uniform, random.

Resources are patchy or organisms group for protection.

Territoriality or competition for space.

Resources spread evenly and little competition.

Field mapping, measuring resources, observing interactions.

High early survival with most deaths in old age (humans).

Constant mortality across life (rodents, birds).

High early mortality with few survivors reaching adulthood (insects, fish).

Few offspring, lots of parental care, long lifespan.

Moderate reproduction, steady risk of death.

Many offspring, little to no parental care.

Type III = r-selected; Type I = K-selected; Type II = mixed.

Traits that maximize growth: many offspring, little parental care, short lives.

Traits shaped near carrying capacity: few offspring, more parental care, long lives.

The maximum population size supported by resources.

r-selected grow quickly; K-selected are stable near carrying capacity.

Reproduce rapidly with many offspring in unstable environments.

Produce fewer offspring with higher survival in stable environments.

r = growth rate; K = carrying capacity; N = population size; t = time.

The one that includes carrying capacity (S-shaped curve).

The one without carrying capacity (J-shaped curve).

Population grows rapidly.

Population grows slowly.

Population grows.

Population is stable.

Population declines.

Higher r = faster growth; lower r = slower growth.

Higher K = environment supports more individuals; lower K = fewer individuals.

J-curve = exponential growth; S-curve = logistic growth.

A close, long-term interaction between species.

One benefits, other unaffected.

Both benefit.

One benefits, one harmed.

Two species competing for the same niche cannot coexist.

A non-native species that disrupts ecosystems.

One hunts and eats the other.

Herbivores feed on plants.

All interacting populations of different species in an area.

Ticks, mice, deer, humans, and bacteria form an interacting community.

If mouse populations increase, more ticks get food and become infected, increasing Lyme disease transmission.

Removing deer lowers adult tick reproduction, reducing tick numbers overall.

S-shaped curve represents logistic growth.

J-shaped curve represents exponential growth.

More resources cause faster growth; fewer resources slow growth or cause decline.

r-selected species grow quickly when conditions allow.

K-selected species stabilize near carrying capacity.

Unlimited resources → J-curve; limited resources → S-curve.

Occurs with abundant resources, low competition, and few predators.

One species rises while another declines when sharing the same niche.

Mutualism benefits both; commensalism benefits one; parasitism harms one.

Tick parasitizes hosts; deer disperse seeds; mice host bacteria; owls prey on mice.

Two species using the same resource cannot coexist long-term.

Habitat fragmentation, climate change, and suburban development increase human-tick contact.

Maintaining stable internal conditions despite external changes.

An organism that regulates body temperature internally with metabolism.

An organism that relies on external heat sources to regulate body temperature.

Constant body temperature = endotherm; temperature changes with environment = ectotherm.

A graph showing rising body temp causing sweating that lowers temperature back to normal.