DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Autumn Semester ANIMAL POPULATION & COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

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1 APS208 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Autumn Semester ANIMAL POPULATION & COMMUNITY ECOLOGY Your answers should include named examples, and diagrams where appropriate. Answer TWO questions. Ensure that answers are written in SEPARATE answer books. 1. The majority of fisheries around the world are being exploited at an unsustainable level. Explain how ecological theory can be used to formulate sustainable harvesting policies and give reasons why such policies have rarely been implemented successfully in fisheries. 2. What is meant by the terms population regulation and population control? Explain how data from life tables can be used to examine the patterns of mortality in a population in order to identify the factors that regulate and control that population. 3. Explain the difference between direct and indirect interactions in ecological communities. Discuss situations in which understanding indirect effects is critical to interpreting patterns or changes in communities. 4. Explain the roles of species interactions in determining diversity in ecological communities. 5. Discuss the contributions made by laboratory experiments, field experiments, and field observations, to our understanding of the importance of competition between species. END OF QUESTION PAPER APS208

2 APS211 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Autumn Semester INSECTS Your answers should include named examples, and diagrams where appropriate. Answer TWO questions: the question in SECTION A (Student Centred Learning Exercise) and ONE of the questions from SECTION B. Ensure that answers are written in SEPARATE answer books. SECTION A (Student Centred Learning Exercise) 1. Write an essay on an aspect of the biology of a named insect taxon. SECTION B 2. A flea as big as a man could leap St. Paul s Cathedral. Debunk this urban myth. 3. The uniramian condition is key to understanding insect origins. Discuss this statement and explore the underlying controversy. 4. Why is there an inordinate number of beetle species. END OF QUESTION PAPER APS211

3 APS214 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Autumn Semester VERTEBRATES Your answers should include named examples, and diagrams where appropriate. Answer TWO questions. Ensure that answers are written in SEPARATE answer books. 1. What makes a vertebrate a vertebrate? 2. Mammals are just hairy reptiles. Discuss. 3. The chondrichthyes is a successful group. Discuss. 4. Was Archaeopteryx a dinosaur or a bird? Explain your answer. 5. Compare and contrast the features of primates with those of the other mammals. END OF QUESTION PAPER APS214

4 APS223 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Autumn Semester WORLD ECOSYSTEMS Your answers should include named examples, and diagrams where appropriate. Answer TWO questions, ONE from SECTION A and ONE from SECTION B. Ensure that answers are written in SEPARATE answer books. SECTION A (Answer ONE question) 1. Discuss how the abiotic environment (e.g. light, soil nutrients, water, CO 2 ) influences the structure (composition) and function of ecosystems, using examples drawn from at least two named ecosystems. 2. How does an understanding of the land-use history of plants and animals help us to interpret the structure of modern ecosystems? Illustrate your answer using examples from at least two named ecosystems. 3. To what extent do biotic interactions (e.g. plant-animal, trophic, competitive, facilitative) affect ecosystem structure (composition) and function? Discuss using examples from at least two named ecosystems. SECTION B (Answer ONE question) 4. What changes do you expect to see in Arctic ecosystems in 100 years time? 5. How has information from the long-term studies at Barro Colorado Island advanced our understanding of tropical forest ecosystems? END OF QUESTION PAPER APS223

5 APS268 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Autumn Semester GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & METABOLOMICS Instructions: 1. Write your candidate number and desk number in the spaces below. 2. Answer all six short answer questions in Section A. Write your answers in the spaces provided after the questions. There is adequate space for a full answer in each case. You will not need additional paper. Each question carries equal marks. 3. Answer ONE of the three essay questions in Section B using the blue booklet provided. 4. Marks are divided equally between Section A and Section B. Candidate number from U-Card (9 digits) to be completed by student Desk number to be completed by student APS268 1

6 APS268 Section A: Short answer questions: 1. What are ESTs and why are they useful in genomic research? 2. What do you understand by the term "reverse genetics"? 3. How can mass spectrometry aid the analysis of the proteome? 4. What is a microarray? Give one example of a question that could be addressed using microarrays. APS268 2

7 APS How can changes in metabolite abundance modify interpretation of microarray experiments? 6. Define the following terms: Oligonucleotide Comparative genomics Synteny APS268 3

8 APS268 Section B: Essay questions: 1. Using named examples describe how metagenomics has increased our understanding of the structure and function of microbial communities. OR 2. Describe and discuss the approaches that can be taken to investigate whether an annotated gene encodes a functional product. OR 3. How can mass spectrometry inform the results of gene expression experiments? END OF QUESTION PAPER APS268 4

9 APS203 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester PLANT POPULATION & COMMUNITY ECOLOGY Answer ONE question from section A and THREE questions from section B. Your answer to section A should be written in one blue answer book, each of your answers to section B in separate blue answer books. Section A and section B are worth equal marks. Write the appropriate question numbers on the front of the blue answer books. Your answers should include named examples, and diagrams where appropriate. SECTION A Answer ONE question only (45 minutes). A1. The year is The policy context for agriculture has changed radically. There are numerous grants and support schemes for sustainable and environmentally-friendly land management rather than for food production. Two farmers who own two adjacent farms wish to take full advantage of these schemes. One farmer aims to grow biomass fuel crops. Maximum production of biomass is therefore the objective, using fast-growing and vigorous crops such as willows or Miscanthus grass. The other farmer aims to re-create large areas of diverse wildflower meadows to capitalise on the growing demand for eco-tourism and possibly to harvest seed to support the widespread use of wildflower landscaping that is being used in towns and cities. Both farms have had exactly the same history of land management (previously growing conventional arable crops), have the same soil types and characteristics, and experience the same weather patterns. Describe how each farmer should manage their land to make it suitable for their desired outputs, with reference to (a) the characteristics and requirements of the two proposed crops, (b) ecological theory relating productivity and diversity of plant communities, and (c) the techniques available for manipulating soil fertility. A2. Seed dispersal is the key to understanding both the composition of local plant communities and the response of plant species to increasing habitat fragmentation. Critically discuss the evidence for this statement. A3. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of describing plant populations. EXAMINATION CONTINUES OVERLEAF APS203

10 SECTION B Answer THREE questions (15 mins each) APS203 Write each of your answers in a separate blue answer book and write the appropriate question number on the front. B1. The hemi-parasitic grassland species Rhinanthus minor is often recommended for inclusion in wildflower seed mixes. Why? B2. Briefly describe the classic experiment with three common British grasses that provides evidence to support the hypothesis that competition as a primary influence on vegetation composition operates at differing degrees of intensity with differing degrees of site productivity. B3. Why does average seed size increase consistently from the poles to the equator? B4. What is the relationship between seed dormancy and persistence of seeds in the soil? B5. Explain the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical interspecific competition, using appropriate graphs if necessary. B6. What is the law of constant yield and how is this linked to the process of self thinning? END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS203

11 APS206 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester BIOTECHNOLOGY AND FOOD Answer TWO questions. Write your answer to each question in a separate blue answer book. Write the appropriate question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include named examples, and diagrams where appropriate. 1. What factors facilitate light capture by crop canopies and why is this important? How might canopy architecture interact with the growth of weeds? 2. Discuss examples of how 'sources' and 'sinks' interact in respect of both carbohydrates and nitrogenous assimilates. How have source-sink relationships changed during wheat evolution? 3. How are plants currently used to produce non-food products? How might non-food uses expand with the use of genetically modified crops? 4. Discuss the extent to which genetically modified plants pose a greater risk to the environment or human health than crop plants developed by conventional means. 5. Discuss the way in which weeds can damage crops. END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS206

12 APS215 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester BIODIVERSITY Answer TWO questions, the question in SECTION A and ONE from SECTION B. Write your answer to each question in a separate blue answer book. Write the appropriate question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include named examples and diagrams where appropriate. Student Centred Learning Exercise SECTION A A Describe the current state of understanding of a major issue regarding the biodiversity of a particular taxonomic group. SECTION B B1 Explain, with specific examples, why the biodiversity of some groups of organisms is so much better known than is that of others. B2 Indirect use values of biodiversity promote conservation actions to a greater extent than do direct use values. Discuss. B3 What are the consequences of the fact that the majority of species are tropical? END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS215

13 APS216 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester PLANT, CELL AND ENVIRONMENT Answer TWO questions. Write your answer to each question in a separate blue answer book. Write the appropriate question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include named examples and diagrams where appropriate. 1. Discuss the problems that are faced by plants living in periodically dry environments and the adaptations that plants have to overcome these problems. 2. Discuss the circumstances in which plants are likely to encounter excess light and the mechanisms that enable them to cope with excess light. 3. Plants experience abiotic stresses on a routine basis. What problems do heat, cold and toxic ions cause plants, and how do plants cope with these stresses? 4. Light is a complex environmental signal of both current and future conditions. Discuss how plants utilise diverse photoreceptors to sense current and future events. 5. How has mutagenesis revolutionised our understanding of plant responses to the environment? What are the advantages and limitations of this approach? END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS216

14 APS220 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY Answer TWO questions, ONE from section A and ONE from section B. Each section is worth equal marks. Write your answer to each question in a separate blue answer book. Write the appropriate question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include named examples and diagrams where appropriate. SECTION A A1. Compare and contrast all modes of speciation and give an example of each, using both diagrams and a description. A2. Describe how extrinsic mortality shapes the evolution of life-history traits. SECTION B B3. What were the key events in evolution? Discuss two in detail. B4. Write a brief account, illustrated with examples, on each of the following: i. Stabilising selection ii. Disruptive selection iii. Frequency-dependent selection iv. Density-dependent selection B5. How have molecular data improved our understanding of evolution? END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS220

15 APS221 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester EVOLUTION OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS Answer TWO questions, ONE from SECTION A and ONE from SECTION B. Write your answer to each question in a separate blue answer book. Write the appropriate question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include named examples and diagrams where appropriate. SECTION A A1. Compare and contrast the colonisation of the land by plants and animals. A2. Explain how the evolution of different reproductive strategies enabled plants to invade new habitats during the Ordovician to Devonian. A3. Explain how the evolution of terrestrial vegetation affected the environment of planet Earth during EITHER the Carboniferous OR the Permian. SECTION B B4. Describe and discuss the evidence for the origin and adaptive radiation of the angiosperms during the Cretaceous. B5. Compare and contrast the palaeobotanical record at the Permian-Triassic and Cretaceous- Tertiary mass extinction events. END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS221

16 APS269 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES Spring Semester PALAEOBIOLOGY Answer TWO questions. Write your answer to each question in a separate blue answer book. Write the appropriate question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include named examples and diagrams where appropriate. 1. Explain the techniques by which fossil evidence can be used to reconstruct past environments. 2. Discuss the influence of palaeontological research on our current understanding of evolutionary theory. 3. Explain how palaeontological research has been integrated with developments in molecular biology. 4. Describe how cladistic analysis has revolutionized our understanding of dinosaur relationships. 5. Outline our current interpretation of Australopithecus and discuss the evidence on which it is based. END OF EXAMINATION PAPER APS269

Georgia Performance Standards for Urban Watch Restoration Field Trips

Georgia Performance Standards for Field Trips 6 th grade S6E3. Students will recognize the significant role of water in earth processes. a. Explain that a large portion of the Earth s surface is water,