EXAM 1 : Suggested exercises and study tips

● Read the lecture notes again. Then use your notes to list each major heading (the top level of the outline); next, put away your notes and try to explain from memory what is covered in each heading. It helps to have a study partner or group for this, so you have someone to explain things to who can check you and let you know how you are doing. ● Go through the lecture notes and focus on the bold-faced terms. Be sure you understand and can define or describe all of them. Identify terms that apply to more than one topic or taxonomic group. Write definitions from your text book and class notes; then rewrite definitions in your own words. After writing definitions, test yourself by looking at definitions only and supplying the appropriate terms. ● Fill out the exercises, tables and and all life cycles in the lecture notes. This will help you summarise and grasp the material better.

Topic 1 ● List the 8 major taxonomic ranks or levels, in order from most inclusive to most specific. ● Define species, both in terms of the biological species concept and the evolutionary species concept. Note the problems with practical use of these definitions, especially with asexual species. ● Compare and contrast cladistics with traditional taxonomy. ● Make sure that you can use and understand terms like clade, grade, monophyletic group, paraphyletic group, polyphyletic group, paraphyletic basal assemblage, and sister groups. ● Draw a cladogram (you can just make up what is in it) to show: a) a monophyletic group, b) a polyphyletic group, c) a paraphyletic group, d) a clade; e) a grade; f) a paraphyletic basal assemblage; and g) sister groups. ● List the three domains of living organisms. Provide an example of each one. List the kingdoms in each domain. Draw a phylogenetic tree (cladogram) to show the relationships between the domains, and between the kingdoms. Be sure to note that Protista is not a monophyletic group, and the relationship of Plantae and Animalia to members of Protista. Review your knowledge of cell division so that you clearly understand and can easily converse with the following terms: haploid, diploid, polyploid, mitosis, meiosis, gamete, fertilization, syngamy, plasmogamy, karyogamy, and zygote. ● Use diagrams to illustrate the differences between gametic meiosis, zygotic meiosis, and alternation of generations with sporic meiosis. Be sure to include meiosis, fertilization, mitosis, diploid (2N) and haploid (1N) labels where appropriate. Then expand on this diagram for alternation of generations in plants, noting the gametophyte and the sporophyte generations. ● Write a taxonomic summary of the groups we have discussed so far. You should include 3 domains and 6 kingdoms. This summary should include key identifying characteristics, groupings (monophyletic group or not, etc., along with closest relatives among other groups), terms associated with each, and something about importance where noted. Topic 2: Protista ● Write a taxonomic summary of the Eukarya and the eight “supergroup” lineages and include key identifying characteristics, groupings (monophyletic group or not, etc., along with closest relatives among other groups), terms associated with each, and something about importance where noted. ● Briefly characterize the following phyla in the kingdom Protista: Gymnamoeba, Foraminifera, Radiolaria, Euglenophyta, Dinoflagellata, Kinetoplastida, Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Myxogastrida, Ciliophora, Choanoflagellida, Apicomplexa, Phaeophyta, Rhodophyta, Oomycota. Identify the common characteristics of each. Which of these are usually considered to be algae? Which of these are usually considered to be protozoa? ● Most questions about a phylum will include several identifying traits, with an emphasis on unique traits or facts about the phylum (for example, the fact that Foraminifera tests make up much of the world’s limestone). Your will be choosing the appropriate phylum based on a description. If a common name is paired with a phylum in the outline, often that name will be paired with the phylum name in the answer choices (for example, Apicomplexa/ sporozoans) – however, it usually will NOT be a clue in the question itself; knowing that sporozoans is an alternative name for members of phylum Apicomplexa will not get you any points if that is all you know about sporozoans. That means that you need to actually know the facts about a group, and not just name associations.

Topic 3: Fungi

● List characteristics that members of kingdom Fungi have in common. What growth forms are typical of fungi? List the 5 phyla plus imperfect fungi. Briefly describe how each group is unique and supply common names where appropriate. What are some specific examples of each group?

● What is the basic life cycle type for all fungi? Distinguish between plasmogamy and karyogamy. Do they occur simultaneously? Diagram a life cycle typical of the Zygomycota, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Point out diploid and haploid and dikaryotic stages. How do the 3 differ from one another. Explain why these fit the pattern of zygotic meiosis. Use the diagrams in the textbook and lecture notes.

● Draw the life cycle of a typical member of the Bryophyta. Label all parts as either haploid or diploid. Explain why water is required for sexual reproduction. Which generation is more dominant, the gametophyte or the sporophyte? Which grows attached to and dependent upon the other? Describe how spores are released from the sporophyte capsule. What kind of spores are they?

● How does the life cycle of a liverwort differ from that of a moss? What characterizes their asexual reproduction? What is an antheridiophore and an archegoniophore? How does the growth form of the gametophyte differ from that of a moss? Where are elater cells found and what is their function?

● Why are the lichens not a typical taxonomic group? What are the photobiont and mycobiont? To what taxonomic groups do they belong? What is their ecological relationship? What are the 3 typical growth forms? Topics 4 and 5

● List characteristics of the Kingdom Plantae: 3 nonvascular phyla, 4 phyla of seedless vascular plants, and 1 extinct seedless vascular plant phylum (also know where the seed plants go in relationship to those other groups). ● If a particular species, genus, or other group was mentioned in the description of a phylum, that detail has a good chance of showing up as one of the clues in a question about that phylum. ● Look at other groupings that were covered with plants, such as Kingdom Viridiplantae, nonvascular plants, and seedless vascular plants. Describe what organisms are in these groups and why they are in them. ● For each plant group and phylum, note the general characteristics of the gametophytes and the sporophytes for that group (Which is the dominant generation? Does the sporophyte carry out photosynthesis? Is the sporophyte free-living? etc.). Be sure to note terms associated with these, such as antheridia, protonema, etc. ● Describe the difference between homosporous and heterosporous.