Study Guide for 182 Final Exam (1996)

The final exam is Thursday, May 9th at 8 pm in McKale Arena.  Bring a 
pencil.  Lap boards will be available at the four tunnel entrances; pick one up 
as you come in.  Sit only in odd-numbered seats on odd-numbered rows; 
begin with row 11 in the RED section, through row 29 in the BLUE section. 

Review session:  Monday, May 6th, 2-4 pm, Social Sciences 100

InstructorsÕ office hours:
	Walsh:  Friday 8-9 am, Monday 8-9 am.
	Robichaux:  Thursday 1-2 pm, Wednesday 1-2:30 pm, Thursday 1-2 pm.
	Bronstein:  Friday 11-noon, Tuesday 10-noon, Thursday 1-3 pm.

Review Questions:  Walsh
You should review the same material that was covered on the study guide for 
WalshÕs exam.  He has not covered any more material since then.


Review Questions:  Robichaux
You should review the same material that was covered on the study guide for 
RobichauxÕs exam.  In addition, there were four more lectures that Robichaux 
gave that you have not yet been tested on.  The following questions apply to 
that material.

The Endocrine System

(1)  What are endocrine glands?  What is a hormone?  What is a target cell?  
How do lipid-soluble and water-soluble hormones differ?  

(2)  As discussed in lecture, what is the mechanism of action of some lipid-
soluble hormones (i.e., what sequence of biochemical steps occurs when a 
lipid-soluble hormone arrives at a target cell)?  Where are the following lipid-
soluble hormones produced, and what are their primary effects on the 
human body:  cortisol, androgens, and estrogens?

(3)  As discussed in lecture, what is the mechanism of action of some water-
soluble hormones (i.e., what sequence of biochemical steps occurs when a 
water-soluble hormone arrives at a target cell)?  With respect to the 
mechanism of action of water-soluble hormones, what are glycoprotein 
receptors, G-proteins, cAMP, and protein kinases?  Where are the following 
water-soluble hormones produced, and what are their primary effects on the 
human body:  adrenaline, luteinizing hormone, gonadotropin-releasing 
hormone, and insulin?

The Nervous System

(1)  What is a neuron?  What are cell bodies, dendrites, axons, and axon 
terminals?

(2)  What are the functions of pumps and channels in the plasma membranes 
of neurons?  What are voltage-gated and chemically-gated channels?  What is 
the resting potential?  What are action potentials?  What is the mechanism by 
which action potentials are generated and propagated by neurons?  What is 
the refractory period?  What are nodes of Ranvier, and how do they facilitate 
rapid propagation of action potentials?  

(3)  What is a synapse?  What is a neurotransmitter?  What are some 
examples of neurotransmitters?  As discussed in lecture, how do synapses 
work?  What is the primary difference between excitatory and inhibitory 
synapses?

Island Diversity

(1)  What three factors contribute to the exceptional diversity of native plants 
and animals in Hawaii?  (Hint:  (i) the isolation of the archipelago, (ii) the age 
sequence of the islands, and (iii) the great variation in habitats.)  What are the 
principal environmental threats to native plants in Hawaii?  (Hint:  (i) habitat 
conversion and loss, (ii) competition by alien plants, (iii) predation by alien 
animals (such as goats, sheep, and pigs), (iv) predation of pollinators by alien 
animals (such as mice and ants), and (v) infection by alien diseases.)  What 
demographic and genetic factors may influence the recovery of the Mauna 
Kea silversword?  (Hint:  (i) the remnant natural population contains only 41 
plants, (ii) mortality among pre-reproductive plants averages about 5% per 
year, (iii) the plants are long-lived, flower only once before dying, and are self-
incompatible, thus limiting the opportunities for recruitment, and (iv) the 
large outplanted population derives from only two maternal founders in the 
natural population, and thus exhibits low genetic variation.)    

Ecology and Conservation

(1) Where is Mono Lake?  What are some key physical and biological features 
of Mono Lake?  What is the principal threat to the integrity of Mono Lake?  
What does the fate of Mono Lake tell us about the balance between resource 
use and resource preservation?  What role did undergraduates play in our 
understanding of the Mono Lake ecosystem?


Review Questions:  Bronstein
You should review the same material that was covered on the study guide 
(Questions 1-26) for BronsteinÕs exam.  In addition, there were two lectures 
that you have not yet been tested on.  The following questions apply to that 
material.

1.  What is the theory of island biogeography?  Review how it helps us 
understand why islands have different numbers of species.  Are there more 
species on large islands or small islands, and why?  Are there more species on 
islands close to mainlands or far from mainlands, and why?  Be able to 
explain your answer using the kinds of graphs shown in Figure 50.8.  To 
answer this question you will have to be familiar with material covered on 
pages 1157-1160 of the textbook; not all of it was mentioned in lecture.  We 
will also discuss it in the review session.

2.  Describe the superorganism concept and the individualistic concept of the 
community.  Be able to draw a picture of how species would sort out along an 
ecological gradient if each concept were true.  Which concept more accurately 
describes the distribution of tree species along the Mount Lemmon Highway?

3.  Why do fig wasps pollinate figs?  Be able to explain why fig wasps are both 
mutualists and predators of these plants.  What are Òkeystone mutualistsÓ 
and what is the evidence that figs may have this role in tropical forests?  Page 
1100 summarizes information about the fig/fig wasp interaction.