Biology Staar
Students studying the interaction among the reproductive parts of flowering plants make the graphic organizer shown.Which terms best complete the numbered blanks in the flowchart?
(1) petals (2) stigma (3) ovule
In a Central Texas grassland, the producers incorporate 12,000 kJ of energy from the sun into their tissues. About how much energy would be incorporated into the tissues of herbivores?
1,200 kJ because they gain only 10%
In domesticated dogs, hair type is controlled by two different alleles. The allele for wire hair is (H) and the allele for smooth hair is (h). When two heterozygous dogs are crossed, what percentage of the offspring is expected to be homozygous for smooth hair?
25%
Which type of movement across a cell's plasma membrane requires energy supplied by ATP?
Active transport
Which sequence best describes an interaction between the integumentary and excretory systems that helps maintain homeostasis?
Body temperature increases Glands release sweat Body temperature decreases
Which sequence represents the levels of organization found in a multicellular organism, from smallest to largest?
Cell -> tissue-> organ->organ system
Which system must interact with the respiratory and digestive systems to transport gases and nutrients throughout the body?
Circulatory
In some coral reefs, a symbiotic relationship exists between pygmy seahorses and sea fans. The pygmy seahorse can wrap its tail around the branches of the sea fan. This allows the pygmy seahorse to be camouflaged within the sea fan, protecting it from predators. The pygmy seahorse does not harm or benefit the sea fan while it grasps the branches with its tail. What is the correct classification of this symbiotic relationship?
Commensalism
What components make up the backbone of a DNA molecule?
Deoxyribose and phosphate groups
Why is it important to assign each organism a scientific name?
Each scientific name applies to only one species, making it universally identifiable to scientists.
Blue flying fish live in the upper layers of the ocean. Blue flying fish have enlarged pectoral fins that enable them to glide for 400 meters above the ocean surface and appear to fly. Which statement best describes how natural selection led to enlarged pectoral fins in blue flying fish?
Fish with enlarged pectoral fins were able to glide out of the ocean to escape predators, increasing their fitness.
Which of these is the most likely result of the process shown in the diagram?
Gametes will contain new allele combinations.
E. coli has three genes that each code for different enzymes that break down lactose. Scientists conducted investigations about the production of these enzymes using samples of E. coli. Their results are shown in the table.Their results are shown in the table. Which conclusion about the production of the enzymes can be determined by analyzing the scientists' results?
Gene expression for the enzymes was controlled by the presence of lactose.
What are the products of the cellular processes in these organelles?
I: carbon dioxide and water II: glucose and oxygen
which amino acid would be coded first from the DNA strand being transcribed?
Met
Which conclusion about the microorganisms naturally found in the body is most likely supported by these data?
Microorganisms are important in promoting healthy immune systems.
Based on the graph, which process is occurring between minute 5 and minute 10?
Mitochondria are using oxygen to produce ATP.
Leaf-cutter ants harvest leaves and carry them to fungi that convert plant material into a usable form for the ants to digest. The fungi depend on the leaves for nutrients. The ants also produce an antibiotic on their bodies that helps protect the fungi from harmful bacteria. Which of these explains the relationship between the leaf-cutter ants and the fungi?
Mutualism, because both the ants and the fungi benefit from each other
Which component can be added to the flask to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the model atmosphere created by the disks?
Plants to absorb carbon in the process of photosynthesis
Which statements best compare a function of proteins and lipids in a human cell?
Proteins catalyze chemical reactions inside the cell. Lipids allow for the transport of certain molecules into and out of the cell
Which of these shows an example of an insertion mutation?
RSTUVoXYZ-> KL RSTUVoXYZ
A table comparing the characteristics of four samples is shown. Which sample most likely contains viruses?
Sample 3
Which statements explain how a mutation in a somatic cell is different from a mutation that occurs in gametes?
Somatic cell mutations are generally not passed to offspring. Gamete mutations are usually passed to offspring.
Which mollusk moves by jet propulsion and does not have an external shell?
Squid
Scientists determined the total mass of DNA from a sample of animal cells. The masses of equal numbers of cells were taken during three different stages of the cell cycle. Stage I contains cells massed during G1 of the cell cycle. Which statement best describes the cells during Stage II?
The cells have replicated their DNA, but have not completed mitosis and cytokinesis.
Which statement best describes what will happen to cells in an organism that lack contact inhibition?
The cells will continue to grow, causing a tumor in the body.
During an extended dry season in an area, the majority of the ground cover dried up. Which description best explains how this would affect the ecosystem in that area?
The ecosystem would become less stable because less energy would be available to it from the decrease in producers.
When a stem cell divides, it produces two daughter cells. One daughter cell will remain a stem cell, while the other daughter cell will differentiate into a specialized cell. Which factor will most directly determine what type of specialized cell will be produced?
The genes that are expressed
Which statement best describes the interaction between body systems that allows horses to repel biting flies.
The nervous system senses the biting flies and sends a signal to the muscular system to move.
Which characteristic best distinguishes these cells as either prokaryotic or eukaryotic?
The organization of the genetic material
Water, sugar, and other important nutrients need to be transported from one part of a plant to another. Which statement correctly describes the interaction of the root and shoot systems during nutrient transport?
The roots take in water and the leaves produce sugar that are transported to the rest of the plant through vascular tissues.
Oil spills in the ocean affect marine food webs. Animals that are initially affected by oil spills include sea otters, seabirds, and other organisms that spend most of their time on the ocean surface. Based on the food web, how would a significant decrease in the sea otter population due to an oil spill most likely affect this ecosystem?
The sea urchin population would increase causing the kelp population to decrease
Based on this table, which explanation best describes why elk and fallow deer are classified in the same genus?
They are both in family Cervidae and share a more recent common ancestor
Which characteristic do all organisms in Kingdoms Animalia, Protista, and Fungi have in common?
They are eukaryotic.
Which statement best describes a similarity among trees, cats, and amoebas?
They contain DNA composed of the same four types of nucleotides.
Most animals avoid eating monarch butterflies due to their bad taste. Viceroy butterflies look very similar to the monarchs. Which of these best explains how the viceroy butterfly benefits from looking like the monarch butterfly?
Viceroy butterflies are able to deter predators in the same way as the monarch butterflies.
A model of the genetic control of coat color in rabbits is shown. Which Punnett square represents a cross that would produce albino offspring?
a c^ch c c^h c
How does a virus replicate?
a virus enters a host cell and uses the materials from the host cell to produce new virus particles.
A model of an enzyme and its corresponding substrate is shown. Which model best represents the molecules at the end of the reaction?
b
Which model accurately shows a cell progressing through mitosis?
b
Which numbered location on the phylogenetic tree identifies characteristics shared by Species B, C, and D?
b- location 2
Green anoles are lizards that can change their skin color rapidly in response to various stimuli. This adaptation is the result of —
beneficial traits passed from parents to offspring
Which table best compares the events that occur during different stages of the cell cycle?
f
Cross-pollination of flowers from different populations of the same species will most likely result in —
gene flow as new alleles are introduced
Which energy pyramid best models energy flow in the Texas Gulf Coast community?
h- Stone crab gulf pipefish Aquatic Plants
Which part of the DNA model is most directly associated with the coding of genetic information
j
White clovers, Trifolium repens, are plants that are native to Europe and Central Asia and are able to produce the poison cyanide within their cells. Skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, is a plant that is native to eastern North America and can produce a chemical that makes it have a strong, foul odor and bitter taste. The chemicals produced by both the white clovers and skunk cabbages are adaptations that allow them to —
protect against herbivores
Two scientists studied patterns of evolution in the fossil record. Many species they analyzed showed periods of slow changes interrupted by a period of rapid change. This pattern of periods of slow change interrupted by periods of rapid change with few, if any transitional fossils, best describes the theory of —
punctuated equilibrium
Positive thigmotropism is a response in plants in which they move and grow toward an object the plant comes into physical contact with, usually curling around the object. This response of the shoot system benefits the plant by allowing the plant to —
reach more sunlight for photosynthesis
After a wheat field is cleared, wild grasses and weeds begin growing. This process is considered —
secondary succession because soil is already present