An algal bloom is a sudden and dramatic increase in the population of certain microorganisms such as algae or cyanobacteria in a body of water. when there are high levels of nutrients in the water, microorganisms will reproduce rapidly until they have used all the available resources. at that point, the algae dies off in tremendous quantities, vastly reducing the amount of oxygen in the water as it dies and begins to decompose. what impact, if any, would an algal bloom be likely to have on its local ecosystem? a) it would have no effect on the ecosystem because ecosystems are self-balancing. b) it would have no significant effect on the ecosystem since the algae dies off by itself after a time c) it would the ecosystem by providing extra algae for primary consumers to eat. d) it would kill many other organisms in the ecosystem by removing oxygen and nutrients from the water.

1. the passing of is the basis of heredity. 2. our encode the instructions that define our traits. 3. each of us has thousands of genes, which are made of and reside in our chromosomes. 4. in addition to our genes, the we live in also define our traits. 5. humans have two complete sets of chromosomes. 6. when parents conceive a child, each parent contributes set of chromosomes. 7. every child receives of its chromosomes from the mother and half from the father. 8. this transfer takes place at when the father’s sperm joins the mother’s egg. 9. while most cells in our bodies have two sets of chromosomes, or a total of egg and sperm each have chromosomes. 10. when egg and sperm unite they create a single cell called a 11. each parent contributes complete set of chromosomes to their child. 12. since the parents contribute the chromosomes to each new child, every child inherits a unique set of chromosomes. 13. as a result, every baby will have a combination of traits.

The diagram below represents a marine food web and a process that can harm the human population. each circle represents an organism and the smaller dots inside them represent a toxic substance. what is being represented and how does it harm the population? the diagram represents biological half-life, in which toxins build up in organisms higher up on the food chain, and this can negatively impact humans who consume the organisms and the toxic substance. the diagram represents biomagnification, in which toxins build up in organisms higher up on the food chain, and this can negatively impact humans who consume the organisms and the toxic substance. the diagram represents the process by which different organisms prey upon each other; this can impact the human population by reducing the number of organisms that do not contain the toxin. the diagram represents the way that toxins are metabolized by living organisms, with those at greater trophic levels able to metabolize more efficiently than those at lower levels. this means that those at higher tropic levels are safer for humans to consume compared to the organisms at lower trophic levels.

Read the following scenario to answer the following question. over the past 60 years, many amphibian species have experienced significant population declines, and some species have become extinct. scientists suspected that local human activities such as the destruction of wetlands, regional pollution, and deforestation were the main reasons for these losses. however, research over the past 20 years reveals significant amphibian population declines in protected areas of the world, such as nature preserves and parks. these global declines suggest widespread problems including increased ultraviolet radiation, acid rain, and disease. in switzerland, for example, 14 of the 20 native amphibian species are threatened with extinction. when most populations of a wide-ranging amphibian species are lost and the few remaining populations are widely separated, we expect to see that a. the founder effect becomes increasingly important b. microevolution no longer occurs c. gene flow between populations is reduced d. artificial selection becomes a greater factor in microevolution