Life Science Cast

In this performance task, you will answer six questions.

On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, researchers observed that there are two types of wings in the population of native male field crickets:

•     Rough, textured wings that can produce a chirping sound

•     Smooth, flat wings that cannot produce a chirping sound

Categorize the effects of impact by the invasive parasitic flies when they were first observed in 1991

Groups:

(a) Expected to Increase

,

(b) Expected to Decrease

• Cricket Population size

• Cricket mating success

• Disruption of Kauai's ecosystem

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Select phrases from the lists to best complete the sentences.

After the arrival of the parasitic fly, the percentage of males with the flat wing (nonchirping) phenotype most likely changed because the flat wing (nonchirping) phenotype is ​ (a)   to the survival of male crickets.

This is because the flat wing (nonchirping) phenotype increases the likelihood of male crickets ​ (b)  

• advantage

• disadvantage

• avoiding detection by the fly

• finding food source

• attracting female crickets

Answer explanation

If the parasitic fly can not detect the crickets without sound , non-chirping crickets are at an advantage.

If they can not be detected the males will be able to mate more thus increasing the phenotype (exhibited gene) within a population

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-2

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Which statement best explains the trade-off between survival and mating in Kauai's cricket population?

• Male crickets are killed by female crickets shortly alter mating.

• Flat wing (nonchirping) males are not detected by the parasitic fly but struggle to find mates.

• Textured wing (chirping) males attack flat wing (nonchirping) males when waiting for females.

• Flat wing (nonchirping) males are more likely to be targeted by the parasitic flies as they search for mates than textured wing (chirping) males are.

Answer explanation

A trade-off is defined as exchange something of value, especially as part of a compromise.

What is valuable in the animal world is mating a reproducing passing along your genes.

Non-chriping trade that for survival.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-2

NGSS.HS-LS4-4

Based on the information in the image, what is the primary survival advantage of textured wing (chirping) male crickets?

• They are more mobile

• They are less likely to be parasitized by flies

• They attract more females

• They have a louder chirp

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are both important processes in the carbon cycle. You are modeling these two processes in order to better understand the carbon cycle. Your first idea is to gather information in a table to help you generate your model. Categorize the descriptions into the correct processes

Groups:

(a) Photosynthesis

,

(b) Cellular Respiration

• Occurs in all organisms

• Oxygen and glucose are reactants

• Produces oxygen as a byproduct

• Captures solar energy and converts it to chemical energy

• Carbon Dioxide is required (reactant)

• One product is glucose (carbohydrate)

• Takes place in chloroplasts

• Breaks down glucose to release energy

• Produces ATP as a byproduct

• Occurs only in plant

Answer explanation

All organisms (even plants) use the product (glucose) from photosynthesis, to fuel their cells. The products of photosynthesis are the reactants of cellular respiration.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-5

NGSS.HS-LS1-7

NGSS.HS-LS2-5

Human blood type is a trait that is determined by multiple alleles. The ABO blood group has three alleles: I^A, I^B, and i. Alleles I^A and I^B are co-dominant to each other, while allele i is recessive to alleles I^A and I^B. The genotypes and phenotypes of the ABO blood group are summarized in the table.

A child born to a mother with AB blood and a father who is heterozygous for type A blood has a ​ (a)   of having A blood

• 0%

• 25%

• 50 %

Answer explanation

AB (mother) * Ai (Father)

Create a Punnet square

AA (Ablood), AB (AB blood)

Ai (A blood), Bi (B blood)

2/4 or 50%

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-1

NGSS.HS-LS3-2

NGSS.HS-LS3-3

Human blood type is a trait that is determined by multiple alleles. The ABO blood group has three alleles: I^A, I^B, and i. Alleles I^A and I^B are co-dominant to each other, while allele i is recessive to alleles I^A and I^B. The genotypes and phenotypes of the ABO blood group are summarized in the table.

A child born to a mother with AB blood and a father who is heterozygous for type A The probability this child will be homozygous for A blood is ​ (a)  

• 0%

• 50%

• 25 %

Answer explanation

AB (mother) * Ai (Father)

Create a Punnet square

AA (Ablood), AB (AB blood)

Ai (A blood), Bi (B blood)

2/4 or 50%

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-1

NGSS.HS-LS3-2

NGSS.HS-LS3-3

A student was investigating the differences between cell types in the human body and observed that some proteins are only expressed in specific types of cells. Based on this observation, the student made the following incorrect claim: In humans, cells of each different type only contain chromosomes with the genes that are needed by that cell type. Which question about mitosis would most likely cause a student to revise the claim that in humans, cells of each different type only contain chromosomes with the genes that are needed by that cell type?

• Do sister chromatids segregate equally to each daughter cell?

• Do homologous chromosomes align on the metaphase plate?

• Do daughter cells contain the chromosomes in the nucleus?

• Do genes move from one chromosome to another?

Answer explanation

Genes are on chromosomes and each cell gets an identical set of chromosomes regardless of (body somatic) cell type .

Gametes: sex cells are different.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-4

Based on the graph, in which year did the sea otter population of Vancouver Island most likely reach its carrying capacity?

• before 1988

• between 1992 and 1994

• between 1997 and 2000

• after 2006

Answer explanation

Notice after 2006 there is no dramatic increase or decrease just a hovering around a certain size population. This indicated CC.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-1

NGSS.HS-LS2-2

Select phrases from the lists that best complete the sentence.

The allele for the flat wing (non-chirping) phenotype most likely arose due to a ​ (a)   mutation of the allele for the textured wing (chirping) phenotype that ​​ (b)  

• heritable

• nonheritable

• increased in the population

• spontaneously arouse in every generation

• was acquired from another species

Answer explanation

Phenotypes are how our genes (genotypes) are displayed. Genes are on chromosomes and are inherited from our parents.

Alleles are different forms of a gene ( Like ice cream it's ice cream but there are different flavors), if genes are favorable they will increase in a population, if they are detrimental to the organisms, it won't survive long enough to reproduce and we won't see them in a population

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS3-2