Final Exam

This final exam is due on May 6th. Please email it to be at mark.mcginley@ttu.edu.

Each of these questions is worth 20 points. I expect that it should be possible to provide an excellant answer to each of these questins in less than two pages double spaced (per question). You may use the Ecology Reader, any notes you have, or any other source of information to help you prepare this exam (besides another class member). Please let me know if you have any questions.

Question 1. (20 points)

How would you respond if one of your student's parents asked you "Why should my students learn about evolution"?

Question 2. (20 points)

Why is exponential growth an unrealistic pattern for most species?

Question 3. (20 points)

List the major interspecific interactions that occur in a community? discuss the role that these interactions can occur in influencing population and community characteristics.

Question 4. (20 points)

Define natural selection. Why is this process important to biologists?

Question 5. (20 points)

Define, compare and contrast energy flow and nutrient cycling. (because of the difficulty in putting diagrams in Microsoft Word, you should be able to answer this question without using diagrams).

Final Assignment

I am afraid that I am badly overscheduled this semester and that combined with being sick for a while has caused me to be unexcusably far behind. I realized that I failed to write down the due date of your writing assignment in my schedule so you think that you have an assignment due soon that has not yet been assigned. I apologize for the inconveience.

First, the writing assignment due on the 25th is cancelled.

Second, your final exam for the course will be due on May 6th *not May 2nd as it says on the syllabus)

Third, becasue of the lack of writing assignment, your grades will be calculated as follows. I will calculate grades three ways and you will earn the highest grade.

Midterm Exam 30%
Cumulative Final Exam 70%

or

Midterm Exam 60%
Cumulative Final Exam 40%

or

Midterm Exam 50%
Cumulative Final Exam 50%