Blog

Choose which statements are true/false about the greenhouse effect The greenhouse effect is natural (would exist without humans) [ans1] Greenhouse gasses absorb light radiation. [ans2] Greenhouse gasses absorb heat radiation.[ans3] If it were not for the greenhouse effect the earth would be mostly frozen. [ans4]    

This question is based on a study by Battles et al. (2024) Journal of Insect Conservation It has long been observed that certain insects are attracted to light (called phototaxis). This trait has been somewhat confounding as the outcomes for moths who are attracted to lightbulbs, campfires and candles is not generally good. The reason behind this behavior is unclear, but may have to do with helping nocturnal insects orient themselves upright in space when the night sky is lighter than the surrounding area (remember that these insects evolved long before the presence of lightbulbs and campfires). Entomologists (scientists who study insects) have long exploited insect phototaxis and used light traps to attract insects so they can survey what is around in a particular location. However, in recent years, light traps have caught fewer and fewer insects. While insect populations are known to be declining worldwide, researchers sought to determine if the reduction of moths captured by light traps is solely due to reduction in moth populations or if something else is changing in the moths. To do this they compared the collection of moths by light trap with the collection by pheromone trap (traps that use scents that are attractive to moths) over time.   They collected the following data comparing the two trap types over time The researchers also found a significant correlation between the difference in the amount of moths obtained by the two trap types and the amount of ambient light (light pollution) in the area.  Would you describe this as a (1) experimental study, (2) observational study, or (3) modeling study?  _____________________ (just type out the answer) What do these data suggest is happening in the moth population? ____________________________ (1 short sentence) Describe briefly how this might happen, including what evolutionary mechanism would best describe this change. (~2-3 sentences is sufficient)         

You have found a treatment for a disease that speeds up the process of an infected person recovering from a disease. The treatment rate “t” takes into account both the rate of the infected population that is treated but also the fact that individuals move more quickly from infected (I) to resistant (R) than the normal recovery process. You would like to incorporate the treatment into a disease model, so you sketch out the SIR model, incorporating “t”.    Write an equation for change in infected population over time (dI/dt). (Don’t worry about greek letters either write “beta” or use a capital B for beta). then Write an equation for change in resistant population over time (dR/dt)   dI/dt= dR/dt=

According to the logistic growth equation, which of the following might influence the value of K for deer in Minneapolis?

Which of the following population growth models could you use to model the below growth of COVID-19?

Your roommate is spinning the globe and says “Hey, I just noticed, it looks like there are rainforests at the same latitude in Africa as in South America. What a coincidence!” You congratulate your roommate for their keen observation skills and reply: Choose all the correct parts to include in your response: It’s colder at the equator because the sun hits at a more obtuse angle [ans1] Hot air readily absorbs moisture, then rises at the equator.  [ans2] As it increases in elevation, it decreases in pressure and then cools. [ans3] As this air cools, it dumps all of the moisture in the form of large amounts of precipitation. [ans4]

In class we discussed two perspectives on Lyme disease spread to humans. As part of this conversation we considered the “traditional” and the “dilution effect” perspectives. We also looked at a paper that described the traditional and the dilution effect perspectives using this figure. Which of the 4 scales of ecology would best describe this study? 

In osmosis:

What is the percent by mass of ethanol (C2H5OH) in a 1.5-m aqueous solution?

Which statement from the article is an opinion rather than a fact?