BIOL 1108 Exam 1 NEWLY UPDATED
2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
FULL SOLUTIONS – YOUR SUCCESS
STARTS HERE
During which period of the year do atmospheric greenhouse gas levels reach their
peak?
✔✔ Greenhouse gas concentrations are typically at their highest during the
late spring, specifically in March and April.
At what point in the year are greenhouse gas levels at their minimum?
✔✔ The lowest concentrations are generally observed between July and
October, spanning late summer to early fall.
What factors drive the yearly fluctuations in atmospheric greenhouse gases?
✔✔ These cycles are influenced by industrial activities and vehicle emissions,
the high concentration of human populations in the Northern Hemisphere,
and natural processes like animal respiration and organic decay. Most
significantly, seasonal photosynthesis by plants acts to pull $CO_{2}$ out of
the atmosphere.
What is the balanced chemical equation for the process of photosynthesis?
✔✔ The chemical transition is represented as:
$$6CO_{2} + 12H_{2}O \rightarrow C_{6}H_{12}O_{6} + 6O_{2} +
6H_{2}O$$
What components are required as inputs for photosynthesis to occur?
,✔✔ The process requires carbon dioxide, water, and light energy, facilitated
by specific plant enzymes.
What are the resulting outputs of the photosynthetic process?
✔✔ The primary products are glucose (which forms plant biomass), oxygen,
and water.
How is an ecosystem defined in ecological terms?
✔✔ An ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of a biological community of
interacting organisms and the physical, non-living environment they inhabit.
Abiotic components of an ecosystem -ANSWER✔✔-Climate (averages &
seasonality)
-Geology (bedrock, water, soils, topography)
-Disturbance (natural & human, scale & frequency)
Biotic components of an ecosystem -ANSWER✔✔-Biodiversity
-Species interactions
-Invasive or keystone species
Describe the conditions of the environment before the MSH eruption -
ANSWER✔✔-"Old Growth" forest- never been logged (doesn't mean
"undisturbed")
-"Rich" soil- lots of available nutrients for plant growth
-Temperate rainforest biome-alpine biome (by elevation)
, Describe the impact the MSH eruption had on the surrounding ecosystem -
ANSWER✔✔-230 sq miles of forest blown down/scorched up to 17 miles away
from MSH (eruption mostly blew out to the side)
-Everything in the pumice plain/lateral blast zone covered in up to 6' of tephra
-Tephra (ash)- pulverized rock dust (not actually burned anything)
What determines which plant species will be the first to establish at MSH? -
ANSWER✔✔-can tolerate the soil conditions in the ash
-can reach MSH first
Why do organisms need nitrogen? -ANSWER✔✔-Proteins- macromolecules with
MANY functions (muscles, enzymes, etc.)
-DNA- nitrogenous bases (ACTG)
-Chlorophyll
-Neurotransmitters
What type of bond joins amino acids together? -ANSWER✔✔peptide bonds
What are peptide bonds? -ANSWER✔✔C-N non-polar covalent bonds connecting
amino acids
What determines how proteins fold? -ANSWER✔✔-Intermolecular Forces
(charge)
-Disulfide Bridges- link 2 Cysteine AAs -S-S- (covalent bonds)
Four levels of protein folding -ANSWER✔✔primary, secondary, tertiary,
quaternary
2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
FULL SOLUTIONS – YOUR SUCCESS
STARTS HERE
During which period of the year do atmospheric greenhouse gas levels reach their
peak?
✔✔ Greenhouse gas concentrations are typically at their highest during the
late spring, specifically in March and April.
At what point in the year are greenhouse gas levels at their minimum?
✔✔ The lowest concentrations are generally observed between July and
October, spanning late summer to early fall.
What factors drive the yearly fluctuations in atmospheric greenhouse gases?
✔✔ These cycles are influenced by industrial activities and vehicle emissions,
the high concentration of human populations in the Northern Hemisphere,
and natural processes like animal respiration and organic decay. Most
significantly, seasonal photosynthesis by plants acts to pull $CO_{2}$ out of
the atmosphere.
What is the balanced chemical equation for the process of photosynthesis?
✔✔ The chemical transition is represented as:
$$6CO_{2} + 12H_{2}O \rightarrow C_{6}H_{12}O_{6} + 6O_{2} +
6H_{2}O$$
What components are required as inputs for photosynthesis to occur?
,✔✔ The process requires carbon dioxide, water, and light energy, facilitated
by specific plant enzymes.
What are the resulting outputs of the photosynthetic process?
✔✔ The primary products are glucose (which forms plant biomass), oxygen,
and water.
How is an ecosystem defined in ecological terms?
✔✔ An ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of a biological community of
interacting organisms and the physical, non-living environment they inhabit.
Abiotic components of an ecosystem -ANSWER✔✔-Climate (averages &
seasonality)
-Geology (bedrock, water, soils, topography)
-Disturbance (natural & human, scale & frequency)
Biotic components of an ecosystem -ANSWER✔✔-Biodiversity
-Species interactions
-Invasive or keystone species
Describe the conditions of the environment before the MSH eruption -
ANSWER✔✔-"Old Growth" forest- never been logged (doesn't mean
"undisturbed")
-"Rich" soil- lots of available nutrients for plant growth
-Temperate rainforest biome-alpine biome (by elevation)
, Describe the impact the MSH eruption had on the surrounding ecosystem -
ANSWER✔✔-230 sq miles of forest blown down/scorched up to 17 miles away
from MSH (eruption mostly blew out to the side)
-Everything in the pumice plain/lateral blast zone covered in up to 6' of tephra
-Tephra (ash)- pulverized rock dust (not actually burned anything)
What determines which plant species will be the first to establish at MSH? -
ANSWER✔✔-can tolerate the soil conditions in the ash
-can reach MSH first
Why do organisms need nitrogen? -ANSWER✔✔-Proteins- macromolecules with
MANY functions (muscles, enzymes, etc.)
-DNA- nitrogenous bases (ACTG)
-Chlorophyll
-Neurotransmitters
What type of bond joins amino acids together? -ANSWER✔✔peptide bonds
What are peptide bonds? -ANSWER✔✔C-N non-polar covalent bonds connecting
amino acids
What determines how proteins fold? -ANSWER✔✔-Intermolecular Forces
(charge)
-Disulfide Bridges- link 2 Cysteine AAs -S-S- (covalent bonds)
Four levels of protein folding -ANSWER✔✔primary, secondary, tertiary,
quaternary
