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General Biology II: 1,398 Free Flashcards

A complete second-semester college biology course for science majors, built from OpenStax Biology 2e chapters 18 through 47, the C-ID BIOL 135S organismal descriptor and AP Biology units 7 and 8. It opens with evolution - natural selection, population genetics and Hardy-Weinberg, speciation and phylogenetics - then works through the diversity of life: viruses, prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants and animals. The middle third covers plant form and physiology, then animal body systems (homeostasis, nervous and sensory, endocrine, musculoskeletal, respiratory and circulatory, osmoregulation, immunity and reproduction) at an intro depth - Encodr's Ultimate MCAT Deck and UNE MSBS decks go deeper on human physiology. The course closes with ecology: population growth, community interactions, energy flow and biogeochemical cycles, and conservation. Hardy-Weinberg allele and genotype frequencies, population growth models and trophic-transfer calculations are worked calculations, each recomputed by script before publishing.

1,398cards
18units
70chapters
31sources cited

What's inside

Evolution and Origin of Species

3 chapters · 85 cards

Evolution of Populations

3 chapters · 85 cards

Phylogenies and History of Life

4 chapters · 68 cards

Viruses

3 chapters · 48 cards

Prokaryotes

4 chapters · 68 cards

Protists

3 chapters · 44 cards

Fungi

3 chapters · 44 cards

Plant Diversity

6 chapters · 88 cards

Animal Diversity

9 chapters · 151 cards

Plant Form and Physiology

5 chapters · 95 cards

Animal Body and Homeostasis

2 chapters · 41 cards

Nutrition and Digestion

2 chapters · 42 cards

Nervous and Sensory Systems

4 chapters · 113 cards

Endocrine System

2 chapters · 43 cards

Musculoskeletal System

2 chapters · 43 cards

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems

3 chapters · 90 cards

Osmoregulation Immunity and Reproduction

3 chapters · 112 cards

Ecology and Conservation

9 chapters · 138 cards

Try a few real cards

Copied straight from the course. In the app, each wrong option also gets its own explanation.

Card 1A person feels dizzy and off-balance while spinning their head quickly, but their sense of gravity when standing still is unaffected. Which structures are most directly involved in detecting the spinning motion?

  1. The utricle and saccule
  2. The semicircular canals
  3. The organ of Corti
  4. The cochlea
Show answer

The semicircular canals. The semicircular canals specifically detect angular acceleration and rotation, matching the spinning-motion symptom.

Card 2Yew trees produce taxol because their associated fungi transferred taxol-production genes to the tree; aphids acquired fungal carotenoid-pigment genes plausibly tied to their diet. What do both examples illustrate?

  1. Vertical gene transfer from parent to offspring
  2. Allopolyploid speciation
  3. The founder effect
  4. Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes
Show answer

Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes. Both the yew-fungus and aphid-fungus examples are named eukaryotic cases of horizontal gene transfer, genetic material moving between unrelated lineages rather than from parent to offspring.

Card 3In the Silver Springs case study, GPP was 20,810 kcal/m^2/yr and producer respiration used 13,187 kcal/m^2/yr. What is the net primary productivity (NPP)?

  1. 33,997 kcal/m^2/yr
  2. 13,187 kcal/m^2/yr
  3. 7,633 kcal/m^2/yr
  4. 20,810 kcal/m^2/yr
Show answer

7,633 kcal/m^2/yr. NPP = GPP minus the producers' own respiration, so 20,810 - 13,187 = 7,633 kcal/m^2/yr is the energy actually available to primary consumers.

Questions

Is the General Biology II course really free?

Yes. Create a free Encodr account and all 18 units and 1,398 cards are yours to study, with spaced repetition scheduling your reviews.

Do I need General Biology I first?

This course assumes first-semester biology (cell structure, metabolism, genetics). The two semesters do not depend on each other content-wise, but General Biology I is the more natural starting point.

What does the course cover?

OpenStax Biology 2e chapters 18 through 47: evolution and population genetics, phylogenetics, viruses, prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plant and animal diversity, plant physiology, animal body systems, and ecology.

How deep does the human physiology go?

Intro depth only. Encodr's Ultimate MCAT Deck and UNE MSBS post-bac decks cover human physiology in much greater depth - this course links to them rather than competing.

How much math is in this course?

Hardy-Weinberg allele and genotype frequencies, exponential and logistic population growth, and the 10% trophic-transfer rule are worked calculations. Every numeric card states its rounding rule and was independently recomputed before publishing.

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