Science, Part 66

Question 1: Compare and contrast hunters and prey animals.

Answer 1: The interaction between predators and their prey is important to controlling the balance of an ecosystem. Hunters are carnivorous animals at the top of the ecological pyramid that eat other animals. Hunters tend to be territorial, leaving signs to warn others to stay out or risk a fight. Hunters are equipped to capture with claws, curved beaks, spurs, fangs, etc. They try to use a minimum amount of energy for each capture, so they prey upon the more vulnerable (the old, ill, or very young) when given a choice. Predators never kill more than they can eat. Some hunters have great speed, some stalk, and some hunt in groups.Prey animals are those that are captured by predators for food. They are usually herbivores further down the ecological pyramid. Prey animals have special characteristics to help them flee from predators. They may hide in nests or caves, become totally immobile to escape detection, have protective coloration or camouflage, have warning coloration to indicate being poisonous, or have shells or quills for protection.

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Question 2: List and briefly describe the life processes that all living things have in common.

Answer 2: Living things share many processes that are necessary to survival, but the ways these processes and interactions occur is highly diverse. Processes include those related to: Nutrition – This is the process of obtaining, ingesting, and digesting foods; excreting unused or excess substances; and extracting energy from the foods to maintain structure.Transport (circulation) – This is the process of circulating essential materials such as nutrients, cells, hormones, and gases (oxygen and hydrogen) to the places they are needed by moving them through veins, arteries, and capillaries. Needed materials do not travel alone, but are piggybacked on transporting molecules.Respiration – This is the process of breathing, which is exchanging gases between the interior and exterior using gills, trachea (insects), or lungs.Regulation – This is the process of coordinating life activities through the nervous and endocrine systems.Reproduction and growth – This is the process of producing more of one's own kind and growing from birth to adulthood. The more highly evolved an animal is, the longer its growth time is.Locomotion (in animals) – This is the process of moving from place to place in the environment by using legs, flight, or body motions.

Question 3: List the organisms that interfere with cell activity, and then explain how they enter the body and how they cause problems.

Answer 3: Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other parasites may infect plants and animals and interfere with normal life functions, create imbalances, or disrupt the operations of cells. Viruses – These enter the body by inhalation (airborne) or through contact with contaminated food, water, or infected tissues. They affect the body by taking over the cell's protein synthesis mechanism to make more viruses. They kill the host cell and impact tissue and organ operations. Examples of viruses include measles, rabies, pneumonia, and AIDS.Bacteria – These enter the body through breaks in the skin or contaminated food or water, or by inhalation. They reproduce rapidly and produce toxins that kill healthy host tissues. Examples include diphtheria, bubonic plague, tuberculosis, and syphilis.Fungi – These feed on healthy tissues of the body by sending rootlike tendrils into the tissues to digest them extracellularly. Examples include athlete's foot and ringworm.Parasites – These enter the body through the skin, via insect bites, or through contaminated food or water. Examples include tapeworms, malaria, or typhus.

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