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New York State Regents Examinations Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) Flashcards
70 question-and-answer cards covering Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) as it is examined in New York State Regents Examinations. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What are the four main ideas of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection?
Organisms produce more offspring than can survive; there is variation among individuals; some variations give a survival/reproductive advantage; favorable traits are passed on, so populations change over time.
What is 'survival of the fittest' in evolutionary terms?
Individuals with traits best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those favorable traits to the next generation.
What is speciation and how can geographic isolation cause it?
Speciation is the formation of new species; geographic isolation separates populations so they no longer interbreed, and over time genetic differences accumulate until they can no longer reproduce together.
How do structural similarities (homologous structures) provide evidence for evolution?
Similar bone/body structures in different species suggest a common ancestor, indicating evolutionary relationships.
How does comparing DNA or amino acid sequences indicate evolutionary relationships?
The more similar the DNA or protein sequences between two species, the more closely related they are and the more recently they shared a common ancestor.
Why does biodiversity (genetic variation) increase a species' chance of long-term survival?
Greater variation means a higher chance that some individuals have traits allowing them to survive environmental changes, reducing the risk of extinction.
In a food chain, what is the original source of energy and how does energy flow?
The Sun is the original energy source; energy flows from producers to consumers (herbivores, then carnivores) and to decomposers, in one direction.
In an energy pyramid, why does available energy decrease at each higher trophic level?
Only about 10% of energy is passed to the next level; the rest is lost as heat or used for the organism's life processes, so less energy is available higher up.
What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
They break down dead organisms and wastes, recycling nutrients (like carbon and nitrogen) back into the environment for reuse by producers.
Describe the basic carbon cycle.
Producers remove CO2 from the air via photosynthesis; respiration, decomposition, and combustion of fuels return CO2 to the atmosphere, recycling carbon between organisms and the environment.
What is the difference between a producer and a consumer?
A producer (autotroph) makes its own food via photosynthesis; a consumer (heterotroph) obtains energy by eating other organisms.
What is carrying capacity?
The maximum population size of a species that an environment can support indefinitely given available resources (food, water, space).
List four limiting factors that can control the size of a population.
Food/resource availability, space, water, predation, disease, and competition (any factor that limits growth).
Define the symbiotic relationships mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
Mutualism: both species benefit; commensalism: one benefits and the other is unaffected; parasitism: one benefits (parasite) while the other (host) is harmed.
What is the difference between a predator and its prey, and how do their populations interact?
A predator hunts and eats prey; their populations cycle — as prey increase, predators increase, which then reduces prey, causing predators to decline (interdependent cycling).
What is ecological succession?
The gradual, predictable change in the species composition of a community over time, eventually leading toward a stable climax community.
What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?
Primary succession begins in a lifeless area with no soil (e.g., bare rock) starting with pioneer species; secondary succession occurs where a community was disturbed but soil remains (e.g., after a fire).
Why does greater biodiversity tend to make an ecosystem more stable?
More species and variety provide alternative food sources and functional redundancy, so the ecosystem can better withstand and recover from disturbances.
What is a pioneer species and what role does it play in succession?
A hardy first colonizer (such as lichens or moss) that begins growing in a barren area, breaking down rock and building soil so other species can later move in.
How does deforestation negatively impact the environment?
It destroys habitats (reducing biodiversity), decreases photosynthesis/oxygen production, increases atmospheric CO2, and causes soil erosion.
How do human activities contribute to global warming?
Burning fossil fuels and deforestation increase atmospheric carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas), which traps heat and raises Earth's average temperature.
What is biological magnification (bioaccumulation)?
The increasing concentration of toxins (such as pesticides like DDT) in organisms at higher trophic levels as the toxins are passed up the food chain.
Give two ways humans can reduce their negative impact on the environment.
Examples: recycling and reducing waste, conserving energy/using renewable resources, reducing pollution, protecting habitats, and reforestation.
How can an introduced (invasive) species harm a native ecosystem?
Lacking natural predators, it can outcompete native species for resources, reduce biodiversity, and disrupt the balance of the ecosystem.
What this deck covers
The Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) deck follows the New York State Regents Examinations Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) syllabus — 5 chapters and 17 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 14.0 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 155 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) flashcards FAQ
How many Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) flashcards are in this New York State Regents Examinations deck?
70 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these New York State Regents Examinations flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 70-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) cards cover?
They follow the New York State Regents Examinations Living Environment (Biology Regents Examination) syllabus — 5 chapters and 17 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.