Exam Prep Guide for
Ichthyology Spring
2006
WHAT
DO I STUDY? Remember, we test on your
understanding of major concepts. Make
sure when you review your lecture notes, chapter outlines and end of the
chapter questions that you are focusing on the major concepts, especially for
the big essay questions.
New material: 50 points
Questions on the lectures
since the last exam
10 – 15 fill in the blank
4-6 short answer essays (2-3
sentences max, bulleted statements etc.)
Review Material: 100
points. The conceptual stuff
These are the questions that
will be asked on the final. We will
randomly select 5 of these questions on exam day for you to answer on the
exam. Because you know the questions ahead
of time, each question will be worth 20 points.
Answers should be 1 page or so and in sentence/paragraph format.
1. What is the evolutionary significance of the
origin of jaws? What is important about
jaw suspension and attachment to the cranium?
What advantages does a moveable jaw confer to a teleost over the system
seen in agnathans?
2. What is the evolutionary significance of
paired fins? What are the advantages of
paired structures? How do they function
in locomotion? What are the basic types
of locomotion we discussed in class?
Some teleosts have highly modified fins for specific purposes. Why?
Give some examples of highly modified teleost fins and their uses.
3. Describe the cardiopulmonary system of the
typical teleost fish. Explain the flow
of blood through the heart (chambers), body, and gills in the correct
sequence. How is oxygen exchanged for
CO2 in the tissues? How are CO2 and O2
exchanged across the gills?
4. Compare the osmoregulatory system of a
typical teleost and a typical shark.
What organs/structures are involved?
If specific cells/glands are involved, where are they and what do they
do? Why are teleosts more likely to be
found in estuarine conditions than big pelagic sharks? What changes would a shark have to undergo to
travel up a freshwater river like the
5. What is the difference between a lateral line
cell and an ampulla of Lorenzini? What type of fish uses each? What kind of receptor cell is used in each
system, and how does each type of cell function? Where are they found on each fish’s body?
6. How did the Pleistocene glaciation
affect the fishes of
7. What is the difference between a physostomous and a physoclistous
teleost? How does a fish regulate its
position in the water column with each system?
Name the structures and adaptations of the gas bladder (for each) that
make this possible. Which is the more
advanced character? What is the
evolutionary significance of each?
8. In the southeastern US there are a lot of
naturally acidic blackwater streams. How do fish cope with acidic conditions? What mechanisms do fish use to regulate the
pH of their blood? What affect does a
low pH have on blood chemistry? How
would stress from fishing or habitat damage influence the way fish handle low
pH?
9. More and more studies on fish in freshwater
systems have shown the negative effects of synthetic hormones like estrogen on
the sex ratio of fishes (see p. 153).
This is often referred to as ‘intersex’ .What
behavioral adaptations have fish evolved to ensure reproductive success? How would these synthetic hormones affect
development of reproductive structures and reproductive success? Would the synthetic hormones influence the
development of larvae?
10. When ecologists describe the “filters” that
species experience, what do they mean?
What is the significance of fundamental and realized niche? How do these factors structure fish
communities? What is the difference
between interspecific and intraspecific competition,
and how does filtering relate to resource partitioning?