Question

A species of these organisms that act as pests in one ecosystem are injected with bile salts using autonomous drones like RangerBot. A relaxin-like peptide hormone found in these organisms called “gonad-stimulating substance” makes them a useful model to study oocyte maturation. They aren’t deer, but two recent studies have disproved the theory that the densovirus SSaDV caused a mysterious “wasting disease” in these organisms. The Triton Snail is one of the few natural predators capable of containing outbreaks of a corallivorous type of these animals in the genus Acanthaster. Studying the purple Pisaster genus (-5[1])of these animals in rocky intertidal ecosystems led Robert (10[1])Paine to coin the term “keystone species.” For 10 points, what echinoderms are named for having five arms? ■END■ (10[1])

ANSWER: starfish [or sea stars; accept Asteroidea; accept specific species like purple sea star or common sea star or crown-of-thorns sea star; accept Acanthaster planci until read; prompt on Asterozoa; prompt on echinodermata; reject “brittle stars”]
<Carnegie Mellon A, Biology>
= Average correct buzz position

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Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Bennett GrapponeAlbertaUW A94-5
Lucas MansfieldUW BUBC10310
Catherine WelchUW AAlberta12210

Summary

California2025-02-01Y3100%0%67%102.33
Florida2025-02-01Y3100%0%0%101.00
Midwest2025-02-01Y6100%0%50%110.17
Overflow2025-02-01Y5100%0%40%105.20
Pacific Northwest2025-02-01Y2100%0%50%112.50
South Central2025-02-01Y2100%0%0%116.00
Southeast2025-02-01Y3100%0%33%112.67
UK2025-02-01Y1090%0%20%92.33