Biodiversity w/ some Important Biochem Flashcards
What are the three domains of life?
Eukarya - Protists, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia (membrane bound nucleus only unicellular in protist/fungi)
Bacteria - Part of the Prokaryotes, unicellular, only membrane bound DNA, usually smaller, no organelles, Cell Walls HAVE Peptidoglycan
Archaea - Part of Prokaryotes, unicellular, no organelles, membrane bound DNA, Cells walls do NOT have Peptidoglycan
What is taxonomy
The branch of biology that identifies, names, and classifies species
What is classification
Grouping of organisms based on a set of criteria that helps organize and indicate evolutionary relationships
Who is Linnaeus
He is the father of modern taxonomy where his 6 level classification method is still in use today. The reason why his system is used is because a species can have many names which can be confusing however his system narrows each and every species to a specific name (Genus, species or Homo sapiens) note that first word is capitalized and second isn’t and there is italicizing occurring on both words.
What are Species
A group of organisms that interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring
What is the main goal of classifying species
Assign species to different taxa to reflect on their physical and evolutionary similarities
What are Archaea
groups of ancient bacteria that live in harsh habitats and are believed to be the first life forms on Earth, no peptidoglycan in cell wall, occasionally no cell wall at all
Extra Facts about Bacteria?
Also called ‘True Bacteria’, cell wall peptidoglycan
What are protists
mostly single-celled eukaryotes (some multicellular), some have chloroplasts (some autotrophs and some heterotrophs), include all eukaryotes that are not of the other three kingdoms, sometimes have a cell wall made of cellulose or none at all
What are Fungi
Eukaryotes that are mostly multicellular, have cell walls that are made of chitin, unable to carry out photosynthesis because they are heterotrophs (cannot produce their own food)
What are Plantae
Multicellular Eukaryotes that have cell walls made of cellulose, and chloroplasts for photosynthesis (autotrophs)
What are animalia
Multicellular Eukaryotes, heterotrophs, have cell membranes without cell walls, and are divided into invertebrates and vertebrates
What is an ancestor
An organism which other groups of organisms have descended from
What is Physiology
The branch of biology dealing with physical and chemical functions of organisms, including internal processes
What is a phylogenetic tree
A branching diagram that shows evolutionary relationships between different organisms.
What is the order of Linnaeus’ system of classification
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
What is a dichotomous key
A branching diagram that presents two choices at every branch until there is only one organism left
What does it mean for two species sharing evolutionary history
They have a fairly recent common ancestor
What is species diversity
Variety of species in a given area, specifically the abundance of this species
What is genetic diversity
Variety of genetic characteristics in a population of interbreeding organisms, greater genetic diversity increases chance for organism to survive
What is ecosystem diversity
Variety of ecosystems found in the Earth’s biosphere, Rainforests (high), Deserts+polar (low), more as you get closer to equator
What is Biodiversity
Measured by species in an area, more biodiversity means increased health of environment
What is a keystone species
Species that many others depend on for survival, Coral in Reefs
What is a gene pool
All the genes of all individuals in a population
What is a population
Group of individuals of the same species in an area
What is resilience
The ability for an ecosystem to remain functional and stable in Prescence of any disturbances
What are examples of ecosystems
Flower pot, skin, schoolyard, lake ontario,
What are some functions of ecosystems
Atmospheric Gas Supply, water supply, and food production
Why is keeping species diversity high important to overall health of the earth
Ecosystems with more species diversity end up being more resilient, produce more biomass, and trapped more CO2 and consumed NO3 which can be toxic in high concentrations
What is structural Diversity
Microhabitats within a larger habitat contribute to structural diversity such as trees and as this increases so does species diversity
What is a Biodiversity Hotspot
An area with a lot of biodiversity in one place
Why is Madagascar Unique
Large island off the coast of Africa which separated from that continent over 80 million years ago isolating its species meaning that those species can only be found on Madagascar
What are two issues in Madagascar
Intense drought by climate change, and deforestation by human activity
How many animal species can one plant support
An average of 50 animal species
What is a monoculture
Artificial growing of a single plant species in a habitat, disadvantages include decreased biodiversity and plants being more vulnerable to pests and disease
What is an invasive specices
A species that has been introduced by man into a habitat where they outcompete the native species because of the lack of predators
Zebra Mussels into Great Lakes great for purifying water, bad for filtering out phytoplankton
What are viruses
Parasitic individuals that need a host like the human body to reproduce (5 - 300 nm big)
Characteristics of Viruses
Not cells, consist of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), infectious, surrounded by a protective protein coat called capsid, an outer membranous layer called an envelope
How are viruses classified
By their genetic material (DNA viruses contain DNA and RNA Viruses contain RNA), shape
What is a host range
Array of host cells that a virus can infect determined by a lock and key fit between a virus and a receptor on the surface of the cell, Broad host range (lots of hosts to infect)
What is a bacteriophage
Viruses that can only infect bacteria cells
Why are RNA viruses dangerous
70% of all viruses are RNA viruses, RNA viruses have frequent errors while reproducing making them mutate and harder to vaccinate because they are constantly changing
How do new viruses emerge
Mutation and evolution, spreading from one host to another, isolated location to widespread location like a tropical rainforest
How do viruses effect humans
The cell that a virus invades is destroyed when the virus reproduces and lyses open the cell to release new virus particles, this destruction causes illness, antibiotics do not destroy viral infections
How are viruses treated
Vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system to fight off an invading virus by containing a weak or killed form of the microbe, There are vaccines for smallpox, chickenpox, mumps, polio, etc.
How do viruses reproduce
- Lytic Cycle
- Lysogenic Cycle
What is the lytic cycle
The virus/bacteriophage attaches to the host cell, injects viral DNA, which then takes over the cell and uses its machinery to replicate viral material, copies of the viral DNA assemble into new virus particles, and then Lysis breaks open the host cell destroying it and releasing hundreds of new virus particles
What is the Lysogenic Cycle
The virus takes over the host DNA, will NOT interfere with the host cell activity immediately and will allow the host to replicate unknowingly and at any time the virus can enter the lytic cycle and destroy the host. An example includes viral symptoms of HIV individuals might be delayed for 5-10 years
What is a retrovirus
Viruses that contain RNA as their genetic material, contain an enzyme called Reverse Transcriptase which allows them to create a copy of the viral DNA once the virus infects the cell.
What is a provirus
Once the reverse transcriptase creates makes a copy of the viral DNA from the RNA, this DNA is injected into the chromosomes of the host making it a provirus and will be replicated when the host cell divides through mitosis
Why are retroviruses hard to detect
They hide amongst the host DNA making it ‘invisible’
Parts of a bacteriophage
Capsid Head at the top, Nucleic acid underneath the head, tail leading to the bottom, tail fibres connecting to the surface, baseplate lowers spikes into host between fibres
Characteristics of a Bacterial Cell
Very small, no nucleus, no membrane bound organelles, DNA in nucleoid region, usually unicellular
Parts of the Bacteria Cell
Flagellum, pilus, plasma membrane, cell wall, capsule, cytoplasm, DNA, ribosomes
What is the flagellum
Tail-like structure that rotates like propellers for transportation in environments
What are the Pili (pilus singular)
Hairlike structures that help bacteria attach to each other and surfaces, slight aid in movement as well
What is a capsule
Sticky coating surrounding some bacteria, acting as a self defense mechanism from the host cell’s immune system
How can bacteria be classified through experiment
As the cell walls of bacteria are made of peptidoglycan, gram staining allows to differentiate different bacteria. Gram negative bacteria will appear pinkish-red when stained and Gram Positive will appear dark purple based on the concentrations of peptidoglycan in the cell walls.
How can bacteria be classified physically
Through shape: Spherical (Coccus), Rod-Shaped (Bacillus), and Spiral (Spirillum)
What are the different configurations of bacteria
Mono (on its own as one entity)
Diplo (Two entities together)
Strepto (Long chains, usually in single file)
Staphylo (Clusters or Clumps)
What is cyanobacteria
The first life forms on Earth, also known as Blue-Green Algae, parents of every living thing, clean up sewage, can live in very hostile environments
What are thermophiles
Bacteria that can live through intense heat
What are acidophiles
Bacteria that can live through acidic environments
What are halophiles
Bacteria that can live through salty environments
What percent of bacteria cause disease
1%
What is Binary Fission
The process of asexual reproduction used by most prokaryotes, and some eukaryotes in which a cell divides into two genetically identical cells and takes place in ideal conditions within 20 minutes
What is conjugation
In less favorable conditions, some bacteria and/or archaea can exchange DNA by one cell called the male cell latching its pilus to the other and giving its DNA for recombination in the transferred DNA cell. This results in new genetic content after binary fission occurs
What is Sporulation
The process of making a bacterial cell dormant (endospore) in extremely unfavorable conditions so that the cell can survive for a longer period of tie and sustain the harsh environment. Endospores are hard-walled structures protecting the organism’s genetic material. Have not been found in archaea yet.
What is the greatest cause of human death and illness
Infectious disease
How do bacteria become resistant to antibiotics
The sexual reproduction amongst bacteria and sharing of plasmids allows immunity against antibiotics to form in new bacteria (conjugation)
What is the morphological species concept
Based on body, shapes, and size. Advantage includes being widely used particularly for plants. disadvantages include having to decide howmuch variation is too much between individuals because all of them are non-identical
What is the biological species concept
Defines species based on whether the two can create fertile offspring. advantage includes widely used by scientists. Disadvantages include not being able to use it because two species are physically separated, cannot apply to fossil species or asexual organisms.
What is phylogenetic species concept
examines the evolutionary history of different species. Advantages include being able to be used on extinct species, allows DNA analysis to be used. disadvantage includes histories are not known for all species
