Biology Flashcards
what’s an organelle?
tiny structures within cells
what does the nucleus do?
it contains the genetic material that controls the cell’s activities
give two examples of flowering plants.
cereals: maize and herbaceous legumes: peas and beans
what do plants store carbohydrates as?
sucrose or starch
are plants multicellular of single-celled?
multicellular
what is nervous coordination?
being able to respond rapidly to changes in the environment
what do animals store carbohydrates as?
glycogen
are fungi multicellular or single-celled?
some are single-celled and others have a body called a MYCELIUM which is made up of HYPHAE(thread-like structures)
what do the hyphae in fungi contain lots of?
nuclei
what are fungi cell walls made up of?
chitin
what is saprotrophic nutrition?
they secret extracellular enzymes into the area outside their body to dissolve their food, so they can then absorb the nutrients
what do fungi store carbohydrate as?
glycogen
give an example of a single-celled fungus and a multicellular fungus with mycelium and hyphae.
yeast (s.c) and mucor (m.c)
give two examples of protoctists, one plant-cell-like and one animal-cell-like.
chlorella (p.c.l) and amoeba (a.c.l)
how do bacteria feed?
off other organisms, living or dead
what bacteria is used to make yoghurt and how?
LACTOBACILLUS BULGARICUS- turns milk sour which turns into yoghurt. It’s rod-shaped
what’s an example of a spherical-shaped bacteria?
Pneumococcus
what are viruses?
they are particles and can only reproduce inside living cells so they are parasites as they depend on other organisms to live. They infect all types of living organisms. They either have DNA or RNA and they have a protein coat.
give 3 examples of viruses and explain one of them
influenza virus
HIV
tobacco mosaic virus- this makes the leaves of the tobacco plants discoloured by stopping them from producing chloroplasts.
what are pathogens?
organisms that cause disease
give examples of pathogens
protoctist: Plasmodium, which causes malaria
bacterium: Pneumococcus, which causes pneumonia
viruses: Influenza virus, which causes flu and HIV which causes AIDS
What is a catalyst?
a substance which increases the speed of the reaction, without being changed or used up itself in the reaction
what are metabolic reactions?
the useful chemical reactions
enzymes are what and made up of what?
proteins and made up of chains of amino acids
what is a substrate?
a molecule that is changed in the reaction
what is active transport?
the movement of particles against a concentration gradient, from an area of low conc to an area of higher conc, using energy released during respiration.
what do carbohydrates contain elements of?
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
what do proteins contain atoms of?
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen
what do lipids contain atoms of?
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
where is vitamin A found and what is its function?
found in liver. helps improve vision and keep your skin and hair healthy
where is vitamin C found and what is its function?
Found in oranges. needed to prevent scurvy
where is vitamin D found and what is its function?
found in eggs, needed for calcium absorption
where is the mineral ion calcium found and what is its function?
found in milk, cheese. needed to make bones and teeth
where is the mineral ion iron found and what is its function?
found in red meat. needed to make haemoglobin for healthy blood.
what enzyme converts starch to maltose?
amylase
what is converted into glucose and by what enzyme?
maltase converts maltose into glucose
what converts proteins into amino acids?
proteases
what does lipase convert lipids into?
glycerol and fatty acids
what does bile do and why?
it neutralises the stomach acid as it is alkaline because enzymes in the small intestine work best in these alkaline conditions; the stomach has hydrochloric acid in. it also emulsifies fats into tiny droplets. this gives a much bigger surface area of fat for the enzyme lipase to work on-which makes its digestion faster.
where is bile produced and stored?
produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder
why is hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach?
to kill bacteria and to give the right pH for the protease enzyme, pepsin, to work- pH 2
how is food moved through the gut?
by peristalsis. There’s muscular tissue all the way down the alimentary canal which squeezes balls of food (boluses) through the gut otherwise it would get clogged up. This squeezing action is called peristalsis which is waves of circular muscle contractions.
what is digestion?
the break-down of large, insoluble molecules into small, soluble ones
what is absorption?
the moving of molecules through the walls of the intestines into the blood.
what is assimilation?
once digested molecules have been absorbed, they’re moved into body cells which then becomes part of the cells- assimilation. e.g. amino acids are assimilated to make cellular proteins in cells
how is the small intestine adapted to help with absorption of food? (4 things)
1) it’s very long, so there’s time to break down and absorb all the food
2) there’s a big surface area for absorption- the walls are covered in millions of little projections called villi
3) each cell on the surace of a villus has its own microvilli to increase the S.A even more
4) villi have a single permeable layer of surface cells and a very good blood supply for quick absorption
how are leaves adapted for photosynthesis?
1) broad- large surface area exposed to light
2) most chloroplasts are found in the palisade layer so near the top of the leaf where it can get most light
3) the upper epidermis is transparent so that light can pass though it to the palisade layer
4) vasuclar bundles- transport vessels xylem and phloem which deliver nutrients to every part of the leaf and take away excess glucose produced by photosynthesis
5) the waxy cuticle helps to reduce water loss by evaporation
6) lots of little holes called stomata on the lower surface to let CO2 diffuse directly into the leaf
what does chlorophyll do?
it absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose. oxygen is always produced
what are the word and symbol equations for photosynthesis?
carbon dioxide + water—> glucose +oxygen
6CO2 + 6H2O—-> C6H1206 + 602
Why is photosynthesis an important process?
it converts light energy to chemical energy, which is stored in the glucose. This chemical energy is released when glucose is broken down during respiration
what is the limiting factor?
something that stops photosynthesis from happening any faster e.g. light intensity, co2 concentration and temperature
how can you show the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis?
- canadian pondweed
- a source of white light is placed a specific distance from the pondweed
- the pondweed is left to photosynthesise for a set amount of time whilst oxygen will be collected in the delivery tube
- at the end of the experiment, the syringe is used to draw the gas bubble in the tube up along side a ruler and the length of the gas bubble is measured. this is proportional to the volume of O2 produced.
- keep any variables controlled
- repeat the experiment with the light source placed at different distances from the pondweed
how do nitrates help plant growth?
contain nitrogen for making amino acids and proteins which are needed for cell growth. if a plant can’t get enough nitrates it will be stunted and have yellow older leaves
how do phosphates help plant growth?
contain phosphorus for making DNA and cell membranes and they’re needed for respiration and growth. Plants without enough phosphate have poor root growth and purple older leaves
how does potassium help plant growth?
it helps the enzymes needed for photosynthesis and respiration. if not enough, plants have poor flower and fruit growth and discoloured leaves
why is magnesium needed in small amounts to help plant growth?
it is required for making chlorophyll which is needed for photosynthesis. Plants without enough magnesium have yellow leaves
what are a plants 2 main transport systems and what do they transport?
1) XYLEM- transports water and minerals, carries from the roots up the shoot to the leaves in the transpiration stream
2) PHLOEM- transport food e.g. sugars like sucrose and amino acids from where they’re made in the leaves to other parts of the plant
- this movement of food substances around the plant is known as TRANSLOCATION
What are root hair cells and what do they do?
they are microscopic hairs on each branch of a root which stick out into the soil. This gives the plant a big surface area for absorbing water from the soil. Water is taken in by osmosis- there’s usually a higher concentration of water in the soil than there is inside the plant, so the water is drawn into the root hair cell by osmosis.
what is transpiration caused by?
the evaporation and diffusion of water from a plant’s surface. Most transpiration happens at the leaves.
why is water drawn up through the xylem vessels?
to replace the water lost by evaporation from the leaves
what is a transpiration stream?
when water is drawn up at the roots and water is lost through the leaves at a constant rate so there’s a constant transpiration stream of water through the plant
what 4 things affect the transpiration rate
1) LIGHT INTENSITY
2) TEMPERATURE
3) HUMIDITY
4) WIND SPEED
what is respiration?
it’s the process of releasing energy from glucose, which happens constantly in every living cell
what is released by respiration?
chemical energy and heat. Chemical energy is used to create large molecules from smaller ones and contract muscles. The heat energy helps to maintain a steady body temperature.
write the word and symbol equation from aerobic respiration
glucose + oxygen –> carbon dioxide + water
C6H1206 + 602 –> 6CO2 + 6H20
What is anaerobic respiration?
respiration without enough oxygen
when does anaerobic respiration happen in humans?
when you do really vigorous exercise your body can’t supply enough oxygen to your muscles for aerobic respiration- even though your heart rate and breathing rate increase as much as possible. Your muscles have to start respiring anaerobically.
why isn’t anaerobic respiration the best way to convert glucose into energy?
because it releases much less energy than aerobic respiration and the glucose is only partially broken down and lactic acid is produced.
what are the word equations for anaerobic respiration for animals and plants?
ANIMALS
glucose—> Lactic acid (+energy)
PLANTS
glucose—> Ethanol + carbon dioxide (+energy)
how are leaves adapted for efficient gas exchange?
1) leaves are broad so there’s a large surface area for diffusion
2) they’re thin, which means gases only have to travel a short distance to reach the cells where they’re needed
3) there are air spaces inside the leaf that lets gases like co2 and oxygen move easily between cells and increases the surface area for gas exchange
4) the lower surface has stomata where gases like co2 and o2 and diffuse in and out, it also allowed water to escape which is known as transpiration
5) stomata begin to close when it gets dark, photosynthesis can’t happen in the dark so don’t need to be open to let co2 in. water can’t escape stopping the plant drying out
6) stomata also close when supplies of water from the roots start to dry up. this stops the plant from photosynthesising but if they didn’t close they would dry out and die
7) the opening and closing of stomata is controlled by the cells that surround them - guard cells
what is the thorax?
the top part of your body