Chapter 1

Question 1

What are the different levels of biological organization?

Answer 1

Biosphere, Ecosystem, Communities, Populations, Organisms, Organs, Tissues, Cells, Organelle, Molecules

Question 2

How does energy flow?

Answer 2

From the sun, through organisms, to cells and molecules

Question 3

What’s the difference between the flow of energy and the flow of chemicals?

Answer 3

Energy flows though and is lost via heat; chemicals have a cyclical process and are reused again and again

Question 4

How does structure and function appear in organisms?

Answer 4

Tapeworm example; tapeworms a long, symmetrical, skinny organisms. Allows them to fit and attach to the gut wall.

Question 5

How does structure and function appear in appendages?

Answer 5

Hummingbird example; hummingbirds have unique shoulder and wing structures that enables them to hover and fly backwards. This ability makes it easier for them to feed from flowers

Question 6

How does structure and function appear in cells?

Answer 6

Neurons are wild structures, this allows them to make connections with other neurons in the brain.

Question 7

How does structure and function appear on the molecular level?

Answer 7

DNA; the double helix shape allows for more genetic information and its ability to carry it

Question 8

What are emergent properties?

Answer 8

How a component works from the result of collective behavior of many parts, all working/acting together. Studying individual parts alone is insufficient to understand system behavior; example: Memory can’t be understood as a property of a single neuron, but rather a collective property of a lot of neurons acting together.

Question 9

What are two characteristics of cells?

Answer 9

They are membrane bound (via a phospholipid bi-layer) and DNA inside encodes cellular “instructions”

Question 10

What makes up prokaryotes?

Answer 10

Bacteria and archaea

Question 11

What defines a prokaryote?

Answer 11

Contains no nuclear or organelle; only a membrane and DNA

Question 12

What makes up eukaryotes?

Answer 12

plants, fungi, animals, protest (unicellular)

Question 13

What defines a eukaryote?

Answer 13

Contains a nucleus and has organelles

Question 14

How is genetic information organized?

Answer 14

DNA, Nucleotide, Genes, Chromosomes, Genome

Question 15

How does information get from genes to drive protein manufacture?

Answer 15

Every cell contains all DNA. DNA contains coding and non-coding regions. Coding regions switch genes on to make proteins. Non-coding regions regulate the on/off switch. Protein generated by on switch

Question 16

How does info get from the nucleus to cytoplasm?

Answer 16

mRNA

Question 17

What is the mRNA process?

Answer 17

DNA, gene, gene is “read” (transcription), mRNA is made (a copy of the original DNA), leaves nucleus, ribosomes, amino acid, protein

Question 18

What are proteins?

Answer 18

Long strings of amino acids. Their 3D structure is very important because how it is folded is critical to its function

Question 19

What is DNA comprised of?

Answer 19

Two sugar phosphate back bones making the double helix and nucleotides formed into base pairs

Question 20

What are the base pairs?

Answer 20

Adenine & Thymine; Cytosine & Guanine

Question 21

Explain negative feedback via blood sugar/insulin

Answer 21

Negative feedback is the regulatory mechanism and is the maintenance of standard levels of function (homeostasis). When we eat, our blood sugar increases, the B cells from our pancreas release insulin, which goes into our blood stream, then binds with receptors, liver takes up glucose, lowers our blood sugar and returns us to homeostasis

Question 22

What’s positive feedback?

Answer 22

A positive feedback loop occurs in nature when the product of a reaction leads to an increase in that reaction; blood clotting example

Question 23

What are dependent variables?

Answer 23

Dependent on independent variable

Question 24

What is an independent variable?

Answer 24

The thing that is being manipulated

Question 25

What’s DNA transcription?

Answer 25

The process by which DNA makes mRNA

Question 26

What’s DNA translation?

Answer 26

The process by which the cell translates in the information in the sequence of MRNA nucleotides rot make a protein