Chapter 1: Chemical, Cellular, and Evolutionary Foundations of Life

Question 1

What 4 elements make up most of the human body? (most common to least common)

Answer 1

1) Oxygen
2) Carbon
3) Hydrogen
4) Nitrogen

Question 2

What 4 elements make up most of the universe?

Answer 2

1) Hydrogen
2) Helium
3) Oxygen
4) Carbon

Question 3

What are 4 main necessary qualifications for life?

Answer 3

1) Homeostasis
- ex: sweating to reduce temp
2) Organization
- ex: 1 or more cells combined
3) Metabolism
- ex: using energy to do work
4) Growth
- ex: lil baby growing up :,)

• Not Movement!
  
  • ex: trees don’t move but are alive

(Adaptation, Reproduction, Passing of genetic information, Response To Stimuli are also signs of life)

Question 4

Are viruses living? Why or why not?

Answer 4

Viruses CAN store and transmit information, and they DO have a plasma membrane (protein coat), but they CANNOT reproduce by themselves neither can they harness energy from the environment. Therefore, VIRUSES ARE NONLIVING.

Question 5

What is the basic unit of life?

Answer 5

The Cell: The simplest self-replicating entity that can exist as an independent unit of life

Question 6

What are the differences between Eukaryotic Cells and Prokaryotic Cells? What do they both have?

Answer 6

Eukaryotic:
- Membrane-enclosed nucleus
- Nucleolus
- Mitochondrion

Prokaryotic:
- Nucleoid
- Cell wall
- No membrane-bound organelles

Both:
- Cell membrane
- Cytoplasm
- Ribosomes

Question 7

Where does the energy to support life come from?

Answer 7

The Sun: Light energy is converted into chemical energy by photosynthesis in plants. Animals eat plants then use the energy consumed to do work.

Question 8

What is the difference between Catabolism and Anabolism?

Answer 8

Catabolism = Breaking down of larger molecules
Anabolism = Synthesis of larger molecules

Question 9

What are the 4 essential features of all cells?

Answer 9

1) Plasma membrane
2) Cytoplasm
3) DNA
4) Ribosomes

Question 10

What is the scientific method and how does it work?

Answer 10

The process of objectively establishing facts through testing and experimentation:

• Observation
• QUESTION
• Hypothesis
• Prediction
• Experiment (& new observations)
  -> Return to Hypothesis (if results aren’t consistent)
  -> THEORY (if results are consistent over many experiments)

Question 11

What is evolution and how does variation play a role?

Answer 11

Evolution: The change in heritable traits of biological populations over successive generations due to natural selection resulting from genetic variation

Question 12

What are the two types of variation? What is the ultimate source of variation?

Answer 12

Variation can be Environmental or Genetic. The ultimate source of variation is mutation.