Endosymbiosis And Viruses Flashcards
Theory of endosymbiosis in my own words:
In the beginning of time all cells were prokaryotic and then somehow one prokaryotic cell got inside another. The engulfed cell acted as either a mitochondria or a chloroplast which led to the evolution of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic cells.
Support for the theory of endosymbiosis:
- Prokaryotic cells are about the same size as mitochondrion and chloroplasts
- they all can reproduce
- mitochondrion have their own DNA
- they all have double membranes
How are mitochondrion passed from generation to generation?
The mitochondrion in the egg cell.
Characteristics of living things:
Can reproduce, have cells, have DNA, responds to environmental stimuli, can grow & develop, can process energy, is able to regulate internal environment
What does a virus consist of?
Nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) wrapped in a protein coat (called a capsid)
Do viruses have DNA or RNA or both?
Viruses can have DNA & RNA
Characteristics of viruses:
Uses host cell to reproduce (can’t reproduce on its own), injects host cell with its DNA and then uses its host cell’s organelles to do certain things
Why do people associate viruses with fear?
Doctors don’t know how to kill them, and we don’t have drugs to completely stop them
What did Edward Jenner do?
He helped stop the outbreaks of chicken pox in the 1970s which is how vaccines started.
What do vaccines do?
They contain a small portion of a virus so your body’s immune system is trained to fight it if the real virus ever comes along.
Are viruses dead or alive?
NO ONE KNOWS (I think they’re dead tho)
Why do I think viruses are dead?
They cannot reproduce on their own, they cannot process/produce energy on their own, and they cannot grow/develop on their own
How can viruses spread?
Through contact with bodily fluid of the infected person (how HIV spreads) or through the air (if an infected person coughs on you)
Are viruses made of cells?
No they are only made of a protein coat and a core of DNA, they don’t have any other cell organelles
What is the theory of endosymbiosis?
States that eukaryotic cells formed from a symbiosis among several different prokaryotic organisms.
