Living World Flashcards
what is heredity
The transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring
what is a gene
A DNA segment that carries the code for synthesizing one or more proteins
what is DNA made up of
sugar, phosphate groups and bases (A and T, G and C)
what is the shape of DNA
double helix
what is a hereditary trait
inherited features of an organism
what are examples of hereditary traits
hair color and eye color
what are alleles
possible form of a gene
what is a homozygote
genotype in which both alleles of a pair are the same
what is heterozygous
genotype in which alleles of a pair are different
what is genotype
The genetic makeup of an organism (your alleles from your parents)
what’s a phenotype
The appearance of an organism as a result of its genotype (ex your eye colour)
what’s a dominant allele
masks or dominates another trait
what is a recessive allele
allele that can be masked by the presence of another allele
what is an ecological footprint
The estimate of how much of the available resources we consume and how much waste we generate
what are the steps of transcription in protein synthesis
1-Double Helix DNA unwinds
2-Copy of a gene is made by an mRNA
3-mRNA can leave the nucleus
what are the steps of translation in protein synthesis (on the ribosome)
1-mRNA carries the instructions of the gene to the ribosome
2-ribosome slides along the mRNA and reads each triplet
3- each triplet encodes for a different amino acid
4-tRNA transfers each amino acid to the chain
5-when finished, RNA is released
what is translation in protein synthesis (in the cytoplasm)
1- when amino acid chain is complete, the protein chain is released from the ribosome
2-Protein folds into functional shape
3- Protein performs role in the body
what is crossbreeding
when two separate plants breed together
in which generation will we see a change in the cross pollinated plants
Second generation of offspring
what is a contaminant
many types of substances or radiation that is likely to cause harm to one or more ecosystems
what is toxicity threshold
The minimum concentration of a substance that produces a significant harmful effect in an organism
what factors influence the toxicity of a contaminant
concentration, type of organism, and duration of exposure
what is bioaccumulation
The process by which a contaminant from the environment or food supply accumulates in an organism
how does bioaccumulation work in food chains
once the contaminant animal is consumed the toxin can become stored in the fat tissues of the consumer. the consumer must consume a lot of producers causing the concentration of the toxin to be accumulated
what is bio concentration
A special case of bioaccumulation by which an organism accumulated a contaminant direct contact with its environment from other sources other than food
