Module 2A - What is life?

Question 1

Abiotic factors

Answer 1

non-living components of the environment (water, fire, gas)
- Influence survival of living organisms

Question 2

What is the 7 characteristics of life?

Answer 2

1. Living organisms consists of one or more cells
2. Life requires a constant input of energy and raw material
3. Life conducts metabolism (all chemical reactions occur within an organism)
4. Organisms grow and develop (increase size and change over time)
5. Living organisms exhibit homeostasis (regulate internal environment)
6. Makes short term responses to stimuli in surroundings
7. life reproduces itself

Question 3

4 factors of cells:

Answer 3

1. are the basic structural and functional (physiological) units of living organisms
2. contains DNA, cell membranes and ribosomes
3. are only produced from division of pre-existing cells
4. have basically the same chemical composition

Question 4

What is the unity of life?

Answer 4

shares a common ancestor

Question 5

what is the tree of life?

Answer 5

evolutionary relationships of organisms

Question 6

polymorphs

Answer 6

morphs of a single species

Can change colours

Question 7

What are the 4 elements that comprise an organism?

Answer 7

• Oxygen
• Hydrogen (mix together with oxygen to make water)
• Carbon (major building block of all living matter)
• Nitrogen (vital element in all proteins)

Question 8

Living organisms have many types of biomolecules that include:

Answer 8

• carbohydrates (CHO)
• lipids (CHO)
• proteins (CHONS)
• nucleic acids (CHONP)

Question 9

What is the hierarchy of life?

Answer 9

levels of biological organization

Question 10

All cells can be divided based on their cellular structure:

Answer 10

a) unicellular vs multicellular
b) prokaryote vs eukaryote

Question 11

Autotroph

Answer 11

synthesize their own food (self feeders) from inorganic material (contains either carbon or hydrogen) to make organic materials

Question 12

Heterotroph

Answer 12

require preformed organic molecules
- use energy in organic matter (contains carbon and hydrogen) eaten from other organisms

Question 13

Two types of autotrophs:

Answer 13

1. photoautotroph - use light energy and inorganic materials (water and carbon dioxide)
2. chemoautotrophs - use inorganic compounds (H gas, S, NH3) as energy sources and don’t need light

Question 14

Two types of heterotrophs

Answer 14

1. photoheterotrophs - use light energy to generate ATP, but need to take organic compounds from their environment (doesn’t do photosynthesis)
2. chemoheterotrophs - must obtain organic compounds for both energy and as a carbon source (most heterotrophs)

Question 15

What is a mixotroph?

Answer 15

swaps from several phases going from autotropy to heterotrophy
- uses photosynthesis
- when light isn’t available they switch to chemoheterotroph

Question 16

Response to stimuli: how do cichlid fish behave?

Answer 16

• the macho (dominant) and whimpy (subdominant) are always together
• when macho dies whimpy fights other whimpy
• combat causes growth, might out compete a macho and become one
• can turn back into a whimpy

Question 17

4 types of asexual reproduction:

Answer 17

1. Fission
2. Budding
3. Fragmentation and regeneration
4. Parthenogenesis (animals)

Question 18

Fission

Answer 18

• binary fission: individual separates into 2 individuals of equal size (simplest)
• multiple fission: one individual separates into multiple of equal size

Question 19

Budding

Answer 19

new individual arises from an outgrowth of another
- “daughter” is of a different size

Question 20

Fragmentation and regeneration

Answer 20

parent breaks off into pieces, each piece gives rise to new individual

Question 21

Parthenogenesis (animals)

Answer 21

development of an individual from an unfertilized egg (female lays eggs)
Ex. honey bees

Question 22

Honey bees (colonial bees) in reproduction

Answer 22

• Diploid queen mates with a male haploid drone for the queen to lay eggs
• female diploid workers are produced
• only haploid male drones are produced when the queen runs out of sperm but continues to lay eggs (parthenogenesis)