Section 4 Flashcards
What do organic molecules contain?
carbon atoms
What are the most abundant elements?
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur
What are autotrophs?
organisms that produce organic molecules by obtaining carbon from inorganic sources
primary producers in the food chain
plants
What are heterotrophs?
obtain carbon from organic molecules formed by other organisms
animals
What does it mean to be aerobic?
bacteria that grows and survives in the presence of oxygen
What does it mean to be fastidious?
bacteria that have complex nutritional requirements
What is hypotonic?
medium with inadequate electrolytes
causes cells to swell and burst
What is hypertonic?
medium with high concentration of solutes
causes cells to lose water, shrivel, and die
What are silent genes?
DNA sequence that is not expressed
