Semester 1 Exam Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
Includes all living organisms and non living matter in an environment such as air, water and minerals
What is a community?
All species in an ecosystem, only includes living things
What is a population?
All individuals of a single species in a given area, Includes only individuals from a specific species such as a plant, an animal, a bacterial colony
What is an organism?
One single individual
What is a molecule?
Molecules are the smallest part of biological systems; they can be studied for their chemical, physical properties, but are of particular interest for their role they play in biological systems.
What is the biological hierarchy from smallest to largest?
Molecule Cell Tissue Organ Organ system Organism Population Community Ecosystem
What are prokaryotic cells?
No nucleus, typically unicellular like bacteria or archaea, one chromosome
No lysosomes, peroxisomes, microtubules, ER, or mitochondria
What are eukaryotic cells?
Plant / animal cells
Contain a nucleus, more than one chromosome, has lysosomes peroxisomes microtubules ER or mitochondria, larger
What are the characteristics of bacteria?
Consists of prokaryotes (most are unicellular and microscopic). Most diverse and widespread prokaryotes and are divided among multiple kingdoms.
What are the characteristics of archaea?
Consists of prokaryotes (most are unicellular and microscopic). Usually live in extreme environments like l=salty lakes and boiling hot springs. Includes multiple kingdoms
What are the characteristics of eukarya?
Consists of eukaryotic cells. Example is protozoans. In the kingdom Protista. Includes multicellular forms like seaweed. Also includes the kingdoms Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia
What is a theory?
A theory is a repeatedly tested hypothesis that explains a situation
What are the elements of good experimental design?
Repeated testing, valid data, describes procedures, clear and concise, large sample size, control group, can be reproduced
What causes the polar bonds in water?
The weak partial positive charge of hydrogen bonds with the weak partial negative charge of oxygen
What are polar bonds?
Weak bonds between molecules based on partial charges
What is cohesion?
H20 molecules attracted to each other
What is adhesion?
H20 molecules attracted to other surfaces
What is surface tension?
Cohesion at the surface
What is high specific heat?
Significant energy is required to change the temp of H20
What is high heat of vaporization?
Significant energy needed to change H20 to gas
What is the universal solvent?
H20 can dissolve many substances
What is dehydration synthesis?
Dehydration synthesis (condensation reaction) means that you’re building by taking water out
What is another name for condensation reaction?
Dehydration synthesis
What is hydrolysis?
Breaking down something by adding water
What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
A fatty acid is said to be saturated if each carbon is joined to its neighboring carbons by a single bond. If one or more double bonds is present, the fatty acid is said to be unsaturated.
What is the flow of genetic information within a cell?
DNA gets transcribed into RNA, the RNA is translated into the protein. The protein is carried by a transport vesicle to the site where it will function
What is RNA?
Ribose Nucleic Acid
Ribose, Base (Cytosine, Uracil, Adenine, Thymine,), phosphate group
What is DNA?
Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
Deoxyribose, base (Cytosine, Thymine, Guanine, Adenine), phosphate group
What is the difference between RNA and DNA?
RNA contains Uracil instead of Thymine
What is the function of the nucleus?
Contains cells genetic information Genetic information (DNA) is stored in chromosomes
What is the function of ribosomes?
Carry out protein synthesis within the cytoplasm or bond to endoplasmic reticulum or nuclear envelope
Amount of ribosomes in a cell depends on cell’s activity level
What is the function of chloroplasts?
Convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into chemical energy in plant cells in a process known as photosynthesis
Produces ATP in plant cells
What is the function of mitochondria?
Provides energy via cellular respiration
Generates ATP
Carries out the citric acid acid cycle within the inner membrane
Helps control the amount of calcium ions in the cell
What is the function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER)?
Assembles proteins
Produces secretory proteins
What is the function of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER)?
Detoxifies drugs and turns them into safer, water-soluble products
Stores and releases calcium ions
What is the role of cholesterol in the cell membrane?
Temperature buffer
What is the role of carbohydrates in the cell membrane?
Cell recognition
What is selective permeability?
Some particles can move through a membrane following the concentration gradient
What is water potential?
Water potential is the potential of water to LEAVE an area. High water potential means high potential to leave.
Define hypertonic.
Hypertonic means there’s a higher concentration of solute outside of the cell.
Define hypotonic.
Hypotonic means that there is a lower concentration of solute outside of the cell.
Define isotonic.
Isotonic means that the cell and its environment is balanced with their concentration.
What is endocytosis?
The cellular membrane depresses and makes a pocket that develops into a round vesicle inside of the cell.
What is pinocytosis?
(Think pee -> Liquid): Taking in liquid through vesicles
What is phagocytosis?
Taking in solid material (food) through vesicles
What is exocytosis?
Expelling waste or products of the cell and adding vesicle membrane to the cellular membrane (making the cell grow bigger)
What is catabolism?
Breakdown pathways, energy is used to do the work of the cell
What is an example of a catabolic pathway?
Cellular respiration
What is anabolism?
Consuming energy to build complicated molecules from simpler ones; biosynthetic pathways
What is an example of an anabolic pathway?
Photosynthesis
What is an exergonic reaction?
A net release of energy
release of energy
energy outward (-Δ G)
Spontaneous
What is an endergonic reaction?
Absorbs free energy from surroundings
Absorbs energy
energy inward (+Δ G)
nonspontaneous
What is a cofactor?
A cofactor is a non-protein that helps an enzyme to function
What is competitive inhibition?
Chemicals that binds to the active site of the enzyme that prevents the substrate from binding there
What is noncompetitive inhibition?
Chemicals that binds to another active site on the enzyme that changes its shape and active site
What is allosteric regulation?
The binding of a molecule to a protein (enzyme) that affects the function of a protein at a different site
What is feedback inhibition?
A way of metabolic control where the product of the end reaction inhibits an enzyme in the pathway
What is disruptive selection?
The population graphs shows influxes and decreases in large, wave-like patterns
What is stabilizing selection?
The highly peaked population lowers and levels out
What is directional selection?
The population shifts forward on the graph
What is Lamarck’s theory of evolution?
States that a giraffe reaches for the tall trees its whole life, the trait of a longer neck will be in its genes (hereditable genes can be acquired over a lifetime)
What are the steps of natural selection?
Step One: more offspring are produced than are able to survive.
Step Two: Each individual is born with slight variations of traits that are given to them by their parents
Step Three: those with the best traits that live, pass on those traits to offspring
Step Four: New offspring are born with slight variations in their genes.
What are vestigial organs?
Organs or structures that seem to have no use to us, but are apparent in other species.
The comparison shows past relation
How can we use biochemistry to evaluate closeness in evolution?
Comparing similarity in DNA
What are homologous structures?
Comparing body structure to fossils and other species’ anatomical bone structure
What are the conditions for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
Large Population Random Mating No mutation No Gene flow No natural selection
What does it mean to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
Allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of other evolutionary influences, meaning no evolution is occurring
What is the biological species concept?
A population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring, but do not produce viable, fertile offspring with members of other such groups.
What is the morphological species concept?
Characterizes a species by body shape and other structural features and is applied to asexual and sexual organisms and useful when information on gene flow is unknown. Since it is subjective, researcher may disagree on which features to use to distinguish a species
What is the paleontological species concept?
Focuses on morphologically discrete species known only from the fossil record. Many species are forced to be identified this way because there is little to know information on their mating abilities.
What is the ecological species concept?
This uses a species ecological niche: “the sum of how members of a species interact with the living and nonliving parts of their environment
What is the phylogenetic species concept?
Here, species is defined as the smallest group of individuals with a common ancestor, forming a single branch of the “tree of life”. This compares numerous characteristics, esp. morphology and molecular sequences, with those of other organisms.
What is gametic reproductive isolation?
The sperm and egg are chemically incompatible. This will either make them unable to create an offspring, or will create an infertile offspring, or one that has too many mutations to live to adulthood and reproduce
What is temporal reproductive isolation?
two species whose ranges overlap have different periods of sexual activity or breeding seasons
What is behavioral species isolation?
Species with complex courtship rituals (breeding calls, mating dances, etc.) don’t appeal to each other
What is habitat species isolation?
Species don’t mate because they live in different places and wont meet
What is mechanical species isolation?
Anatomical structures and morphological differences prevent breeding
What is “punctuated equilibrium?”
The hypothesis that evolutionary development is marked by isolated episodes of rapid speciation between long periods of little or no change
What are homeotic genes?
Homeotic genes are responsible for placements of body parts and when they are places where
How do homeotic genes influence speciation?
Sometimes, mutations on the homeotic genes fault results in a new type of specie thousands of years later, if that mutation became beneficial to the organism allowing to to survive and reproduce better.
What is allopatric speciation?
Occurs when populations of a species become geographically isolated. When populations become separated, gene flow between them ceases. Over time, the populations may become genetically different in response to the natural selection imposed by their different environments.
What is sympatric speciation?
Occurs when populations of a species that share the same habitat become reproductively isolated from each other. Generally, this can only last for a few generations because the overlapping of genes will result in infertile offspring or offspring that die within a few years.
