Studying Life

Question 1

What does an organism need to be capable of doing to be considered alive?

Answer 1

Metabolism, reproduction and evolution

Question 2

What is metabolism?

Answer 2

It’s the total chemical activity in a cell/metabolism.

Question 3

Meaning of “anabolism”:

Answer 3

Building

Question 4

Meaning of “catabolism”:

Answer 4

Breaking

Question 5

What is the role of genes in the chemical reactions that compose the metabolism?

Answer 5

They provide control and coordination.

Question 6

Definition of Homeostasis:

Answer 6

Homo: same
Stasis: spot

“Same spot”, cell/organism does the necessary chemical reactions to come back to a stable internal condition.

Question 7

What is reproduction?

Answer 7

A process in which a cell/organism makes a new individual.

Question 8

How are variations a major characteristic of life?

Answer 8

1. The combination of reproduction and errors in the duplication of genetic information = EVOLUTION (biological)
2. Variations in the environment = Diversification of life
3. Enables cell/organism to adapt in different environments and have different life styles.

Question 9

Definition of adaptation:

Answer 9

Internet or external changes that allow a cell/organism to adapt to a certain environment.

Question 10

Advantages of sexual reproduction:

Answer 10

1.Organisms exchange genetic information=Offspings genetically variable

2.having genetically different offsprings= more chances in surviving in changing environment

Question 11

Why are asexuel cell/organism at a disadvantage?

Answer 11

-They can only make a clone of themselves. This means that if that cell/organism is not able to survive in a certain environment, its offsprings won’t be able to survive either.

They can’t adapt.

Question 12

How did life first arose?

Answer 12

It came from nonliving molecules that interacted with each other and formed the first molecule that made a copy of itself (nucleic acids/DNA)

Question 13

What created the cellular membrane?

Answer 13

Lipids because they are hydrophobic. When reacting with water, they close onto themselves. So they accidently closed onto some DNA.

Question 14

What was the name of the first cell?

Answer 14

Prokaryotic cell

Question 15

Name a particular characteristic of the prokaryotic cell?

Answer 15

It has no nucleus.

Question 16

Where did the prokaryotic cells live, and why did they live there ?

Answer 16

In the water, which protected them from the UV light (makes cell vibrate, which can break bonds) and infrared radiation (heat)

Question 17

What did the prokaryotic cells develop into?

Answer 17

Cyanobacteria

Question 18

What special ability does cyanobacteria have, and what is the result of this ability?

Answer 18

They do photosynthesis, and a by-product of this is O2 gas, which allowed aerobic metabolism (cellular respiration)

Question 19

Apart from aerobic metabolism(cellular respiration), what else did the production of O2 bring?

Answer 19

It created ozone.

Question 20

What was the impact of an ozone barrier on Earth? Explain the property of ozone and then answer the question.

Answer 20

Property of ozone:
- Prevents excess UV light from the sun from reaching Earth

This protection against UV light shielded enough that some organisms moved to land

Question 21

What is the second evolution of prokaryotic cells?

Answer 21

Eukaryotic cells

Question 22

What mainly differentiates prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

Answer 22

Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus, and the prokaryotic cells don’t

Question 23

How did the prokaryotic cells evolve to be eukaryotic cells?

Answer 23

Some prokaryotic cells were big enough to engulf and digest smaller ones. But, some prokaryotic cells survived within the bigger prokaryotic cells, which created the first eukaryotic cells.

Question 24

What are the advantages for the bigger prokaryotic cells and the smaller prokaryotic cells when merged?

Answer 24

1. The bigger prokaryotic cell protects the smaller one
2. The smaller prokaryotic cell gives energy to the bigger one

Question 25

What are the 3 major domains of the provisional tree of life?

Answer 25

Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya

Question 26

Name the parts of a scientific name?

Answer 26

Genus (first name): Refers to a group of species that have a recent ancestor

Specific epithet (second name): identifies a specific species within the genus.

Question 27

What are the five parts of the scientific method?

Answer 27

1. Making observations
2. Asking questions
3. Forming hypotheses (tentative answer to question)
4. Making predictions based on these hypotheses (ex. if… then…)
5. Testing the predictions by conducting experiments

Question 28

What is an independent variable?

Answer 28

The variable being manipulated. The “x” value. (What fo I change?)

Question 29

What is a dependant variable?

Answer 29

The response that is measured. The “y” value. “y” is a function of “x”. (What do I observe?)

Question 30

What are controlled variables?

Answer 30

One or more variables that are held constant in both the experimental and control groups

Question 31

What is a positive control?

Answer 31

It’s when you know how a certain substance will react to the experiment and it can be used to compare with the other results

Question 32

What is negative control?

Answer 32

It is when you know a substance in the experiment will not react at all.