Test 1 Flashcards
biology
the scientific study of life
atom:
the smallest unit of an element that retains all of the chemical properties of that element
molecule
two or more atoms bonded together
organelle
membrane enclosed substructures with in a cell that have specific functions
cell
the smallest unit of life
tissue
composed of specialized cells of a single, specific, type
organs
consists of two or more types of tissue
organ system:
several organs together
population
all of the organisms of the small species in a given area
community
all of the different species coexisting in a specific area
ecosystem
a community of organisms in their physical environments
biosphere
all life and all of the places on Earth where life exists all life and all of the places on Earth where life exists
reductionism
reducing complex systems to simpler components
emergent properties
result from the synergy between parts within a system, not from the properties of the individual parts, themselves
systems biology:
seeks to increase understanding of the dynamic behavior/networked natures of entire biological systems, often by using computer modeling
prokaryotic:
Domeain Bacteria;Smaller celll with no membrane bound organelles, no nucleus, and cell wall is present in most species
eukaryotic
All other organisms; larger cells with membrane bound organelles and a nucleus present and cell walls present in SOME species
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid/ biological instructions
genes
segments of DNA with specific function and that transmit characteristics from parents to offspring
genome
entire library of genetic interactions in an organism
genomics
the study of the DNA sequences of genes within and between species
proteomics
the study of whole sets of proteins, known as proteomes
producers
organisms that get energy from sunlight that is stored in sugar micelles via photosynthesis
consumers
access energy in sugar molecules that they ingest
negative feedback
slows or stops a process
positive feedback
speeds a process up
evolution
descent with modification
diversity
number of different types of organisms present in an environment
Taxonomy
branch of biology that names and classifies species into hierarchal order
Domain Bacteria
in temperate environments; prokaryotic, unicellular
Domain Archae
in extreme environments; prokaryotic, unicellular
Domain Eukarya
all eukaryotic, can be multicellular or unicellular
natural selection
those individuals best suited to a given environment will be most likely to survive and leave fertile offspring behind
scientific inquiry
multi-step, creative process focused around specific questions
hypothesis
tentative answer/explanation that is falsifiable
control group
receiving no manipulation
experimental group
receiving some type of manipulation
independent variable
the factor that is manipulated by a researcher
dependent variable
that factor that is observed/measure to determine the effect of the manipulation
theory
braider in scope than hypothesis and supported by a large body of evidence
basic research
undertaken to understand natural phenomena
applied research
specific purpose(?)
what is the levels of hierarchy in the body
Atom -> molecule -> organelle -> cell -> tissue -> organ -> organ system -> organism -> population -> community -> ecosystem -> biosphere
Which type of cells were the first to arrive on Earth
prokaryotic bacteria
Why are there similarities between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
shared ancestry that changed through evolution
What is DNA structure and function?
it is a double helix made of nucleotide subunits that allow cells to transmit genetic information
Have scientist identifies all living species on earth
no
What provides the background genetic variation in a population for natural selection to act upon?
(mutation)
what are the main steps of the scientific method of inquiry
observations -> questions -> hypothesis -> predictions -> test
Can anything be proven in science
no, everything is always on trial and being tested for something to be added onto it
Ina perfect world, how many variables will be manipulated at one time
just one
Can scientific studies be used to answer questions of belief and ethics
no
what is the lineup of the taxonomic categories
species -> genus-> family-> order -> class -> phylum-> kingdom-> domain->
what are the kingdoms under domain eukaryotic
protista, plantae, fungi, animals
Of what two parts does the species name of an organism consist?
genus and species placement
The cell Theory
(1) all living things consist of cells
(2) all cells come from other cells
(3) new cells produces by division of existing cells
(4)all cells enclosed by membrane
(5) all cells contain DNA
nucleotides
The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and one to three phosphate groups
gene expression
The process by which information encoded in DNA directs the synthesis of proteins or, in some cases, RNAs that are not translated into proteins and instead function as RNAs.
How is reductionism different from systems biology?
reductionism studies the individual components of a biological system in isolation while systems biology aims to study the parts of a system when they are part of a whole.
Understand the difference between the genomics and proteomics.
Genomics provides an overview of the complete set of genetic instructions provided by the DNA, while transcriptomics looks into gene expression patterns. Proteomics studies dynamic protein products and their interactions, while metabolomics is also an intermediate step in understanding organism’s entire metabolism.
matter
anything that occupies space and has mass
element
substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical recitations
compound
substance compound of two or more elements combined in a fixed ratio
trace elements
required in minute quantities
atom
smallest unit of matter that still retains the properties of an element
protons
positive, found in the nucleus, same number as electrons
neutrons
neutral, found in the nucleus, number can vary
electrons
negative, found in orbitals, same number as protons
atomic number
number of protons in an atom
atomic mass numbers
indicates an atom’s mass relative to the mass of other atoms
isotopes
multiple forms of an elements that differ in the number to neutrons
potential energy
stared energy possessed due to location or structure
molecules
2 or more atoms bonded together
chemical bonds
interactions in which valence electrons are shared or transferred, causing atoms to be closely associated with one another
molecular formula
contains chemical symbols of elements found in a molecules with subscript indication how many of each atom are present
covalent bond
involves atoms that share a pair of electrons
non polar covalent bond
forms between atoms with similar electronegativities and involves equal sharing of electrons
polar covalent bond
forms when two atoms with different electronegativities bond covalently, with the shared electrons more likely to be in the outer shell of the atom of higher electronegativity than the atom of lower electronegativity
ion
an atom or molecule that has gained or lost one or more electrons
cation
positively charged ion
anion
negatively charged ion
ionic bond
an attraction between an anion and a cation
hydrogen bond
forms when a hydrogen atom from one polar molecule is attracted to an electronegative atom in another polar molecule
Van der Waals interactions
weak interactions that occur when atoms and molecules are in close proximity
chemical reaction
occurs when one or more substances are changed into other substances
reactants
raw materials
products
outputs
chemical equilibrium
a dynamic balance in which a reaction and its reverse can both occur, but with no further net effect on the concentration of reactants or products
cohesion
attraction between water molecules
adhesion
attraction between water molecules and other types of surrounding molecules
kinetic energy
the energy of motion
temperature
measures average kinetic energy of molecules
evaporation
transformation of water molecule from liquid to gas
solution
homogeneous mixture of 2 or more substances
solvent
dissolving agent (liquid)
solute
dissolved substance
hydrophilic
water loving
hydrophobic
water fearing
amphipathic
have both polar and non/polar regions
acid
releases H+ ions in solution increasing H+ concentration
base
absorb H+ ions in solution decreasing H+ concentration
pH
the amount of H+ in a solution is a measure of its acidity
buffers
resists change to the pH of a solution
ocean acidification
when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, carbonic acid is formed, lowering pH
What are all living thing made up of
atoms that have been part of other molecules in the past
Which are the four most common elements found in organisms?
carbon (C), oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and nitrogen (N)
What is the difference between an atom’s atomic number and its atomic mass?
Atomic mass is associated with the number of neutrons and protons that are present in a particular nucleus of an element. Atomic number is usually the number of protons present in an element’s nucleus. It is the average weight of an element.
Why do scientists use electron shells to describe where an electron would be located?
because we cannot be sure where an electron is at any given time
Do isotopes of an element vary in atomic number or atomic mass?
atomic masses displayed on the periodic table are averages of the weights of various isotopes of an element. Also,some isotopes are radioactive and useful in dating different types of samples due to their half-life
When do electrons shells have a greater amount of potential energy
the farther they are from the nucleus
How many valence electrons would an atom larger than hydrogen or helium “like” to ultimately have
8
Why do the elements in the same column of the periodic table display similar bonding “behavior?”
The elements in each group have the same number of valence electrons.
relative strength of covalent bonds
high strength
relative strength of ionic bonds
medium strength (strong on a vacuum but weak in water)
relative strength of hydrogen bonds
poor strength
How do the polar covalent bonds between hydrogen and oxygen atoms (within water molecules) give water molecules the capacity to form hydrogen bonds?
Hydrogen bonds form between adjacent water molecules because the positively charged hydrogen end of one water molecule attracts the negatively charged oxygen end of another water molecule. Water molecules stick to other materials due to its polar nature
Why do ionic bonds (which are fairly strong in a dry environment) break easily in an aqueous environment?
the interaction between ions of opposite charge is minimal and ionic bonds can be considered weak.
Why do all reactions require a source of energy
to overcome inertia and cause reactants to become unstable/more likely to react
what do hydrogen bonds do for water?
give water its unique cohesive and adhesive properties, as well as causing it to have high surface tension. It also gives water a high specific heat and high heat of vaporization
Why is ice less dense than liquid water?
Ice is less dense than water because the orientation of hydrogen bonds causes molecules to push farther apart, which lowers the density.
In living systems, what is used as solvent?
water
What types of substances (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) will easily dissolve in water?
Sugar, sodium chloride, and hydrophilic proteins
organic compounds
carbon-based and are a primary component of all living organisms
hydrocarbons
organic molecules including only carbon and hydrogen
isomers
compounds with identical molecular formulas, but with different structures and characteristics
geometric isomers
have identical covalent bonding patterns but different spatial positioning around a carbon-carbon double bond
enantiomers
molecules that are mirror images of each other
functional groups
groups of atoms that participate in chemical reactions in a characteristic way
macromolecules
large, complex organic molecules made of smaller subunits
polymers
large, many unit molecules
monomers
small single unit molecule
condensation/dehydration reaction
capable or linking monomers to form polymers
hydrolysis reaction
capable of splitting a polymer into its monomers
enzymes
specialized macromolecules that speed up chemical reactions
carbohydrates
molecules are used primarily for energy that are composed of carbon, hydrogens and oxygen
monosaccharides
simplest sugars
disaccharides
carbohydrates composed of two monosaccharides
polysaccharides
long series of monosaccharides linked together to form long polymers
lipids
molecules used for energy storage and structural purposes that are predominantly composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms
triglycerides
three fatty acid tails joined to glycerol
saturated fatty acid
lipid subunits in which all single bonds are present between carbon atoms in the carbo chain/backbone
unsaturated fatty acids
lipid subunits in which one or more double bonds are present between carbon atoms the carbon chain
phospholipids
molecules that are the major component of cell membrane
steroids
molecules with carbon structure consisting of four fused carbon rings
cholesterol
precursor steroid from which other steroids can be synthesized
proteins
macromolecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, as well as small amounts of sulfur
amino acids
the monomers of proteins that are joined by dehydration reactions and can be broken apart by hydrolysis reactions
polypeptide
long protein chain
primary protein structure
the sequence of amino acids in the protein
secondary protein structure
chemical and physical interactions cause folding
territory protein structure
complex, overall 3-D shape of a polypeptide
quaternary protein structure
made up of two or more polypeptides
nucleic acids
biological macromolecules responsible for the storage, expression, and transmission of genetic information
nucleotide
monomer of a nucleic acid consisting of pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
DNA
serves as the genetic master blueprint that direct RNA synthesis and is passed to offspring
ribonucleic acid
serves as the working copy of a segment of DNA and controls protein synthesis
gene expression
creation of a protein from the nucleotide sequence of an mRNA molecule, which was dictated by the nucleotide sequence of DNA molecule
How many bonds does carbon need in order to be most stable?
4
