Thermodynamics Flashcards
Open and closed systems: Earth?
For energy, Earth is an open system
What happens to the molecules that make up life?
Where do they come from and where do they go?
Molecules are recycled within an organism
or from one organism to the next
What happens to the heat released by the
system? Does it have any useful function?
•Heat is released to the surroundings and
eventually radiated back to outer space.
•This released heat will increase the entropy of
the surroundings
What are 1st and 2nd laws of
thermodynamics?
1st law: Energy is conserved
2nd law: Entropy of the universe is
increasing.
What sources of biological energy are there?
- Lightning
- Light
- Chemical energy (ATP)
- Thermal energy
- Others
Calvin Cycle:
6 low-energy CO2converted to 1 high-energy glucose with reduced C bonds.
A process that plants and algae use to turn carbon dioxide from the air into sugar
How did life spontaneously organize itself if all processes proceed in the direction that increases universal entropy?
Membrane formation and Protein folding
Why does it matter for phylogenetic
comparisons how fast sequences change?
In comparing closely related species, you need
enough sequence differences to compare
Can’t use a molecule that changes VERY slowly
In comparing distantly related species, you need
sequences that change some but not too much
Vertical gene transfer
the transmission of DNA
from parent to progeny
Lateral gene transfer
the transmission of DNA
between unrelated
organisms
The Linnaean system of classification:
Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
Redox Reduction:
LEO
GER
Loss of Electron(s) = Oxidation
Gain of Electrons = Reduction
Glycolysis
a cytoplasmic pathway which breaks down glucose into two three-carbon compounds and generates energy
