Week 1 Necessary Vocabulary

Question 1

Abiotic

Answer 1

Any component or attribute of the ecosystem that is devoid of life. = non-living.

• Usually bears physical and chemical traits but no biotic traits.

Question 2

ATP

Answer 2

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level.

Question 3

bacterial shapes

Answer 3

Spirilla- Spiral.

Bacillus- Rod.

Coccus- Spherical

Square- Tetrads. are square arrangements of four cocci.

Question 4

Biotic

Answer 4

Living things in an ecosystem

Question 5

Cell

Answer 5

• The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism, typically microscopic and consisting of cytoplasm and a nucleus enclosed in a membrane.

Why small?
- Cells bound by membrane need large surface area to absorb nutrients (energy in & out) and release waste.
- Special relationship between surface area and volume. The smaller the volume, the larger the surface area to volume ratio it is.

Question 6

Cell Membrane

Answer 6

also called the plasma membrane, is found in all cells and separates the interior of the cell from the outside environment.

Function: regulates the transport of materials entering and exiting the cell.

Question 7

compartmentalization

Answer 7

Cell is divided into different compartments using membrane-bounded organelles and internal membranes.

• metabolic reactions more efficiently b/c each compartment has a specific condition.

Question 8

DNA

Answer 8

Deoxyribonucleic acid is the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.

Question 9

eukaryotic

Answer 9

• Cell that has a true nucleus. (Karyon) filled with DNA
• more complex
• plants, fungi, animals
• 10-100 um
• membrane bound organelles
• cytoskeleton
• larger ribosomes

Question 10

evolution

Answer 10

is a change in allele frequencies from one generation to the next. Changing how common a particular allele is within a population (its frequency) changes the genetic makeup of the population.

Question 11

glycolysis

Answer 11

Breakdown of glucose by enzymes, releasing energy and pyruvic acid (C₃H₄O₃)

Question 12

homeostasis

Answer 12

Is the state of steady internal, physical, chemical, and social conditions maintained by living systems.

• “optimal functioning for the organism”

Question 13

halophiles

Answer 13

Archaea that live in extreme salt conditions.

Question 14

irritable (response to the environment)

Question 15

Life

Answer 15

The way a discipline defines life is intimately connected to the questions that it explores. One of the issues with defining life is that, depending upon the branch of biology where it is important, the properties of life don’t completely match. what one group thinks is an essential aspect of life, another group may not.

Evolutionary biology
study of how life on Earth changes over time through processes such as nat-ural selection and speciation. A major factor that determines the actual rate of change within a population is generation time, which is the average difference in age between a parent and its offspring

astrobiology,
which considers questions related to the possibility of life beyond Earth and the factors necessary to support life on other planets. Any definition of life that we can come up with would need to apply to entities we may discover (or meet) on other worlds.

artificial life,
which uses computer simulations, robotics, and synthetic biochemistry to simulate many of the attributes of life.

Question 16

messenger RNA (mRNA)

Answer 16

RiboNucleic Acid and is the single stranded molecule that carries the instructions to make proteins. It has a fundamental and essential role that makes our bodies function and is found in all living cells.

Question 17

metabolism

Answer 17

the chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy.

Question 18

methanogens

Answer 18

Archaea that live in anaerobic environments. Meaning without oxygen.

• use Carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas to produce methane.

Question 19

nucleoid

Answer 19

The central region of a prokaryotic cell with no boundary membrane separating it from the cytoplasm, where DNA replication and RNA transcription occur.

It is different from the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell in a way that the genetic material is not enclosed in a membrane to separate it from the cytoplasm.

Question 20

nucleus

Answer 20

The central region of eukaryotic cells, separated by membranes from the surrounding cytoplasm, where DNA replication and messenger RNA transcription occurs.

• contains the chromosomes.

Question 21

peptidoglycan

Answer 21

• a rigid envelope surrounding the cytoplasmic membrane of most bacterial species.

Function: maintains cell shape, protects cell from external environmental conditions

Question 22

prokaryotic

Answer 22

• cell that does not contain a true nucleus, but a nucleoid
• 1-10 um
• circular, naked DNA
• no separate internal membranes (e.g., nucleus, mitochondria)
• “No cytoskeleton”
• smaller ribosomes

Question 23

thermophiles

Answer 23

Archaea that live in hot springs and hydrothermal ocean vents. Super hot.

Question 24

transfer RNA (tRNA)

Answer 24

a type of RNA molecule that helps decode a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence into a protein.

Function: at specific sites in the ribosome during translation, which is a process that synthesizes a protein from an mRNA molecule.

Question 25

independent variable

Answer 25

• A variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure.

• What we expect will influence dependent variables.

Question 26

dependent variable

Answer 26

is what happens as a result of the independent variable.

Question 27

controlled variable

Answer 27

• Anything that is held constant or limited in a research study.

• is not of interest to the study’s objectives, but is controlled because it could influence the outcomes.

Question 28

prediction

Answer 28

Phenomenon that should be observable if a hypothesis is true.

If hypothesis, then prediction.

Question 29

hypothesis

Answer 29

Can be defined as a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

• explains the focus and direction of the experiment
• states the purpose of research and identifies the variables used
• needs to be logical, use precise language, testable and falsifiable
• can be eliminated or confirmed (but not proven)

Question 30

Cell theory

Answer 30

Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden 1839

1. All organisms consist of 1 or more cells
2. The cell is the basic functional unit of structure for all organisms

Rudolf Virchov 1855

3. All cells arise only from existing cells (biogenesis)

Question 31

The cell theory: Modern interpretation

Answer 31

1. All known living things are made up of 1 or more cells.
2. The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in all living organisms.
3. All living cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.
4. The activity of an organism depends on the total activity of independent cells.
5. Energy flow (metabolism and biochemistry) occurs within cells.
6. Cells contain DNA which is found specifically in the chromosomes and RNA found in the cell nucleus and cytoplasm.
7. All cells are basically the same in chemical composition in organisms of similar species.

Question 32

Scientific Method

Answer 32

1. Observation
2. Question
3. Hypothesis
4. Prediction
5. Test the prediction

2 ways this can result.
Hypothesis is supported.
6. Interaction time
Question why/how it was the case.

Hypothesis is not supported
6. Interaction time.
Start the process over again