Biology Review

What are the general laboratory safety rules?

No eating or drinking, follow all instructions, know the location of safety equipment (fire extinguisher, eyewash station, etc.)

 List the personal protective equipment (PPE) required in the lab.

Lab coats, gloves, safety goggles.

What are the rules for handling chemicals in the laboratory?

Read labels carefully, never mix chemicals unless instructed, dispose of chemicals properly.

How should laboratory equipment be used and what should you do if equipment is broken?

Handle all equipment properly, report any broken equipment immediately.

What is the first step of the scientific method?

Observation.

Describe the difference between a hypothesis and a question.

A hypothesis is an educated guess that can be tested, whereas a question is simply something you want to know.

What is the purpose of conducting an experiment in the scientific method?

To test the hypothesis.

Why is data collection important in the scientific method?

It provides the evidence needed to support or refute the hypothesis.

What should be done after drawing a conclusion in the scientific method?

Report an communicate the results

Describe the shape of an exponential growth curve and what it indicates.

J-shaped curve, indicates rapid population increase due to unlimited resources.

What characterizes a logistic growth curve?

S-shaped curve, indicates population growth that stabilizes as resources become limited.

What are the building blocks of proteins?

amino acids

Give two examples of proteins and their functions.

Enzymes, and antibodies.

What are nucleotides and what macromolecules do they form?

Nucleotides form DNA and RNA

List two examples of carbohydrates and their functions.

Glucose (provides energy) and starch. (energy storage in plants.)

What are the building blocks of lipids and what are their functions?

Fatty acids and glycerol; they store energy and make up cell membranes.

In which organelle does photosynthesis take place?

Chloroplast

What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?

INPUTS: Carbon dioxide, water, sunlight. OUTPUTS: Glucose, oxygen.

Describe the main processes involved in the water cycle.

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.

What are the steps in the nitrogen cycle?

Nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, denitrification.

Explain the carbon cycle.

Photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion.

What is the role of the phosphorus cycle in ecosystems?

Weathering of rocks, absorption of plants, consumption by animals, return to environment via decomposition.

List the levels of organization in order from smallest to largest and give an example of each.

Organism (deer), Population (group of deer), Community (all living things in a forest), Ecosystem (forest), Biosphere (earth).

Define herbivore and give an example.

an organism that eats plants only; ex. deer.

What is a carnivore and provide an example.

an organism that eats only meat. ex; lion.

Describe an omnivore and provide an example.

an organism that eats both plants and animals. ex; bear.

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

to break down dead material/

Give an example of a scavenger.

vulture

What is a producer in an ecosystem?

an organism that makes it’s own food.

What is a primary consumer?

an organism that eats producers. ex; rabbit.

What is a secondary consumer?

organisms that eats primary consumers. ex; snakes.

What is a tertiary consumer?

organisms that eat the secondary consumers. ex; eagle.

What is a zygote?

A fertilized egg. Two gametes combined..

What happens during anaphase in mitosis?

Chromosomes separate and more to opposite poles.

What occurs during interphase in the cell cycle?

cell growth period before mitosis

What is the significance of prophase in mitosis?

Chromosomes condense and become visible.

Define somatic cells.

Body cells (not reproductive)

What occurs during prophase in mitosis?

Chromosomes condense.

What happens during metaphase?

Chromosomes line up at the cell equator.

What happens during anaphase?

Chromosomes split and move to opposite poles.

What occurs during telophase?

nuclear membrane reforms, chromosomes de-condense.

What are the base pairing rules for DNA?

Adenine (A) pairs with Thymine (T), and Guanine (G) pairs with Cytosine (C).

What are the building blocks of DNA?

nucleotides.

What is a mutation?

a change in the DNA sequence.

What is a genotype?

genetic makeup of an organism.

Define phenotype

Physical traits of an organism.

What does homozygous mean?

Two identical alleles for a trait

Explain what heterozygous means

two different alleles for a trait.

What is a gene?

A segment of DNA that codes for a certain protein.

Describe sex-linked inheritance with an example.

traits associated with sex chromosomes. ex; XRXr

What is codominance?

When both alleles express equally. ex; Rr - Red and White.

Define complete dominance with an example.

Dominant allele masks the recessive one. Ex. Rr - red

What is incomplete dominance?

Blending of traits. ex; Rr - pink.

Who was Darwin and what theory did he propose?

Naturalist who proposed the theory of natural selection.

Explain the concept of natural selection.

Process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

What is a fossil?

Preserved remains of ancient organisms.

Define an acquired trait.

Characteristic acquired during an organism’s life.

What is natural selection?

Differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype.

Describe homologous structures and give an example.

Similar structures in different species due to common ancestry. ex; human arm & bat wing.

What are analogous structures?

Structures that serve similar functions but do not share common ancestry. Ex; wings of a bat & wings of a butterfly.