Set 1 - Properties of Life - Bio 100

What is the definition of biology?

The study of life

The root for water is "hydro". Based on this knowledge, what is a hydrologist?

A person who studies water

What is the definition of energy in scientific terms?

the capacity to do work

The sum total of all reactions in the body that utilize and release energy is called __________.

metabolism

Reactions that build larger molecules from smaller molecules require energy. These types of reactions are ___________ reactions.

anabolic

Reactions that break down larger molecules into smaller molecules release energy. These types of reactions are ___________ reactions.

catabolic

If you are losing weight, are your anabolic or catabolic reactions more prevalent?

catabolic

What is the genetic blueprint of all living organisms?

DNA

The ability to maintain a level of internal physiological constancy is called ________.

homeostasis

A change in the allele frequency of a population over time is called _________.

evolution

Evolution requires some mechanism to drive a change in the allele frequency of a population. It also requires what other two criteria among the individuals?

ability to reproduce and genetic variety among the population

A change in a DNA sequence is called a _____________.

mutation

When gene flow is occurring, what is happening to the population? (define gene flow)

Individuals from elsewhere are migrating into the population or individuals from the population are leaving, changing the allele frequency.

When random events lead to changes in the allele frequencies in small populations, we say that the evolutionary mechanism ________________ is occurring.

genetic drift

What are the building blocks of atoms? (electrons are an example)

subatomic particles

Molecules are made up of a specific arrangement of __________.

atoms

The smallest unit of life is the ________.

cell

Membrane-bound compartments within a cell are called _________.

organelles

What was the first organelle found in an early eukaryotic cell?

the nucleus

What is the main difference between a eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell?

Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus (and other organelles) while prokaryotic cells do not.

What does the root "kary" mean?

nucleus

What does the root "eu" mean?

true or real

A group of cells that have similar structure and that function together as a unit is called a(n) ____________.

tissue

A(n) ___________ is a group of several different kinds of tissues that perform a specific function.

organ

Organs that work together to provide a specific function make up a(n) ___________.

organ system

If you put all of the organ systems together, you have just built a multicellular ____________.

organism

A group of the same type of organisms living in the same area is called a ________.

population

The term describing multiple populations living in the same area is a ________.

community

A community and its surrounding non-living environment is called what?

an ecosystem

The ___________ is made up of all of the ecosystems on Earth where life exists.

biosphere

What is the hierarchy of biological organization from subatomic particles to the biosphere?

Note: Do not put organelles in your hierarchy, as they evolved AFTER life evolved, but are still considered non-living, raw materials!

subatomic particles --> atoms --> molecules and macromolecules --> cells --> tissues --> organs --> organ systems --> organism --> population --> community --> ecosystem --> biosphere

How old is the Earth believed to be?

~ 4.5 billion years old

How long ago did life begin on Earth?

~3.5-4.0 billion years ago

How many mass extinctions have there been on Earth?

5

The last mass extinction, which obliterated the dinosaurs, was likely caused by what?

A giant asteroid which collided with Earth down in the Gulf of Mexico (near the Yucatan Peninsula). Other activities may have also contributed along with this asteroid collision.

Human activity is contributing to the increase in extinction rate we have seen recently. What is the likely cause of this increase in extinction rate?

Climate change

The main driver of climate change is global warming, which is due, mostly, by certain atmospheric gases trapping some of the heat radiated from the planet's surface. What is this trapping/heating called? The ___________ effect.

greenhouse

Based on its levels in the atmosphere, which greenhouse gas is contributing the most to global warming and climate change?

carbon dioxide

Besides carbon dioxide, there are several other greenhouse gases that contribute less, overall, to global warming. One of these gases is actually more potent than carbon dioxide, although its levels are much less. What is this gas?

methane

The burning of fossil fuels and deforestation both contribute to global warming by increasing the levels of _________ in the atmosphere, but by different mechanisms. Explain.

carbon dioxide

Both the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation contribute to global warming by increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but when we burn fossil fuels, the by-product is carbon dioxide, so we are directly ADDING this gas to the atmosphere. On the other hand, when we cut down trees, since plants consume carbon dioxide to make their own food through photosynthesis, we are taking away the ability to REMOVE carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and this indirectly increases the levels of this gas.

What is branch of science that was developed to characterize and classify all newly identified organisms?

taxonomy

All newly identified organisms are given a scientific name, which has 2 parts (binomial system). What is the first part of the scientific name? _______ What is the second part? _______ How do we write the full name?

Genus, species

We write the name with the Genus first, and capitalize the first letter of the Genus name. All other letters of the Genus name are lower-cased. Then we write the species name, and all letters of the species name are lower-cased. Finally, we either underline the entire name, or italicize it.

Example: Modern humans (our common name) is in the Genus "Homo" and the species "sapiens". So our scientific name would be written in the following way: Homo sapiens (all underlined or italicized)

When we define a "Biological Species", there are two important criteria that must be met for all members of a particular species. What are they?

Members of the same species must:

1) be able to interbreed under natural conditions

2) be able to produce fertile offspring

A donkey and a horse are capable of interbreeding, and their offspring is a mule. Why then are donkeys and horses considered to be separate species?

The donkey and horse are considered to be different species because they fit only one of the two mandatory criteria to be the same species: they are able to interbreed naturally. They do not, however, fit the second criteria of being able to produce fertile offspring because the mule they produce is sterile.

Another great example of this is the lion and the tiger; they interbreed naturally as well, but their offspring, the liger or the tigon, (depending on which sex the parents are) is sterile.

Members of different species that are still highly related would fit into the same _____________.

genus

What is the hierarchy of the levels of classification from the least specific to the most specific level?

The least specific level is the domain, and the most specific level is species (easy to remember that).

So from least specific to most specific:

Domain --> Kingdom --> Phylum --> Class --> Order --> Family --> Genus --> Species

How many Domains are there in the living world? What are they?

There are 3 Domains: Archae, Bacteria, and Eukary

How many Kingdoms are there in the living world? What are they, and which domain does each belong to?

6 Kingdoms

Domain Archae contains only one Kingdom: Archaebacteria

Domain Bacteria contains only one Kingdom: Eubacteria

Domain Eukary contains four Kingdoms: Protista, Fungi, Plants, and Animals

What does the term, Autotroph, literally mean? These organisms are the _________ (producers/consumers/decomposers) of the world.

Auto = self

Troph = to feed

Autotrophs are "self feeders", meaning they are able to make their own food.

These organisms are the producers of the world.

What does the term, Heterotroph, literally mean? These organisms are the _________ (producers/consumers/decomposers) of the world.

Hetero = other (or different)

Troph = to feed

Heterotrophs feed on others, meaning they rely on other organisms to provide their food.

These organisms are the consumers and decomposers of the world.

What is the most important characteristic of ALL bacteria that is NOT a characteristic in the organisms of any of the other kingdoms? Organisms like this are all _____________(eukaryotes/prokaryotes). In fact, we can use this term interchangeably with bacteria!

All bacteria are cells WITHOUT a nucleus, or any other organelles.

Organisms like this are all prokaryotes.

Which kingdoms consist of organisms that ALL have a nucleus and other organelles in their cells? These kingdoms are all ____________.

Protista, Fungi, Plants and Animals all have a nucleus and other organelles in their cells.

They are all eukaryotes.

Which kingdoms consist of ONLY unicellular organisms?

Archaebacteria and Eubacteria

Which Kingdom has the most diversity?

Protista

Which kingdoms consist of ONLY multicellular organisms?

Plants and Animals

Which kingdom in the Eukary domain consists of organisms which are nearly all producers?

Which one consists of nearly all consumers?

Which one consists of nearly all decomposers?

producers - plants

consumers - animals

decomposers - fungi

Which Kingdom has members in it that love extreme conditions?

What is the term for those who love these extreme conditions?

Archaebacteria

extremophiles

A scientist is examining an organism under the microscope and notices the absence of a nucleus within the cell. What Domain(s) could this organism belong to? What Kingdom(s)?

This organism is a prokaryote, so it must be in the Archae or Bacteria domain.

Each of these domains contain one kingdom, so this organism can be in either the Archaebacteria or the Eubacteria kingdoms.

A scientist is examining an organism under the microscope and notices the presence of a nucleus within the cell.

Further tests reveal that the organism is multicellular and is able to produce its own food.

Evidence to this point suggests that this organism could be a member of the Kingdom(s) __________.

This organism could be a member of the Protista or Plant kingdoms.

You are confronted with a single-celled organism under the microscope. You are told that it is a decomposer, and that it is not a fungus or an archaebacteria.

What two kingdoms could this organism be a part of?

What would you look for to determine which of the two it may be be?

Since we have eliminated the kingdoms, Fungi and Archaebacteria, the only two other kingdoms that have organisms that are single-celled decomposers are Eubacteria and Protista.

The best way to determine which kingdom the organism belongs to is to look to see if it contains a nucleus and/or other organelles. If it does, it's a protist; if it does not, it's a eubacteria.

You are asked to write out the scientific name, using the binomial system, of the American black bear. You are given the following information:

Class: Mammalia

Family: Ursidae

Phylum: Chordata

Genus: Ursus

Kingdom: Animalia

Species: Americanus

Order: Carnivora

Domain: Eukary

What would be the scientific name of this organism?

Ursus americanus (should be italicized OR underlined).

First letter of Genus should be capitalized, and the rest of the entire name is lower-cased.

What are the units that make up DNA called?

nucleotides

There are 4 types of nitrogenous "bases" that make up DNA (the 4 "flavors"). What are they?

Adenine (A)

Thymine (T)

Guanine (G)

Cytosine (C)

There are specific base-pairing rules that govern the structure of DNA. What are these rules? A always pairs with _____, and G always pairs with _____.

Adenine always pairs with Thymine

Guanine always pairs with Cytosine

A-T

G-C

When DNA is replicated, the double helix unwinds, and a specific enzyme adds the appropriate nucleotides to a growing chain of new DNA. Each strand is used as a template for this enzyme to add nucleotides using the base-pair rules. What is this enzyme called?

DNA polymerase

Most enzymes are what type of macromolecule?

protein

What do enzymes do to chemical reactions?

Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in our bodies.

Note: they do this by lowering the activation energy, but you will not need to know this for the first exam!!

Most enzymes are given a name that has something to do with its function, and at the end of the name, you will usually see what letters?

-ase

Why do you only need a very small level of enzymes in your body?

Enzymes are recycled, so after an enzyme completes a reaction, it can find another molecule of the same type to work on.

They are not destroyed after completing a reaction.

Proteins are macromolecules made up of building blocks called ___________.

amino acids

Proteins are strings of a specific sequence of amino acids. The sequence then folds into a specific __________ that is critical for the function of the protein. When you unfold a protein, it becomes non-functional. This is called __________ the protein.

shape, denaturing

One of the easiest ways to denature MOST proteins is by doing what? Is this a reversible or irreversible action?

boiling it, which is irreversible

If you want to make many copies of DNA from a single DNA molecule, what biotechnology procedure can you use in the lab?

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

Why is PCR not possible using most types of DNA polymerase (like human DNA polymerase)?

You have to boil the reaction to unwind the DNA, but if there is DNA polymerase in there, you may have a problem. This is because human DNA polymerase (and most DNA polymerases) will denature when you boil it.

What type of DNA polymerase do we use for PCR to get around the problem of denaturing at high temperatures? In other words, from what organism do we obtain the DNA polymerase for PCR?

In which Kingdom do these organisms reside?

We use DNA polymerase from thermophilic bacteria which love high temperatures and can survive the boiling temperatures needed.

Their enzymes (including their DNA polymerases) do not denature when you boil them!

These thermophilic bacteria are part of the Kingdom Archaebacteria.

What are the five mechanisms that can cause evolution to occur (those we discussed in class)?

Which is the one which Charles Darwin described in his writings?

~ Mutation (required for ANY evolution to occur - you must have variety!)

~ Gene Flow (migration of individuals into/out of the population)

~ Genetic Drift (random events that change the allele frequency)

~ Non-Random Mating (choosing your mate based on certain characteristics)

~ Natural Selection - Nature "selecting" for those individuals who are most "fit" (able to survive and produce viable offspring)

Natural Selection was the mechanism of evolution that Darwin focused on.

If an antibiotic kills 99.9% of a bacterial population, those who survive will then be able to reproduce, changing the genetic makeup of the new population. This is an example of which mechanism of evolution? ___________

You would expect the next generation of bacteria to be _________ (more/less/just as) resistant to that antibiotic as was the previous generation.

natural selection

more resistant

Why did the dark-colored moths survive better than the light-colored moths as the industrial revolution proceeded in London? Did they purposely camouflage themselves or change their DNA in response to the dark trees?

The dark moths survived because they happened to be dark when the trees were dark.

They did NOT purposely camouflage themselves!

They did not adapt TO the environment... the environment they were in just happened to be good at the time.

Their DNA did not change in RESPONSE to the dark trees... it was a random mutation that occurred that made them dark, and they happened to be in luck.

In order for evolution to occur, any mutation that occurs within individuals must occur in the ____________.

gametes (reproductive cells)

What is a hypothesis? Is it the answer to a question?

A hypothesis is not the answer to a question!

It is a guess, based on your knowledge or experience (an educated guess).

It's a proposal to a question that can be tested.

Is a theory a guess? Describe what it takes to make something a theory.

A theory is NOT a guess!!

It is a well-supported broad explanation of some aspect of the natural world.

A theory has been repeatedly tested and reconfirmed.

What is a Scientific Law? Is it a proven explanation of some aspect of the natural world? If not, what is it?

A Scientific Law is NOT an explanation of WHY something happens, it is a statement that describes WHAT happens, ALWAYS, under certain conditions in our universe.

So it's not explaining the WHY, it's simply stating the WHAT.

Laws cannot never be broken!

Which holds more weight, a hypothesis or a theory?

A hypothesis is just a guess, but a theory is an explanation that has be tested repeated and has been reconfirmed to be true.

A theory is not a guess! It holds a LOT more weight than a hypothesis!