TAMU BIO 111 Exam 1

Natural Science

· the field of science related to the physical world and its phenomena and processes.

Physical Science

astronomy, chemistry, physics

Life Science

Biology

Basic Science

Science done to gain knowledge, regardless of the application. "knowledge for knowledge"

Applied Science

Science applied to the real world. The problem is defined by the researcher

Inductive Reasoning

Describes through careful observation and analysis of data. Scientist derive generalizations based on a large number of observations.

Deductive reasoning

ask specific questions usually involving proposing and testing hypothetical explanations aka hypothesis.

Hypothesis

must be testable, falsifiable and include a control group.

Scientific Method

o Make observations

o Develop a hypothesis

o Design an experiment

o Collect data

o Analyze data; do the results support the hypothesis

o Refine and repeat the experiment if necessary

Communicate your results

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

represents the output or outcome resulting from the altering of the independent variable.

Scientific Theory

hypothesis that has not been disproven after many years of rigorous testing

cell theory

o All living organisms are made of one or more cells besides viruses (they aren't REALLY alive)

o Chemical reactions that are necessary for life take place within cells

o All cells arise from pre-existing cells, they don't just appear randomly

o Cells contain hereditary information in the form of DNA

emergent properties

· life's fundamental characteristic is having a high degree of order

o Biological organization is based on a hierarchy of structural levels; the lowest is atoms that build to complex biological molecules, molecules arrange to create structures and organelles which make cells

Key Functions of Life

o Order

o Sensitivity or response to stimuli

o Reproduction

o Growth and development

o Regulation

o Homeostasis

o Energy processing

o Evolution

Taxonomy

The scientific study of how living things are classified and named

Phylogeny

Evolutionary history of a species or group of species.

What did an organism evolve from?

What species is an organism most closely related to.

All Life Shares

o The same genetic material (RNA, DNA)

o Nearly universal genetic code

o The same basic process of gene expression

o The same molecular building blocks

o The presence of ribosomes

Evolution

the change in populations throughout earths history.

Darwin

Developed the theory of evolution, added natural selection.

Wallace

Sent a letter to Darwin with similar ideas.

relative fitness

the survival and/or reproductive rate of a genotype (or phenotype) relative to the maximum survival and/or reproductive rate of other genotypes in the population.

Common elements of life

o Carbon

o Oxygen

o Hydrogen

o Nitrogen

Atoms

· the smallest unit of matter that still retains he properties of an element

Neutrons

the particles of the nucleus that have no charge

Protons

Positively charged particles

Electrons

Negatively charged particles. Surround nucleus in a "cloud"

protons and neutrons

found in the nucleus

atomic number

the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom

atomic mass

Number of protons and neutrons

To find the number of neutrons

atomic mass - atomic number

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons

radioactive isotope

An isotope whose nucleus decays spontaneously, giving off particles and energy.

valence shell

outermost electron shell

Non polar covalent bonds

equal sharing of electrons

polar covalent bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are not shared equally

ionic bond

Formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another

Cations

positively charged ions

Anions

negatively charged ions

Van der Waals interactions

Weak attractions between molecules or parts of molecules positive and negative charges

Electronegativity

A measure of the ability of an atom in a chemical compound to attract electrons. More electronegative the stronger it pulls shared electrons. increases as you go up and across. F is most electronegative

Cohesion

attraction between water molecules due to hydrogen bonding.

surface tension

the ability of water to pull itself into the shape with the smallest surface.

Adhesion

An attraction between molecules of different substances. Causes water to adhere to walls of vessels.

water moderates temperature

by absorbing heat from the air and releasing stored heat into the air when it is cooler

evaporative cooling

The process in which the surface of an object becomes cooler during evaporation, a result of the molecules with the greatest kinetic energy changing from the liquid to the gaseous state.

water is able to

· dissolve more materials than most other solvents making it the universal solvent.

Molarity

moles of solute/liters of solution

pH scale

measurement system used to indicate the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in solution; ranges from 0 to 14

Acids

· any substance that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution

Bases

any substance that reduces the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution

Hydrocarbons

· common in biological organisms

o ONLY hydrogen and carbon

o Do NOT dissolve in water

o NOT present in most living organisms

Isomers

Compounds with the same formula but different structures.

structural isomers

differ in the covalent arrangements of their atoms

geometric isomers

Compounds that have the same molecular formula but differ in the spatial arrangements of their atoms.

Enatiomers

isomers that are mirror images of each other

hydroxyl group

· found in alcohols and sugars. Polar due to the electronegative oxygen. O-H

carbonyl group

· double bonded oxygen and carbon (C=O)

carboxyl group

found in fatty acids and amino acids. Very acidic.

o Double Bond= Carbon and Oxygen

o Single Bond= Carbon and hydroxyl

o Written as either COOH or CO2H

amino group

NH2 Found in every amino acid

Macromolecules

A very large organic molecule composed of many smaller molecules

Sugars

polysaccharides

fatty acids

fats, lipids, membranes

amino acids

building blocks of proteins

Nucleotide

nucleic acid

Proteins, Carbohydrates and Nucleic Acids

Are made from polymers

dehydration synthesis

A chemical reaction in which two molecules covalently bond to each other with the removal of a water molecule.

hydrolysis synthesis

the breaking of the covalent bond between two monomers by the addition of water

Carbohydrates

Broken down to glucose to provide energy.

Monosaccharides

simple sugars. bond together to make more complex sugars.

Disaccharide

A double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by dehydration synthesis.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates that are made up of more than two monosaccharides

Cellulose

A substance (made of sugars) that is common in the cell walls of many organisms

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide, consisting of amino sugar monomers, found in many fungal cell walls and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods.

Amylose

unbranched glucose monomers

Amylopectin

branched glucose monomers

Glycogen

storage form of glucose in animals

Proteins

Chains of amino acids. Consisting of one or more polypeptides

Catabolic

breaking down

Anabolic

building up

catalytic

affects rate of reaction

amino acids

monomers of proteins

primary structure

sequence of amino acids

secondary structure

The second level of protein structure; the regular local patterns of coils or folds of a polypeptide chain.

tertiary structure

The third level of protein structure; the overall, three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide due to interactions of the R groups of the amino acids making up the chain.

quaternary structure

The fourth level of protein structure; the shape resulting from the association of two or more polypeptide subunits.

Lipids

Energy-rich organic compounds, such as fats, oils, and waxes, that are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. DO NOT CONSIST OF POLYMERS

saturated fatty acid

A fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds, thus maximizing the number of hydrogen atoms that can attach to the carbon skeleton.

unsaturated fatty acid

A fatty acid possessing one or more double bonds between the carbons in the hydrocarbon tail. Such bonding reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton.

Phospholipids

one of the fatty acids is replaced by a phosphate group

§ Consists of a hydrophilic "head" and a hydrophobic "tail"

Steroids

lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings

nucleic acids

the genetic material of living organisms

nucleic acids in Eukaryotic Cells

are located in the nucleus

nucleic acids in Prokaryotic Cells

are located in cytoplasm

Genes

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

The Gene Theory

theory that the characteristics of living things are controlled by genes that are passed from parents to offspring

The theory of Heredity

Changes in DNA sequences produce individual, heritable variation. Some of these changes result in individuals with physical characteristics that allow them to leave more offspring to the next generation than do other individuals. These individuals are considered to be more fit than those who have fewer offspring that survive to adulthood.

Hydrophobic

Water fearing

Hydrophilic

water loving

Lamarck

French naturalist who proposed that evolution resulted from the inheritance of acquired characteristics (1744-1829)