BIO 201 Lab Final Topics

Body Tube

Part of the microscope connecting the ocular and objective lenses.

Compound Light Microscope

An optical instrument with lenses that refract (bend) visible light to magnify images of specimens.

Condenser

Lens that focuses light from the light source onto the specimen.

Contrast

The difference in light intensity between the image and the adjacent background relative to the overall background intensity

Arm

Part of the microscope connecting the body tube to the base of the microscope.

Depth of Field

The vertical extent to which one can view a specimen with greatest resolution

Dissecting Light Microscope

This is used to view three-dimensional objects and larger specimens, with a maximum magnification of 100x.

Field of View

The open observable area a person can see through his or her eyes or through a microscope

Focusing Controls (Focus Adjustment Knobs (fine and coarse))

Raises and lowers the stage to bring the specimen into focus.

Iris Diaphragm

Adjusts the amount of light passing through the specimen and helps to adjust both the contrast and resolution of the specimen.

Light Source

Illuminator

Magnification

Size

Objective Lenses

Lenses found on the revolving nosepiece and can be changed to adjust magnification.

Ocular Lenses

Lenses the viewer looks through and may contain either a pointer or ocular scale.

Ocular Scale

A glass disk that fits in a microscope eyepiece that has a ruled scale, which is used to measure the size of magnified objects

Orientation

Under a microscope this is inverted and backwards.

Parcentered

The object in the center of view will remain in the center when the objective is rotated

Parfocal

Objectives that can be changed with minimal or no refocusing

Resolution

Detail or, more specifically, the ability to discern between two objects as distinct.

Stage

Surface upon which the specimen is placed.

Stage Microruler

Circular disk mounted on a glass slide uniformly spaced lines of known distance

Working Distance

The distance between the specimen and objective lens

Benedict's Test

Qualitative Test for Reducing Sugars. Substance with reducing sugars in them will change from blue to red.

Bradford Assay

Quantitative Determination of Protein Concentration. The intensity of blue color will be measured in the spectrometer to place a number with protein concentration.

Carbohydrate

Store energy and provide structural support.

Coomassie dye

A blue dye used that binds to proteins.

Disaccharide

A double sugar, consisting of two monsacharides joined by a glycosidic linkage formed by a dehydration reaction.

Emulsion

Droplets of hydrophobic lipids suspended in water or another hydrophilic substance.

Emulsion Test

Qualitative Test for Fats and Oils

Iodine Test

Qualitative Test for Starch

Lipid

Hydrophobic molecules that comprise biological membranes as well as store energy.

Monosaccharide

Any of the class of sugars (e.g., glucose) that cannot be hydrolyzed to give a simpler sugar.

Nucleic Acid

Store genetic information. (DNA and RNA)

Polysaccharide

A polymer of many monosaccharides formed by dehydration reactions.

Protein

Composed of amino acids and perform a variety of functions, form structural support to reaction catalysis.

Reducing Sugar

Possess free aldehyde (-CHO) or ketone (-C=O) groups, which means they have free electrons, that reduce weak oxidizing agents.

Starch

A coiled polymer of glucose.

Concentration Gradient

A difference in concentration of a substance on either side of a membrane.

Dialysis Tubing

A membrane composed of cellulose fibers.

Diffusion

Process by which molecules spontaneously (without the input of energy) move down their concentration gradients (high to low).

Elodea

A plant normally found in freshwater.

Hypertonic

Solute concentration is higher OUTSIDE the cell

Hypotonic

Solute concentration is higher INSIDE the cell

Membrane

The phospholipid bilayer that separates the cell from the outside world.

Osmosis

Diffusion where only water moves.

Selective Permeability

The selective regulation of what enters and exits the cell.ww

Solute

The substance that is disolved.

Solvent

The substance that does the dissolving.

Tonicity

The potential for a solution fora solution to gain or lose water.

Water Balance

The inflow and outflow of water is at equilibrium.

Catalysis

The process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance

Dilution Series

Making the same dilution step over and over, with the previous dilution serving as the input for the next dilution.

Enzyme

Protein catalysts

Enzyme Kinetics

The study of the rate at which an enzyme works.

Product

The end goal of a chemical reation.

Reaction Rate

The speed at which a chemical reaction takes place.

Saturation Kinetics

The relationship between enzyme and substrate availability.

Substrate

The substance on which an enzyme can act

Calvin Cycle

Dark Reactions/Light Independent Reactions

Cell Fractionation

Used to separate and isolate particular components, usually organelles, from cells.

Dark Reactions

Uses electrons from water to reduce carbon dioxide into organic molecules.

DCPIP

2,6-dichlorophenolindophe. A substitute electron acceptor.

Differential Centrifugation

Uses sequentially greater centrifugal force to separate organelles according to their density.

Hill Reaction

The portion of light reactions in which electrons from water are transferred to an electron acceptor. These electrons are then shuttled to the Calvin cycle to reduce CO2 to glucose.

Homogenization

The process of breaking open the cells.

Light Reactions

Use solar energy to remove electrons from water, generating oxygen.

Photosynthesis

A series of chemical reactions in which electrons from water and energy from sunlight are used to reduce carbon dioxide to organic molecules like glucose.

Alleles

The alternate forms of the heritable factor for each trait.

Dihybrid Cross

A cross where to different traits are followed.

Dominant

A trait that appears more frequently than another trait

F1 Generation

Offspring of the first cross.

F2 Generation

Offspring of the second cross.

"Factors" (or genes)

A unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

Gene Linkage

The closeness of genes or other DNA sequences to one another on the same chromosome

Genotype

Genetic Makeup

Heterozygous

Different

Homozygous

The same

Law of Independent Assortment

Two or more genes assort independently-that is, each pair of alleles segregates independently of any other alleles-during gamete formation.

Law of Segregation

The two alleles for a heritable character separate during gamete formation and end up in different gametes.

Monohybrid Cross

Cross following one trait.

Offspring

The product of the cross.

Phenotype

The physical presentation of the trait.

Punnett Square

A tool to help predict the phenotypic ratios of offspring.

Recessive

Both genes must be present for the trait to be physically observable.

Traits

A specific characteristic of an individual

Allele

One of two or more DNA sequences occurring at a particular gene locus

Bioinformatics

The application of tools of computation and analysis to the capture and interpretation of biological data

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides which together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule.

DNA Extraction

A method to purify DNA by using physical and/or chemical methods from a sample separating DNA from cell membranes, proteins, and other cellular component

Exon

A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule containing information coding for a protein or peptide sequence

Gel Electrophoresis

A technique used to separate DNA fragments (or other macromolecules, such as RNA and proteins) based on their size and charge

Gene Specific Primers

Ready-to-use components of PCR and qPCR that enable the detection of specific genes

Genotype

The genetic makeup

Intron

A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule which does not code for proteins and interrupts the sequence of genes.

NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information)

Advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A laboratory method used to make many copies of a specific piece of DNA from a sample that contains very tiny amounts of that DNA

Phenotype

The physical composition

Phenylthiocarbamide

A crystalline compound C7H8N2S that is extremely bitter or tasteless depending on the presence or absence of a single dominant gene in the taster

Restriction Enzyme

An enzyme produced chiefly by certain bacteria, having the property of cleaving DNA molecules at or near a specific sequence of bases.

Restriction Enzyme Digestion

A procedure used in molecular biology to prepare DNA for analysis or other processing