BioFound Chapter 1.1, Chapter 1: Cells and the Theory of Life

What are the five characteristics of living things?

1: Living things are made of Cells

2: All living things must replicate themselves

3: All living things must store information about their structure and function and then pass that information on during replication

4: All living things must acquire and use energy

5: The traits of living things change over time by the process of evolution

What is a plasma membrane?

A thin, flexible outer structure of a cell. Also called the Cell Membrane. It is a protective barrier that shields the cell from its environment.

What is located inside of the plasma membrane?

A highly organized aqueous space called the Cytoplasm, where the processes of life happen

What are single celled organisms called?

Unicellular organisms

What are organisms built from many cells called?

Multicellular organisms

How do cells replicate themselves?

Cell division

What are the first two characteristics that form the basis of cell theory?

1: All organisms are made of cells

2: All cells must replicate from other cells

What was the summary of the Spontaneous Cell Generation Theory?

Cells and living things could arise from non-living organic matter

What was the summary of the Cells-from-Cells Theory? (The Cell Theory)

Cells must replicate from other cells.

Who confirmed the cell-from cell theory?

Louis Pasteur

Where is the information needed to build all the structures and perform all of the functions of a cell stored?

In the chromosomes of a cell

What are the individual pieces of information stored in chromosomes called?

Genes

What was the experiment that found out the chromosomes were what carried genetic information? Who conducted it?

Fruit fly experiment, Thomas Hunt Morgan

Why did the fruit fly experiment prove that genetic traits were carried in chromosomes?

Flies would only express white eye color when the trait was carried in the X chromosome.

What is Central Dogma?

1: DNA → Transcription → RNA → Translation → Protein

2: DNA → Messenger RNA → Protein

What do proteins do in a cell?

They are responsible for providing most of the structure and function to a cell

What is the definition of a cell’s Metabolism?

The complete set of chemical reactions used in a cell

What is an anabolic reaction? What is a biological example of this process?

Chemical reactions that use energy to build new chemical bonds and new molecules

Photosynthesis

What is a catabolic reaction? What is a biological example of this process?

Chemical reactions that break down the chemical bonds of a molecule

Glycolysis (breakdown of sugar into energy)

Where is the energy created by a catabolic reaction stored?

In an ATP molecule

What are two ways that genetics can change?

1: Cancer

2: Genetic damage

What is the definition of Descent with Modification in evolution?

Offspring have different traits than their parents

How do traits in organisms become more or less common?

The better at replication an organism is, the more likely their traits are to be passed down. The opposite is also true.