biol1001 midterms

Biosphere

All life on earth

Ecosystems

All living organisms in a particular area, and the non-living components of the area they interact with

Communities

array of species inhabiting a particular ecosystem

Populations

All individuals of a species within a community

Organs

Body parts, made of multiple tissues

Tissues

Groups of cells within an organ, working together

Cells

Fundamental unit of structure and function. Smallest unit of organization capable of performing all required activities for life

Organelles

Structures within cells that carry out specific functions

Molecules

Chemical structures composed of two or more atoms

Reductionism

Reducing complex systems to simpler manageable units, Incomplete view of life

Emergent properties

Novel properties that emerge at each higher level of organization,
Due to arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases

Systems biology

models dynamic behaviour of biological system by studying interactions among system’s parts

System

network of independent components that function together

Cell theory

all living organisms are made of cells

Eukaryotic cells

Membrane enclosed nucleus and organelles

Prokaryotic Cells

No membrane-enclosed nucles, and is smalled + simpler. Found in basteria and archaea

Genes

Units of inheritance, encodes information to build the molecules in cell

Chromosome

One long DNA molecule that contains many genes

Double helix with 2 long strands

Molecular Structure of DNA

Gene expression

process by which information in a gene controls production of protein

Transcription

DNA sequence is copied to mRNA

Translation

mRNA sequence is translated to amino acid sequence

Genome

entire set of genetic material in organism

preteome

all proteins expressed within given cell, tissue, or organism

genomics

study of whole genomes of one or more species

proteomics

study of sets of proteins and their properties

bioinformatics

using computational tools to analyze, store, and organize biological information. DNA, RNA sequences for example

light to heat

energy flows through ecosystem in one direction

decomposers

chemicals are recycled within an ecosystem

crucial for ecosystems to thrive

interacting

feedback regulations

at the molecular level, this allows biological processes to self-regulate

negative feedback

response reduces initial stimulus, insulin signaling

positive feedback

response reinforces stimulus, increasing response. platelets and injury

climate change

directional change to global climate lasting 30 years or more. loss of habitat, population decline, etc

evolution

all living organisms are modified descendants of common ancestors. explains both the unity and diversity of life

plantae

one of the 3 kingdoms; photosynthesis

fungi

one of the 3 kingdoms; absorb nutrients

animalia

one of the 3 kingdoms; ingest other organisms

protists

diverse group of single-celled eukaryotes

passage of time

history of life documented by fossils and other evidence

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859)

has two main points: descent with modification, natural selection

descent with modification

one of the two points of Charles’ Darwin theory. it explains duality of unity and diversity

natural selection

one of the two points of Charles’ Darwin theory. the cause of descent with modification, individuals within a population show variation in traits, most of which are heritable

evolutionary adaptation

natural environment selects individuals with advantageous traits for propagation

tree of life

evolutionary relationships illustrated with tree-like diagrams

science

way of knowing

scientific inquirt

search for information and explanations of natural phenomena

observation

gathering of information

scientific literature

set of published studies or findings

data

recorded observations (qualitative, quantaitative)

statistics

branch of mathematics used to analyze and determine significance of data

inductive reasoning

logic in which generalizations are based on many specific observations

hypothesis

explanation, based on observations and assumptions, that leads to a testable prediction

deductive reasoning

logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise

scientific consensus

shared conclusion that a particular hypothesis explains that known data and stands up to experimental testing

controlled experiment

experiment where an experimental group is compared to a control group

theory

explanation of aspect of natural world

Urea (CO(NH2)2)

an element that is a component of urine

hydrocarbon

molecule containing only C and H, C-H are single non-polar covalent bonds

hydrophobic

not soluble in water, H-O bonds of water are polar

isomers

molecules with same chemical formula but different structures and properties

structural isomers

differ in covalent arrangement of atoms

cis-trans isomers

differ in arrangement around a double bond, affect biological activity of organic molecules

enantiomers

differ in arrangement of atoms around a asymmetric carbon

functional groups

chemical groups directly involved in chemical reactions

macromolecules

huge molecules formed by joining smaller subunits

polymer

long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together by covalent bonds

monomer

repeating subunit that serves as building block of polymer

dehydration reaction

chemical reaction in which two molecules become covalently bonded to each other with the removal of a water

hydrolysis

chemical reaction that breaks bond between two molecules by the addition of water

enzymes

biological catalysts

carbohydrate

a sugar (monosaccharide) or one of their dimers (disaccharides) or polymers (polysaccharides)

monosaccharide

simple sugars and monomers of more complex carbohydrates

disaccharide

souble sugars, two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage by a dehydration section

polysaccharide

polymer composed of many monosaccharides joined by glycosidic linkages

glycosidic linkage

covalent bond between two monosaccharides formed by a dehydration reaction

maltose

two monomers of glucose

sucrose

glucose and a fructose

lactose

glucose and galactose

macromolecules

100s to 1000s of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic linkages formed by dehydration reactions. functions as storage or structural

storage polysaccharides

polymer of glucose monomers, energy storage carbohydrate in plants, hydrolysis breaks the bonds to release glucose monomers

glycogen

polymer of glucose monomers, energy storage carbohydrate in animals

structural polysaccharides

strong materials made by organisms

cellulose

component of the tough cell walls of plant cells

chitin

arhtropods in exoskeleton, fungi cell walls, glucose monomer has a nitrogen-containing chemical group

lipids

large biological molescules, but not polymers or macromolecules

fats

constructed from two types of smaller molecules

fatty acids

long hydrocarbon chains with acidic carboxyl group at one end

ester linkages

three fatty acids join to glycerol by ___. this is the bond between carboxyl and hyrdoxyl groups formed by dehydration

saturated fats

fatty acids with only single C-C bonds in the hydrocarbon. found in animals

unsaturated fats

contain one or more double bonds in the hydrocarbon, most are cis double bonds. found in plant seeds and fish (energy storage)

phospholipids

like fats but two fatty acids

hydrophobic

water insoluble

hydrophilic

water soluble

steroids

lipids where C skeleton consists of 4 rings

cholesterol

steroid found in animal cell membrances, precursor for other steroids

polypeptide

polymer of amino acids joined by peptide bonds

protein

one or more polypeptides, folded and coiled into a specific 3 dimensional structure

N-terminus

free NH2 group at one end in an amino acid polymer (polypeptides)

C-terminus

free carboxyl group at one end in an amino acid polymer (polypeptides)