Final Exam Review Flashcards

Flashcards generated from lecture notes for final exam review.

What is the structure of DNA?

Sugar, phosphate, and base pairs (A, T, C, G). Phosphate and sugar act as side rails, and the bases act as rungs.

In DNA, what base pairs with Adenine (A)?

Thymine (T)

In DNA, what base pairs with Guanine (G)?

Cytosine (C)

What are the full names of the 5 base pairs (A, T, C, G, and U)?

Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine, and Uracil

What are the steps in DNA Replication?

Initiation, elongation, and termination

What are the steps in Transcription?

Initiation, elongation, termination, and processing.

What are the steps in Translation?

Initiation, Elongation, termination, Modification

What is the difference between diploid and haploid cells?

Haploid cells have one set of chromosomes and are formed by meiosis. Diploid cells contain two sets of chromosomes and are formed by mitosis.

What are homologous chromosomes?

Set of one maternal and paternal chromosome that pair up with each other inside a cell during meiosis

How many chromosomes are in the human body?

46

What are sex chromosomes?

A type of chromosome that determines an individual’s sex.

How is cancer possible?

Genetic mutations that disrupt normal cell growth.

What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

Genotype is the unique sequence of DNA, and phenotype is the observable expression of the genotype

What is the difference between pure and hybrid?

Hybrids cross between two species, and genes come from one gene of species

What is the difference between heterozygous and homozygous?

Heterozygous means two different alleles, while homozygous means two identical alleles

What is the difference between dominant and recessive?

Dominant traits are always expressed when the connected allele is dominant. Recessive traits are expressed only if both the connected alleles are recessive.

What is a pedigree?

A family tree that traces the inheritance of traits, genetic disorders, and other characteristics through multiple generations.

In RNA, what pairs with A?

Uracil (U)

What is the difference between producers and consumers?

Producers make their own food, and consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms.

What are the different types of consumers?

Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers

What happens to the energy as it moves through the energy pyramid?

It decreases.

Name cycles in nature.

The water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle.

Define competition.

An interaction where organisms compete for the same resources.

Define mutualism.

Two different species both benefit from their interaction.

Define commensalism.

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Define parasitism.

Two organisms where the parasite lives in the host, and the host doesn't die but they don’t benefit

Explain the relationship between predator and prey.

The predator hunts, kills, and consumes another organism (the prey).

Define food chain.

Sequence of organisms in which each one is a food source for the next.

Define food web.

A visual representation of the feeding relationships between different organisms in an ecosystem.

Define the energy pyramid.

A diagram that shows the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem.

What is Pangea?

A supercontinent that existed in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.

What is the significance of plate tectonics and fossil evidence/evolution?

The Earth’s outer shell broken into large rigid pieces called tectonic plates that move and interact with each other / supports that life on earth changed over time.

What is the law of superposition and its relation to evolution?

In a sequence of layered beds, the lowest bed is the oldest and the highest bed is the youngest with each bed being younger than the one underneath it and older than the one above it

Differentiate between evolution and natural selection.

Natural selection is the process by which advantageous traits increase in a population while evolution is the broader change in genetic characteristics over time.

Why is species evolution important?

It’s crucial for understanding the diversity and adaptability of life on earth, shaping everything from individual traits to entire ecosystems.

Why is natural selection important?

Crucial for understanding the diversity of life, the evolution of adaptation, and the origin of new species.

How do humans impact species evolution and natural selection?

By creating artificial selection, altering environments, and introducing pressures on species.

What happens during Meiosis?

Meiosis produces 4 genetically different haploid cells (gametes).

What is crossing over and where does it occur?

Crossing over during Prophase I increases genetic diversity.

Why is variation essential?

Essential for evolution.

Define protein synthesis.

Protein synthesis leads to cell specialization because only certain genes are turned 'on'.

Environmental influence

The environment (like temperature, soil, diet) can influence gene expression.

Why do Siamese cats have darker fur in cooler areas?

Due to temperature-sensitive gene expression.

What happens when cells lose control over cell division?

Cancer occurs.

Land Bridge

Camels originated in North America and spread due to tectonic plate movement and land bridges.

What do Species like llamas and camels demonstrate?

Species like llamas and camels evolved differently on separate continents due to isolation (divergent evolution).

What is the role of natural selection?

Natural selection = organisms with beneficial traits survive and reproduce.

Adaptation

A trait that increases an organism's survival chances.

Define Fitness

Fitness = ability to survive & reproduce.

What does Natural Selection require?

Requires variation, competition, and reproduction.

Deforestation and habitat destruction.

Major causes of biodiversity loss.

Causes of low biodiversity

Pollution, climate change, and invasive species also reduce biodiversity.

What are some ways humans can help?

Humans can help by creating wildlife preserves, planting native species, and passing conservation laws.

Rising CO₂ levels

Contribute to the greenhouse effect, trapping heat and raising global temperatures.

Climate change causes…

Habitat loss, species extinction, coral bleaching, and ocean acidification.