BIO 102 Exam 1

Define “allele”

A specific variation, or alternative version, of a gene

Give an example of an allele

Blue eyes

Define evolution in under 10 words

A change in frequency of alleles in a population

What’s natural selection?

When things with better, more adaptable traits, survive and reproduce.

What are the six properties that define life?

Composed of cells, Reproduces itself, Responds to environment, Highly ordered, Processes energy, Grows and develops according to DNA

Is a virus alive? Why or why not?

No. It needs a host and it cannot reproduce on it’s own.

What are the three domains of life and the key characteristics of each?

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eurkarya

Bacteria has peptidoglycan in the cell walls

Archaea does NOT have any peptidoglycan in the cell walls

Eukarya derived from Archaea and contains more extremophiles

What is anecdotal evidence?

Evidence that is derived from personal experience. It does not have many data points, and is not systematically tested. Conclusions are often posted on social media, instead of scholarly reviewed.

How is anecdotal evidence different from the scientific method.

The scientific method is testable and falsifiable. It is backed by testing and there are usually hundreds if not thousands of data points.

Independent variable

The factor that *I* deliberately changed in the experimental group

Dependent Variable

The measured result of an experiment, analyzed in both the experimental and control group

Control

The group in the experiment that experiences no experimental intervention or manipulation.

What does it mean for a result to be statistically significant?

A measure of confidence that results are “real” and not due to chance. Usually, less than 5%.

What is a scientific theory?

An explanation of the natural world that is supported by a large body of evidence and has never been disproved.

How would you describe and characterize “life”? What is the unifying concept of life?

The unity and diversity of life.

How does sample size impact the findings of an experiment?

The number of experimental subjects and observations recorded mean the amount of times that the experiment has been repeated.

What is a fossil?

Preserved remains/impressions of a once living organism

What is a fossil record?

An assemblage of fossils in order of age in order to show the evolution of species over time.

What are some different ways that fossils can form?

Amber, rapid burial in sediment layers, mineralization, fossilized by imprint or mold

What can fossils tell us?

They provide evidence of evolution, shared traits, show relatedness, descent with modificaiton

What are the methods used to determine age of fossils

Relative dating and Radiometric Dating

What are organelles?

Specialized structures that perform specific jobs within the cells to keep the cell alive.

Key function of the Nucleus

Houses the cells DNA

Key function of the Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

makes protein

Key function of the Golgi Apparatus

Packages and transports/moves protein

Key function of the mitochondria

Extract energy and makes it useful

Key function of lysosomes

Digest cell parts and food molecules

Key function of chloroplasts

Plants and photosynthesis

The 3 tenants of cell theory

1. All cells come from preexisting cells

2. Cells are the building blocks of life

3. They are the basic unit of structure and organization in organisms

Features shared by all living cells?

Cell membrane

Cytoplasm

Ribosomes

Genetic material

What’s DNA?

The part of the cells genetic material. Chromosomes carry genes made of DNA. The script

What’s RNA/Protein

Part of the cells ribosomes… Makes the protein encoded by the DNA assisted by the RNA

Bioluminescence and relation to proof of evolution

We can take genes from one organism such as jellyfish and their glowing and put it into another organism. This means that all living organisms share a common evolutionary history

What methods are used to determine the age of rocks?

Radiometric dating

Define radiometric dating

viewing the radioactive decay through the radioactive isotopes

Define relative dating

Approximating the age by the surrounding rock layers

Why are fossils rare?

Most body parts will decompose and it takes very specific conditions for something to fossilize

How would you characterize the early history of planet earth?

Small and aquatic

Key events in the Hadean Eon

First oceans

Key events in the Archaen Eon

origin of life

Key events in the Proterozoic

first colonial cyanobacteria, first Eurkaryotes, first multicellular Eukaryotes

Key events in the Phanerozoic Eon

First terrestrial organism

Why do we not have earth rocks that are more than 4 billion years old?

Tectonic plate drifting

How old are the oldest fossilized cells?

3.5-3.7 billion years old

Was there any oxygen in the atmosphere or in the ocean when life first occurred on earth?

no

What organisms produced oxygen on earth?

Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae

What biological process resulted in this oxygen production

Cyanobacteria can absorb sunlight and split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen

Why is the great oxygenation even sometimes called the earths first pollution crisis

Because it poisoned nearly all existing life

Is variation in a population of organisms always sufficient for survival when confronted with rapidly changing environments

No. Lack of pre existing adaptations, too fast for evolutioin which takes generations and there are lethal thresholds.

What is background extinction rate

The standard and natural speed of decline in a species that leads to its natural extinction.

How is mass extinction different from background extinction

Mass extinction is extreme rapid extinction

Adaptive radiation

A rebound in diversity follows mass extinction, survivors adapt to ecological niches

convergent evolution

organisms that aren’t closely related evolving similar adaptations due to environment

theory that describes how Eukaryotes formed

endosymbiotic cell theory