BIOL 1107 Learning

Characteristics of Life

The five unifying themes of life include organization, information, energy and matter, interactions, and evolution.

Hierarchy of Life

The organization of life is structured in a hierarchy from biosphere to atom, with emergent properties arising at each level.

Prokaryotic vs

Prokaryotic cells lack membrane-enclosed organelles, while eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus and other organelles.

Gene Expression

The process by which DNA is transcribed into mRNA and then translated into proteins, involving transcription and translation.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Energy flows through ecosystems, with producers converting sunlight into chemical energy, which is then used by organisms.

Natural Selection

Proposed by Darwin, it is the mechanism by which populations adapt to their environments through differential reproductive success.

Scientific Inquiry

The process of making observations, forming hypotheses, and conducting experiments to test those hypotheses.

Elements and Compounds

Elements cannot be broken down into simpler substances, while compounds consist of two or more elements in fixed ratios.

Atomic Structure

Atoms consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons, with the atomic number determined by the number of protons.

Chemical Bonds

Atoms form covalent bonds by sharing electrons, while ionic bonds form between oppositely charged ions.

Chemical Reactions

Reactions convert reactants into products while conserving matter, and can reach chemical equilibrium.

Water Properties

Water's hydrogen bonding leads to cohesion, high specific heat, and its role as a versatile solvent.

Carbon's Versatility

Carbon can form diverse organic compounds due to its ability to bond with various elements and itself.

Cell Structure

Eukaryotic cells have internal membranes and organelles, while prokaryotic cells do not.

Membrane Transport

The plasma membrane's selective permeability controls the exchange of molecules and ions with the environment.

Metabolism

The collection of chemical reactions in an organism, including catabolic and anabolic pathways, regulated by enzymes.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose to produce ATP, involving glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy in chloroplasts, producing glucose and oxygen.

DNA Structure

DNA is a double helix composed of two antiparallel sugar-phosphate chains with nitrogenous bases paired specifically.

Cell Cycle

The sequence of stages in a cell's life, including interphase and mitotic phases, where DNA is replicated and divided.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces haploid gametes, contributing to genetic diversity through independent assortment and crossing over.

Gene Expression Mechanism

Involves transcription of DNA to RNA and translation of RNA to proteins, with specific codons determining amino acids.

Mendelian Genetics

Gregor Mendel's principles of inheritance, including dominant and recessive traits, and the concept of alleles.

Sex-linked Inheritance

Genes located on sex chromosomes exhibit unique inheritance patterns, particularly on the X chromosome.

Genome Evolution

Changes in genome size, gene number, and density through duplication, rearrangement, and mutation contribute to evolution.

Virus Structure

A virus consists of nucleic acid enclosed in a protein coat, replicating only within host cells.