Higher Biology Course

Flashcards covering the vocabulary and key ideas in the Higher Biology Course notes

Food supply:

Food security and sustainable food production

Organisation of DNA:

Prokaryotes have a single circular chromosome and smaller circular plasmids; Eukaryotes all have linear chromosomes, in the nucleus, which are tightly coiled and packaged with associated proteins.

Organisation of DNA:

Prokaryotes have a single circular chromosome and smaller circular plasmids; Eukaryotes all have linear chromosomes, in the nucleus, which are tightly coiled and packaged with associated proteins.

Gene Expression:

Gene expression involves the transcription and translation of DNA sequences.

Transcription and translation involves three types of RNA:

mRNA, tRNA and rRNA

Therapeutic and research uses of stem cells:

Therapeutic uses involve the repair of damaged or diseased organs or tissues. Research uses involve stem cells being used as model cells to study how diseases develop or being used for drug testing.

The structure of the genome:

The genome of an organism is its entire hereditary information encoded in DNA.

Mutations:

Mutations are changes in the DNA that can result in no protein or an altered protein being synthesised.

Evolution:

Evolution is the changes in organisms over generations as a result of genomic variations.

Selection:

Natural selection is the non-random increase in frequency of DNA sequences that increase survival and the non-random reduction in the frequency of deleterious sequences.

Speciation barriers lead to:

Geographical barriers lead to allopatric speciation and behavioural or ecological barriers lead to sympatric speciation.

Sustainability and interdependence includes:

Food supply, plant growth and productivity, plant and animal breeding, crop protection and animal welfare

Food supply:

Food security and sustainable food production

Parasitic relationships include:

A parasite benefits in terms of energy or nutrients, whereas its host is harmed by the loss of these resources.

Altruism:

An altruistic behaviour harms the donor individual but benefits the recipient.

Components of biodiversity are:

Genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity

Threats to biodiversity include:

Exploitation and recovery of populations and the impact on their genetic diversity, habitat loss and habitat fragments and their impact on species richness and introduced, naturalised and invasive species and their impact on native populations