Bio Final Exam Study Guide

BIO Final Exam Study Guide The following items serve as a review for the comprehensive questions on the final exam: 1. What is biology? he scientific study of life, examining the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of living organisms 2. What are the characteristics of life shared by all living things?cellular organization, reproduction, growth and development, energy utilization, homeostasis, response to stimuli, and adaptation; meaning they are made up of cells, can reproduce, grow and develop, use energy, maintain a stable internal environment, react to changes in their surroundings, and can adapt to their environment over time. 3. Why is evolution the unifying theme in biology? (How does it explain the unity and diversity of life?) Evolution is considered the unifying theme in biology because it explains both the unity and diversity of life on Earth by proposing that all living organisms descended from a common ancestor, meaning they share fundamental biological mechanisms 4. What are the three domains of life? the three domains of life are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya - Which is/are prokaryotic? Bacteria and Archaea are considered prokaryotic - Which is/are eukaryotic? while Eukarya is eukaryotic What is the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms? Key difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms: Prokaryotic organisms lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, while eukaryotic organisms have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles - What are the four main groups of eukaryotic organisms that were covered this semester? Give examples of each. - Animalia (Animals): Examples include humans, dogs, insects Plantae (Plants): Examples include trees, flowers, grass Fungi (Fungi): Examples include mushrooms, mold, yeast Protista (Protists): Examples include algae, amoeba, paramecium 5. Beginning with the most inclusive (largest and highest level of classification) and working toward the least inclusive (smallest and most specific level of classification), complete this taxonomy scheme: Domain _kingdom____phylum ___class____order____family____genus___ species 6. What are the four major categories of biological macromolecules? carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids - For each category of macromolecule – what are the building blocks and what are the bonds that join the building blocks together called? Carbohydrates: Building blocks are monosaccharides (simple sugars) like glucose, joined by glycosidic bonds; Proteins: Building blocks are amino acids, joined by peptide bonds; Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA): Building blocks are nucleotides, joined by phosphodiester bonds; Lipids: Building blocks are glycerol and fatty acids, joined by ester bonds (though not considered a true polymer like the others due to their diverse structure) - - If given a specific macromolecule, be able to identify the category to which it belongs. (For example, what category does glucose belong in? sucrose? starch? glycogen? DNA and RNA? most enzymes? testosterone? cholesterol? olive oil?) Glucose: Carbohydrate (monosaccharide) Sucrose: Carbohydrate (disaccharide) Starch: Carbohydrate (polysaccharide) Glycogen: Carbohydrate (polysaccharide) DNA and RNA: Nucleic Acids Most enzymes: Proteins Testosterone: Lipid (steroid) Cholesterol: Lipid (steroid) Olive oil: Lipid (triglyceride) 7. What properties of water are essential for life? The key properties of water essential for life are its polarity (leading to hydrogen bonding), high specific heat capacity, cohesion, adhesion, and its ability to act as a "universal solvent" How do living things use each property to survive- living organisms utilize these properties for functions like temperature regulation, nutrient transport, maintaining cell structure, and facilitating chemical reactions within the body 8. What is pH? pH stands for "power of hydrogen" and is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is on a scale from 0 to 14, where 7 is neutral, values below 7 are acidic, and values above 7 are basic - How is pH calculated? pH is calculated using the formula: pH = -log[H+], which represents the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration in a solution - What is the pH scale? Neutral: pH of 7 , Acidic: pH less than 7, Basic (alkaline): pH greater than 7 9. What is the most basic, fundamental unit of life that can perform all of the characteristics of living things? Cell 10. What are the major points of the cell theory? all living organisms are composed of one or more cells, cells are the basic unit of structure and function in all living organisms, and all cells come from pre-existing cells through cell division 12. What are some structural and functional differences between plant and animal cells? The primary structural differences between plant and animal cells are that plant cells possess a rigid cell wall, a large central vacuole, and chloroplasts, while animal cells lack these structures 13. What are the functions of cell membranes? Cell membranes primarily function as a barrier, separating the cell's interior from the external environment while selectively allowing certain substances to pass through, acting as a gatekeeper for the cell What biological macromolecules are found in or around cell membranes? the major biological macromolecules found in cell membranes are phospholipids (lipids) and proteins, with cholesterol also playing a significant role in maintaining membrane fluidity; - What are the major components of cell membranes? the primary components of a cell membrane are a phospholipid bilayer, with embedded and peripheral proteins, creating a selectively permeable barrier 14. How does active transport differ from passive transport?Active transport differs from passive transport because active transport requires energy to move molecules across a cell membrane against their concentration gradient (from low to high concentration), while passive transport does not require energy and molecules move naturally down the concentration gradient (from high to low concentration What are some examples of active and passive transport? Sodium-potassium pump: This pump actively moves sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell, maintaining the necessary ion balance for nerve impulses. Glucose uptake in the intestine: The absorption of glucose from the gut into the bloodstream requires active transport to move glucose against its concentration gradient. Proton pump in stomach cells: Secreting hydrogen ions into the stomach lumen to maintain acidity 15. What is diffusion? Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration - Osmosis? is a specific type of diffusion where only water molecules move across a semipermeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration; Isotonic- a solution where the concentration of solutes outside a cell is equal to the concentration of solutes inside the cell Hypertonic- a solution with a higher concentration of solute than a cell, which causes water to move out of the cell through osmosis. - hypotonic solution- a solution with a lower concentration of solute than another solution, or than a cell. - When a cell is placed in each of these solutions, which way does water move across the plasma membrane? - If a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, water will leave the cell, and the cell will shrink. - In an isotonic environment, there is no net water movement, so there is no change in the size of the cell. - When a cell is placed in a hypotonic environment, water will enter the cell, and the cell will swell. 16. What is endocytosis? the process where a cell takes in substances from outside its membrane by engulfing them with a part of its cell membrane, forming a vesicle to bring the material inside the cell - Exocystosis? the opposite process, where a cell releases substances from within by fusing vesicles containing the material with the cell membrane, expelling the contents to the outside environment. 17. Which organisms are producers? organisms that can make their own food, like plants and algae - consumers? organisms that need to eat other organisms to get their energy, like animals - Why are they called that? they are called this because producers "produce" their own food through photosynthesis, while consumers "consume" other organisms to survive - What’s another name for “producer”? autotroph - Another name for “consumer”? - heterotroph - What is the ultimate energy source for all living things? the Sun 18. What are the major points of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics? - The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed from one form to another - the Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the entropy (disorder) of a closed system always increases over time, meaning natural processes always move towards a state of greater disorder