Characteristics of Living Things (Essay



Chapter 8: Cellular Respiration & Photosynthesis

Cellular Chemical Reactions (mediated by enzymes).

oxidation/reduction reactions

Chloroplasts & mitochondria: similarities between the two?

Respiration

• anaerobic vs. aerobic

• Glycolysis (where does it happen? what is the result?)

• **remember NAD+ vs. NADH and FAD+ vs. FADH2 (unreduced form vs. reduced form?)

• glucose > fructose-1,6-bisphosphate > glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate > pyruvate (What is produced/ where does this occur?)

• What is lactic acid (when might it build up on muscles?)

• Pyruvate > Acetyl CoA (what is produced? where does this occur?). Link Rxns?

• Krebs cycle...Acetyl CoA + 4 Carbon Oxaloacetate > 6 carbon Citrate

• (what is produced in Krebs? where does this occur? Why is it a cycle?)

• ATP synthesis via electron transport chain & chemiosmosis). What causes movement of electrons? Could it be electronegativity?

• If no oxygen present, anaerobic respiration? Lactate or ethanol & CO2, in which organsisms

Photosynthesis

• Photosynthesis: light rxns. vs. dark rxns. Relationship between the two?

• basics of the light spectrum: 680 nm and 700 nm. What absorbed? What reflected?

• anatomy of a chloroplast

• what is in the reaction centers of the photosystems? In the antennae around the reaction centers?

• **remember NADP+ vs. NADPH (unreduced form vs. reduced form?)

• ATP synthesis & the ETC (what are H+ ions? Where from? Where do they go?)

• Photosystem I. vs. Photosystem II. (which one makes ATP/NADPH?)

• Calvin cycle... CO2 + 5 carbon RuBP > 6 carbon “intermediate” > Glycerate 3-phosphate > Triose Phosphate > 6 carbon Glucose

• (study the rxn. carefully... some Triose Phosphate is recycled!...some Triose phosphate goes to making RuBP and so goes towards making what?

• RuBisCO: why so well loved? What does it do? What is it famous for?

• Photolysis? Photophosphorylation?

Action & absorption spectra of photosynthesis: relationship between wavelength absorption & photosynthetic rates

Factors affecting photosynthesis: Light & CO2 & Temperature

Cyclic photophosphorylation

Chapter 17 Microbes & Biotechnology

▪ What is a phylogeny? An example p 512. how organized?

▪ Five Kingdoms vs. Three domains: archaea, eubacteria, eukaryotes

o Structure vs. genetics. Classification charts: p 514 & 519

o Role of Carl Woese

▪ Prokaryotes: differences/similarities between/among archaea & eubacteria?

o Eubacteria: Gram pos vs. neg. Differences in wall & membrane structure. Antibiotic resistance?

o Archaea: Extremophiles. What does that mean?

▪ Habitat diversity: what is unique about the organims who live in these environments?

▪ Three domain characteristics: similarities? Differences?

o Think about histones, introns, ribosomes, cell wall, membranes, organelles

▪ Viruses: general structure. Viruses vs. retroviruses. How different/similar from living things.

▪ Eukaryotes: what is so special about them?

o Microscopic eukaryotes: differences in structure, how they obtain food, move, etc.. Similarities?

▪ Reverse Transcriptase: what does this enzyme relate to?

o HIV: How does HIV infect cells & cause more viral particles to be made? What enzymes are involved? HIV targets T helper cells---a key player in our immune systems’ defense of our bodies against pathogens.

o RT-PCR: How useful? By using this tool, scientists are able to look at what?

• Review The Structure of DNA: sugar phosphate “backbone” w/ phosphodiester” bonds and hydrogen bonding between nitrogenous bases

• Basics of Gel Electrophoresis

o Basic mechanisms of pulling DNA through an electric field & separation by molecular weight, charge, shape

o Role of: tracking dyes, buffers, agarose gel in gel electrophoresis

o units of measurement using “micropipets” (microliters)

o Restriction enzymes “cut sites”: what do they do? Endonucleases cut somewhere along the DNA, not the ends

o Examples of restriction enzymes: EcoR1 vs. Bam HI

o “Sticky ends” and manipulating plasmids (think about insulin production)

* review functions of restriction enzymes. General knowledge of DNA banding patterns & purpose of “standard ladders”


Be comfortable with reading gels and understanding the phenotypes & genotypes present

▪ Roles of microbes in Ecosystems: be able to distinguish between the three main roles microbes play

o Producers vs. Nitrogen fixers vs. Decomposers

o Have a rough idea of nitrogen cycle

Transformation Lab

▪ What exactly is transformation? A plasmid?

▪ Since E. coli are not naturally competent, what did we do to “force” the E. coli cells to become competent? What does competency mean? What components did we use to induce transformation.

▪ Several genes were involved as well: RNA polymerase, GFP, BFP, and the Ampicillin resistance gene. How did these genes (and their products) play a role in the lab?

▪ What did we do to evaluate whether we were successful?

▪ What control and experimental plates did we use? Did all of them have ampicillin? The plasmid?

Chapter 5 (all) Ecology and Evolution

▪ Ecosystems: Communities vs. Pop’ns; Niche vs. Habitat; Biotic & Abiotic; closed (rare in nature) vs open systems; Biomes

▪ Roles of organisms

o Autotrophs vs. heterotrophs vs decomposers

o Saprotrophs vs. detritovores

o Photosynthesis vs. respiration

▪ Organizing an ecosystem into Trophic levels & food chains & food webs

o Producers & consumers

o Flow of energy through ecosystems: 1st & 2nd laws of thermodynamics

▪ Electromagnetic Energy vs. Chemical Energy

▪ Potential Energy vs. Kinetic Energy

o If all the E is not accessible to organisms further up a chain or web, where does it go?

▪ Biomass pyramids vs. Energy Pyramids. Why are they pyramid shaped?

**What happens to an ecosystem as the number of organisms within each trophic level decreases?

**Question: What “units” do we use to measure Primary Productivity within a given ecosystem?

▪ Populations

• Different curves? Different phases? What is happening in each phase?

• What processes affect population size?

• What factors affect the carrying capacity of a habitat?

• Resource Limitations: Density Dependent vs. Density Independent

• Succession

• Living organisms change abiotic environments

• Primary vs. secondary

• Biomes

**Try to critically analyze population growth curves in terms of resource limitations!

▪ Evolution: a process of cumulative change in heritable characteristics of a population.

o Evidence for evolution?

▪ What did evidence did Darwin evaluate?

▪ Other evidence? Genetics, Artificial selection, Homologous structures, Phylogenies

• Convergent vs. homologous traits

o Natural selection: a mechanism for evolution

▪ Variation:

• Mutations & Sexual reproduction: how is variation in offspring produced here?

• Mechanisms of Artificial Selection

• Artificial Selection vs. Natural Selection

o Homologous Structures vs. Analogous Structures

o Examples of natural selection:

• Darwin’s finches

• Pesticide & antibiotic resistance

• Overpopulation/Too many offspring

• variations within populations (sexual reproduction/mutations)

▪ Greenhouse Effect

o What are the most notorious greenhouse gases (GHG)?

o Be able to draw a diagram of the phenomena

o Climate change: what is happening in Arctic Ecosystems?

▪ Associated consequences? What could be done to reverse some of the changes?

o Precautionary Principle. What does this mean? How does this impact the interactions of scientists, politicians, farmers, and business folk?

Dichotomous Keys

Ecosystems & Biotic Factors:

- Evolution by Natural Selection & modern use of genetics to support evolution

Evidence for Evolution using Phylogenies

Chapter 6 Human Health & Physiology

Digestion: pathway. What secretions and functions along the way?

Mouth . Pharynx. Esophagus. Stomach. Small & Large Intestines

What happens to undigested nutrients not absorbed thru villi?

What is the large intestines role in absorption of materials back into the body?

Accessory structures: Gall Bladder. Pancreas. Liver

Transport/Circulatory System:

-Heart & Blood Vessels (veins/arteries/capillaries)

-Components of blood (cellular vs. non-cellular)

* how does the pulmonary circuit differ from the systemic circuit?

*how are the SA & AV nodes involved in regulating the “myogenic contractions” in cardiac tissue?

*how do arteries, veins, and capillaries differ in both structure & function?

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