Skip to main content
Indietro

General Biology Exam 1 Study Guide

I pulsanti di controllo sono stati cambiati in modalità "navigazione".
1/29

Termini in questo insieme (29)

  • What are the four major unifying themes of biology?
    Organization, Information, Energy and Matter, and Interaction.
  • Define emergent properties in biology.
    New properties that arise at each level of biological organization that are not present at lower levels.
  • List the levels of biological organization from molecule to ecosystem.
    Molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem.
  • What are the three domains of life and an example organism for each?
    Bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus), Archaea (e.g., extremophiles), Eukarya (e.g., humans).
  • What are the three conditions required for natural selection?
    Variation in traits, heredity of traits, and differential reproductive success due to selective pressure.
  • Explain how natural selection works using the Florida Beach Mouse example.
    Variation in coat color exists; coat color is heritable; light sand selects for light coat; light mice survive and reproduce more.
  • What is a scientific hypothesis?
    A testable and falsifiable explanation for an observation or phenomenon.
  • Differentiate independent and dependent variables in an experiment.
    Independent variable is manipulated; dependent variable is the measured outcome.
  • When is a bar graph appropriate?
    For categorical data to compare different groups.
  • When is a line graph appropriate?
    For continuous data to show trends over time or gradients.
  • Why must cells remain small?
    To maintain a high surface area-to-volume ratio for efficient material exchange and communication.
  • What happens to surface area-to-volume ratio as cell size increases?
    The ratio decreases, limiting efficient exchange and requiring cells to divide.
  • Name three basic features all cells have.
    DNA, ribosomes, and plasma membrane.
  • Describe the main difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
    Prokaryotes lack membrane-bound organelles and nucleus; eukaryotes have both.
  • What structural difference distinguishes gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria?
    Gram-positive have thick peptidoglycan cell walls; gram-negative have thin walls plus an outer membrane.
  • How do antibiotics like penicillin target bacteria but not human cells?
    They target bacterial-specific structures like peptidoglycan cell walls absent in human cells.
  • List key organelles found in both plant and animal cells.
    Nucleus, mitochondria, rough and smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, cytoskeleton.
  • What organelles are unique to plant cells?
    Cell wall, chloroplasts, and large central vacuole.
  • Describe the role of the cytoskeleton.
    Maintains cell shape, enables movement, and organizes organelles.
  • What is the endosymbiosis theory?
    Eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic cells engulfing others that became mitochondria and chloroplasts.
  • Name four pieces of evidence supporting the endosymbiosis theory.
    Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA, double membranes, similar size to bacteria, and reproduce independently.
  • What organelle is abundant in white blood cells and why?
    Lysosomes, for digesting bacteria and foreign invaders.
  • What organelles are abundant in muscle cells?
    Actin for contraction and mitochondria for ATP production.
  • What organelle malfunction causes low ATP in cells?
    Mitochondria malfunction.
  • What is the function of rough ER in protein synthesis?
    Synthesizes proteins destined for secretion or membranes.
  • What is the function of smooth ER?
    Lipid synthesis, detoxification, and calcium storage.
  • How does cytochalasin D affect cells?
    Prevents actin polymerization, disrupting movement and division.
  • What is the correct pathway for insulin secretion?
    Rough ER → transport vesicles → Golgi apparatus → transport vesicles → cell membrane.
  • Why do antibiotics reduce bacterial growth but not harm human cells?
    They target bacterial-specific structures like cell walls and ribosomes different from human cells.