Evolution
What is an adaptation?
An adaptation is something an organism has, or can do, that helps it survive in its environment.
What molecule, located in the nucleus, controls the production of proteins in a cells?
DNA
Which process makes ATP (energy) for a cell?
cellular respiration
How do we get the DNA that gives us our traits?
we inherit DNA from our parents.
How are abiotic factors different from biotic factors?
Abiotic factors are non-living things, and biotic factors are living things.
Why is genetic variation needed for natural selection to occur?
Genetic variation means that there will be a chance that some individuals within a population will have adaptations they need when the environment changes, so those organism will survive and the species won't all die out.
Identify the subunits (building blocks) of
1. Proteins
2. Starch (in plants) or glycogen (in animals)
1. amino acids
2. glucose
identify 3 parts of the cell that need to work together to synthesize proteins, including the production, bringing in the raw materials, and producing the proteins
directing: nucleus
bringing in the materials: mRNA
production: ribosome
what affect will mutations in the DNA affect the organism that has those mutations? Describe the possible consequences of those mutations.
Mutations in DNA can cause incorrect proteins to be made that can't do their jobs. This may change the traits of the organism.
Explain why an energy pyramid shows fewer consumers at the top and more producers at the bottom.
Energy is used up by the organisms and lost as heat as you go up the trophic levels, so there are fewer organisms at the top than at the bottom of the energy pyramid.
There is a change in the environment, and some of the organisms in that environment will have the adaptations they need to survive, and they will reproduce and pass on that adaptation (trait) to their offspring, so there will be more of the organisms with the adaptation in the population.
Identify the inputs & outputs, including all matter & energy in the process of:
1. Photosynthesis
2. Cellular Respiration
Photosynthesis:
inputs- carbon dioxide + water + sunlight
outputs- glucose & oxygen
Cellular respiration:
inputs: glucose + oxygen
outputs: carbon dioxide + water + ATP
Explain how the involvement of coding and non-coding genes in the process of differentiation during embryotic development results in the baby having different kinds of cells, tissues, and organs.
Control regions (non-coding DNA) turns coding genes on and off. Each kind of cell expresses different genes so each cell only makes proteins it needs. For example, muscle cell genes make muscle cell proteins.
Explain how genes can change in frequence in response to changes in the environment, due to the process of natural selection.
Genes that provide an advantage to an organism by giving them an adaptation for survival, will increase in frequency in a population because the organisms that don't have those genes are more likely to die and not be able to pass on theri genes to their offspring.
Explain the role of decomposers in the cycling of matter in an ecosystem
Decomposers break down waste and dead organisms and return the nutrients to the soil to be reused by plants.
Give a specific example of how evolution changed the traits of a population. (You may use an example we learned about this year).
Possible examples:
- Dark-color fur mice survived on the volcanic dark rock
- People survived the Black Death because they had stronger immune systems
- Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can't be killed by antibiotics
All proteins are made of the same amino acids, but they all have different functions. There are different enzymes, receptor & hormones, and there are many different types of proteins, each with its own specific function.
Explain how this is possible.
They have different sequences of amino acids, which give them a specific shape, which gives them their function.
Explain how the process of diffusion allows only certain molecules to travel across cell membranes into and out of cells. In your response identify the kind of molecules that can cross these membranes and why.
Molecules diffuse from high to low concentration. Only small molecules such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, glucose and amino acid molecules can go through membranes.
How can DNA provide evidnece that two organisms are closely related and share a relatively common ancestor?
if they have similar sequences of the bases A,T,C, and G in their DNA, that will provide evidence that they inherited those sequences from a recent common ancestor and they are closely related.
explain how the carrying capacity of an ecosystem limits the number of organisms that the ecosystem can supoprt.
Factors such as space, food, sunlight, water, temp. and predators will imit how many of each kind of organism can live in the ecosystem.
Evaluate the following evidence for evolution from a common ancestor:
1. Homologous structure
2. Comparing DNA base sequences
3. Comparing amino acid sequences in proteins
1. Homologous structures: they show that organisms inherited the structures from a common ancestor.
2. Comparing DNA base sequences: if two organisms have similar base sequences, they are closely related.
3. Comparing amino acid sequences in proteins: if organisms have similar sequences, they are more closely related.
How do plants make amino acids, nucleic acid (DNA & RNA) and other organic compounds?
They use minerals from the soil such as nitrogen and phosphorus and rearrange the atoms in glucose molecules to synthesize amino acids, nucleic aids, and other organic compounds.
Explain how the process that involves the cycling of carbon between biotic and abiotic factors in the ecosystem enable organisms to survive.
Photosynthesis in plants takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and uses it to make glucose. Animals eat plants and get the glucose. Both plants and animals use the glucose to make energy and produce carbon dioxide which goes into the atmosphere for plants to use.
Why is homeostasis important?
It keeps you healthy and balanced inside your body so that you can stay alive.
Ex0lain the difference between a stable and unstable ecosystem
A stable ecosystem has a lot of biodiversity and is more likely to survive even after a natural disaster