Unit 1
What do populations need to grow?
Space & resources
How are proteins made?
DNA --> RNA --> Amino Acids --> Protein
What are the 3 major macromolecules?
Protein, carbohydrates, and fats
What is biodiversity and why is it important?
Biodiversity is the abundance and variation of organisms. It is important for stability. It provides food security, resistance to disease, and carbon storage.
What is positive feedback and what is an example?
Process where the body amplifies a response. Ex. The immune response (WBCs calling for more WBCs)
How can changing one amino acid affect the function of a protein?
Changing one amino acid would change how the protein folds, changing its overall structure and causing it to function differently.
What is photosynthesis?
Process where plants convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.
What is natural selection?
Process where organisms better suited for their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
What is negative feedback and what is an example?
Explain how these terms are related: nucleotides, DNA, gene, allele, chromosome, nucleus.
Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA. A sequence of DNA makes up a gene. Two sequences that make variations of the same trait are called alleles. Alleles/genes lie on chromosomes. All your DNA/chromosomes live in your nucleus.
What is cellular respiration?
Process where oxygen and glucose are converted into carbon dioxide and water.
It increases genetic variation by introducing alleles from one population to another.
What is homeostasis? What is an example?
An organism's way of maintaining internal stability. Ex. The immune system
What is meiosis?
Process of cell division where one diploid cell divides into 4 haploid cells which are the gametes (sperm and eggs).
What is a trophic pyramid and how is it constructed?
A visual representation of feeding relationships in an ecosystem with producers at the bottom and consumers toward the top.
What is adaptation and what makes it more likely?
Process where a population becomes more suited for their environment over time due to natural selection.
Things that make it more likely: slow and gradual environmental change, large genetic variation, fast reproduction rate, generalist, large population / range
How did antibiotic resistance form? Make sure you use a key concept in your answer.
Natural Selection. Bacteria with antibiotic-resistant traits were more likely to survive and reproduce, passing down traits to their offspring more frequently. Therefore over time, antibiotic-resistant bacteria began to dominate the population.
How does independent assortment contribute to genetic variation?
During meiosis, chromosomes line up differently, and when the cells divide, you get different combinations of chromosomes in each gamete, leading to different traits in different offspring.
What happens to matter and energy as you go up a trophic pyramid?
Matter and energy is lost at each level. Matter is lost in the form of CO2 and H20 and only 10% of energy is transferred to the next level.
What is extinction and what makes it more likely?
The disappearance of a species. What make it more likely: fast and rapid environmental change, low genetic variation, slow reproduction rate, specialist, small population and range.