chemistry of life
what is cohesion vs adhesion?
cohesion: molecules attracted to other molecules of the same kind
adhesion: molecules attracted to other molecules of a different kind
what's the difference between cytoplasm and cytosol?
cytosol = the fluid
cytoplasm = cytosol + everything in the cell
what is activation energy?
energy input for a reaction (initial energy required for a reaction to occur)
what is the capsule in prokaryotes?
sticky outermost layer made of polysaccharide
innate vs learned behaviour
innate behavior = genetically hardwired/inherited
learned behavior = developed through experience
what are the 4 main biological molecules?
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids
name 3 characteristics of prokaryotes
1-10 µm
No membrane-bound organelles
Circular chromosome in nucleoid region
Small ribosomes
Mostly unicellular
how do you calculate pH?
pH = -log[H+]
what is at the 3' end and what is at the 5' end?
Phosphate terminus is 5’
Hydroxyl terminus is 3’
classical vs operant conditioning
Classical conditioning = pair new and old stimuli → eventually you can remove the old stimuli and the new one triggers the original response too
Operant conditioning = reward/punishment triggers more/less behavior
does water form a concave or convex meniscus? what about mercury?
water - concave
mercury - convex
what is endosymbiotic theory?
Chloroplasts = photosynthetic bacteria
Mitochondria = aerobic bacteria
what is a cofactor?
non-protein, helper molecule
leading vs lagging strand
Leading strand builds DNA smoothly from 3’ end (the new strand runs 5’ to 3’)
Lagging strand builds DNA in Okazaki fragments from the 3’ end (antiparallel to leading strand)
BMR vs SMR
BMR = basal metabolic rate (endotherms), measured in a thermoneutral environment
SMR = standard metabolic rate (ectotherms), varies based on temperature
what is specific heat capacity?
the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree celsius
where does the Krebs cycle occur? where does glycolysis occur?
Krebs cycle occurs in matrix while glycolysis occurs in cytosol
what is competitive vs allosteric inhibition?
Regular competitive inhibition: molecule (competitor) competes with a substrate at an active site
Allosteric competitive inhibition (allosteric regulation): competitor binds to a site that is not the active site (allosteric site) but prevents the substrate from binding to active site
conservative vs dispersive vs semi-conservative replication
Conservative replication = synthesize completely new pair of DNA
Dispersive replication = two pairs of DNA dispersed with old and new in both
Semi-conservative replication = each helix has 1 old strand and 1 new strand (new strands are built on each after they split)
what is fecundity?
number of offspring a organism can produce
what is heat of vaporization?
amount of energy needed to change one gram of a liquid substance to a gas
what does Ehlers-Danlos syndrome cause?
fragile tissues that stretch/tear easily
what is feedback inhibition?
end product of a metabolic pathway acts as an inhibitor for the enzyme that begins the path
how do spliceosomes work?
loops introns into a circle and splices them off
list 2 examples of density-dependent regulation
Competition for resources
Predation (more dense = easier for predators)
Disease/parasites (easier to spread in high density)
Waste accumulation (kills individuals/impairs population)
Physiological changes (e.g. some species in high population densities find less crowded places to live)