Key concepts for the final.
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Chapter 1
- Name and describe the characteristics of living things that generally distinguish
them from non living things.
- Describe the features of organization in the living world.
- Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and give examples of
organisms that have each of these cell types. See p 4
- List and give examples of organisms in the three domains of life and the
six Kingdoms.
- Explain the distinction between a scientific hypothesis vs a scientific
theory.
Chapter 2
- Distinguish between ionic and covalent bonds.
- Define hydrogen bond and explain how they arise.
- Explain why hydrogen bonds are important for understanding the properties
of water.
Chapter 3
- Define monomer and polymer.
- Give the monomer used to make and functions of each of the following groups
of biologically important polymers:
- Polysaccharides
- Proteins
- Nucleic acids.
Chapter 4
- List the three main things all cells have in common.
- Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
- Explain the fluid mosaic model of a plasma membrane.
- Define the term organelle.
- List and tell the functions of the following organelles common to most eukaryotic
cells.
- Nucleus
- Endoplasmic reticulum(smooth and rough)
- Golgi body
- Mitochondria
- Ribosomes
- Chloroplasts
Chapter 5
- Distinguish between potential and kinetic energy and give examples.
- Define conservation of energy (=the first law of thermodynamics) and give
examples from biology and everyday life.
- Define the second law of thermodynamics incuding entropy and give examples.
- Explain the function of ATP in cells.
- Distinguish between passive and active transport.
- Define the term enzyme and explain why enzymes are important for cells.
Chapter 6
- Give the overall equation for aerobic cellular respiration of glucose.
- Explain the role of oxygen in aerobic cellular respiration. See fig 6.6
- Tell in what part pf the eukaryotic cell each of the main steps of cellular
respiration(Glycolysis, Kreb's cycle and Electron transport) happens.
- Explain the function and location of electron transport systems in the mitochondrion.
- Distinguish between anaerobic and aerobic respiration.
- Explain where in the cell and by what process is most of the ATP produced
by cellular respiration produced.
Chapter 7
- Give the overall equation
of photosynthesis in terms of reactants and products.
- Explain which of the starting materials for photosynthesis is the source
of the oxygen we breathe.
- Describe the structure and function of the different parts of the chloroplast
(stroma and thylakoids: p 104
- Give the reactants and products for the light reactions and the Calvin cycle
(light independent reactions).
Chapter 8
- Distinguish between the functions of mitosis and meiosis
- Define somatic cells vs germ cells. (See p 128)
- Define chromosome, chromatid, centromere.
- Define asexual vs sexual reproduction.
- Explain the advantages of sexual and asexual reproduction.
- Explain why the cells produced by meiosis are not genetically identical.
Chapter 9
- State the principle(theory) of segregation
- Be able to set up simple Punnett Squares for monohybrid and dihybrid crosses
- Give the expected genotype and phenotype ratios for the Monohybrid cross.
- State Mendel's theory of Independent Assortment
- Do dihybrid crosses using the multiplication rule for independent probabilities.
(See page 149-150 and your lecture notes)
Chapter 10
- Explain why protein synthesis is such an important process for living things
(review the functions of proteins)
- List the basic steps in protein synthesis and explain where in the cell
each occurs. pp 176 -177
- Explain the difference between the meaning of transcription and translation
- List the differences between DNA and RNA in terms of chemical composition.
- Explain the functions of the three broad types of RNA produced by transcription.
Chapter 13
- Give the general meaning of the word evolution and
the specific meanings of the word as used by biologists.
- Distinguish between so called microevolution and macroevolution
- List Darwin's three radical ideas.
- Explain Jean Baptiste Lamarck's ideas about evolution.
- Explain the two key observations that Darwin connected in his theory of
natural selection. p 255
- Define micro-evolution from the population genetics perspective. p 260
Chapter 14
- Define the biological species concept.
- Explain several limitations of the biological species
concept. See p 273
- Distinguish between prezygotic and post zygotic reproductive
barriers.
- Distinguish between allopatric and sympatric speciation.
- Give reasons for naming and classifying organisms.
Chapter 15
- Give the approximate time bp(before the present) for the following events:
- Origin of the Earth
- Oldest prokaryote fossils
- Accumulation of oxygen
- Oldest eukaryote fossils
- Oldest animal fossils
- Give the approximate time and significance of the Cambrian explosion.
- Explain what is meant by the biogenesis paradox.
- List the major roles of prokaryotes in the environment..
- Distinguish between the Bacteria and the Archaea.
- Define extremophiles, halophiles, thermophiles and methanogens.
- List and define the main modes of nutrition in bacteria and in other
organisms.
Chapter 18
Distinguish between the biotic and abiotic components of the environment
- Define ecology
- Define acclimation and give examples.
- Make sure you can distinguish between acclimation and evolutionary adaptation!
Define the following concepts related to population ecology
- Population Growth: Exponential and Logistic
- Density dependent and density independent factors and give examples!
- Define carrying capacity
- Explain the basic pattern seen in the long term pattern of human population
growth. See p 395 and fig 18.25. Is it exponential or logistic?
- Explain population growth as a function of birth rate minus death rate.
See fig 18.26
- Define the concept of age structure and explain the implications of different
age structures.
- See p 396-397 for examples for the population of the United States.
- Give the approximate number of people on the planet, and in the United States.
Chapter 19
Define community as used in biology and give examples
List the main ways different species in a community can interact with each
other and define the following important terms:
- Interspecific competition
- Ecological Niche
- Predation
- Warning coloration, Batesian and Mullerian Mimicry
- Symbiotic relationships: Here distinguish between Parasitism and mutualism
and commensalism
Define coevolution and give examples. See p 438
- Explain the basic pattern of energy flow in ecolsystems. See p 421
Define the concept of biogeochemical cycle and diagram the basic parts of such
a cycle.
- Explain the main parts of the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle as examples
of biogeochemical cycles.
- Define the term biome and explan the main factors that determine what biome
is found in a particular region.
Chapter 20
List the main ways humans are disturbing biological communities
- Define and give examples of introduced or exotic species and the problems
caused by these species.
Discuss global warming as an example of our impact on ecosystems and on the
planet as a whole pp 449-450
- Define and give examples of greenhouse gasses
- Describe the basic trend for carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere
since 1850
Explain the main human activities responsible for the recent changes in carbon
dioxide production
- Review why photosynthesis moderates the green house effect. Review this
from chapter 7!
- List some of the possible impacts of global warming on sea levels and natural
ecosystems. p 450
- Explain why your text says that the developed nations have the greatest
responsibility for reducing global warming.
The biodiversity crisis
- Define biodiversity and explain what is meant by the biodiversity crisis
p 452
- Explain the term mass extinction and the cause of the seventh mass extinction.
- List the three main causes of the biodiversity crisis. p 454
- Explain why biodiversity is important. p 455
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