CHAPTER 1 SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF LIFE 1. Define biology as the scientific study of life. What do all living organisms have in common? 2. How do we know if something is alive? What are the five characteristics of life? 3. How is life organized(atom to biosphere)?? Explain each level in the organization of life and give examples at each level. 4. What is the difference between single-celled and multicellular organisms? Give examples from each category. 5. What is a population of species? Give examples. Be able to show the organization of live that extends beyond the individual organism. 6. At each level of organization of life, there are emergent properties. What is an emergent property? 7. What are the three different types organisms in terms of energy use? 8. Describe homeostasis and how organisms maintain internal constancy. 9. What are the two methods that organisms use to reproduce? Explain both types of reproduction in terms of when they are successful. 10. Explain how all live evolves using examples. 11. What is taxonomy and how are living organisms classified? What are the 3 domains and the kingdoms within the domains? 12. What are the characteristics of each of the following kingdoms: Bacteria, Animal, Plant, Fungi (ex. unicellular vs multicellular vs colonial, autotroph vs. heterotroph) 13. What are the key differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes? 14. What is the difference between an autotroph (producer) and a heterotroph (consumer)? 15. Explain the scientific name for organisms and their use in identifying two closely related organisms. 16. Describe the steps of the scientific method. What is a hypothesis and prediction? What conclusion can be made after collecting and interpreting the data from an experiment? What are the two ways that hypotheses can be tested using science? 17. Define the independent, dependent, and standardized variables in a well-designed experiment. What are the control and experimental groups? 18. Explain the difference between a hypothesis and a scientific theory. 19. What makes a good hypothesis? 20. What is the theory of evolution by natural selection and who developed it? What are the four conditions needed for natural selection to occur? 21. Is evolution a fact or theory? 22. What are some limits of scientific inquiry (more than one interpretation, nonscientific reasons, untestable hypothesis)? Give examples. CHAPTER 2 CHEMISTRY OF LIFE 1. What is matter and what is an element? How does the periodic table organize the elements? What information does the periodic table tell us? 2. What is an atom and what are the subatomic particles? Include information about their mass and charge. 3. How do you determine the atomic number and atomic weight of an element? What is an isotope and how are isotopes used to calculate the atomic weight? 4. How many electrons make a stable first and second shell (octet rule)? Describe the role of the valence electrons in chemical bonding (type and number). 5. Explain how atoms are organized into molecules. 6. When are atoms most stable? What is the difference between a stable atom versus a neutral atom? 7. Know how to draw the electron configuration of the elements that are important in biology (O, H, N, C) and molecules such as methane (CH4) and water (H2O). 8. What are covalent bonds? How many electrons make up single, double, or triple covalent bonds? 9. What is the difference between polar and nonpolar covalent bonds? How does this influence a molecule’s behavior in water? 10. What does it mean when atoms in a molecule have partial charges? What are hydrogen bonds? 11. Explain how atoms with high electronegativity differences lose or gain electrons to form ions. Show how these ions form ionic bonds. Give an example of a molecule that forms an ionic bond. 12. What is electronegativity? How is electronegativity used to determine the type of chemical bonding that occurs between atoms? 13. What are some of the unique properties of water that arise from the polarity of water molecules (ex. cohesion and adhesion)? 14. Why is water a good solvent? What types of molecules are hydrophobic and hydrophilic? What is happening at the molecular level when a solute dissolves in water? 15. How do hydrogen bonds help water resist changes in temperature? Why is ice less dense than liquid water? What are some types of reactions that water is involved in? 16. What is pH? What ion determines the pH of a solution? What is an acidic and basic solution? How do buffers help regulate pH in living systems? 17. Name the four biological molecules. Identify the monomers and polymer(s) for each of the biological molecules (except for lipids that do not have a monomer). Be able to identify each of these molecules, describe or draw the basic structure, and provide the key functions in living things. 18. What are the two types of reactions that join monomers or break down polymers? For each organic molecule that has a monomers and polymers, show how the monomers come together to form polymers (for example, amino acids to form proteins and nucleotides to form nucleic acids). 19. What are some examples of monosaccharides? What is the carbon:hydrogen:oxygen ratio? 20. How are the 20 amino acids different from one another? 21. Describe the four levels of protein structure and the types of bonds involved. Why is the three dimensional structure of a protein important (primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary)? Which form(s) of the protein are functional? 22. What are the key roles of proteins in organisms? 23. What are two examples of nucleic acids? How are they similar and how are they different? Know the structural components of nucleotides and how they come together to form nucleic acids. 24. How are molecules in the lipid category characterized? What are the major categories of lipids? What are the structural components of triglycerides? 25. What makes fatty acids saturated or unsaturated? How does the number of single or double bonds influence the behavior of the molecule? Which are solid and which are liquid at room temperature? Why? 26. What are trans fats? 27. What are phospholipids and give some of the properties of these molecules in a membrane and water. CHAPTER 3 CELLS 1. What is the cell theory? How do the ideas in the cell theory support the claim that all organisms are made of cells? 2. Compare and contrast compound, dissecting and scanning electron microscopes in term of magnification, 2D or 3D image, and light or energy source. 3. How does the bacterial cell compare to the eukaryotic cell in size and contents? What are the common features that are shared by all cells? 4. Explain why cells are so small, even when organisms are large. 5. Describe the major differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms within the three major domains. 6. Know the major anatomy of bacteria, animal and plant cells. 7. List three structures plant cells have that are not found in animal cells and at least one structure in animal cells not found in plant cells. 8. What is the composition of the cell membrane? What are the features of phospholipids and how do they form a membrane? What does it mean for a phospholipid to be amphipathic? 9. Why is the cell membrane considered to be a fluid mosaic? What are the roles of various proteins, carbohydrates and lipids that span the cell membrane? 10. Name the function of each of the following organelles and indicate if they are found in prokaryotes, all eukaryotes, animal cells or plant cells: cytoplasm, cytoskeleton, cell/plasma membrane, ribosomes, nucleoid, plasmids, flagella, pili, cell wall, nuclear envelope, nucleolus, smooth ER, rough ER, peroxisomes, vesicles, contractile vacuoles, plant vacuoles, golgi body, lysosomes, mitochondria, chloroplasts, plastids 11. Know the organelles involved in protein production such as DNA, nucleolus, and ribosomes. 12. Know the organelles involved in protein localization. How does the endomembrane system use various organelles (ER, vesicles, Golgi) to move proteins across the cell to where it needs to go? 13. Know the organelles involved in cellular digestion such as lysosomes and peroxisomes. How are these organelles different from each other? 14. What are the two major energy related organelles? What are the cellular reactions that occur in each of these organelles? 15. What are the three major components of the cytoskeleton? What are some examples of how these components are used in cells (ex. cilia, flagella, vesicle trackways)? 16. What are some functional characteristics of cell walls in plants? What is the role of the plasmodesmata? What is the role of gap junctions, tight junctions, and adhering/anchoring junctions in animal cells? 17. Explain the theory of endosymbiosis. What organelles are thought to have originated as free living cells? What evidence supports the theory of endosymbiosis?
