Fall 2010
BIOL 170 Exploring Biology
Dr. George Davis
Cell Function, Reproduction and Heredity Outline
Note: All section numbers refer to main text: Essentials of the Living World, Johnson 3e, 2010.
I. Basic Chemicals of Life: Macromolecules (Chapter 3)
A. Carbohydrates (CH2O) (section 3.4)
1. Sugars structure and function
2. Starch structure and function
3. Cellulose structure and function
B. Proteins (section 3.2)
1. Structure of proteins
2. Function of proteins
a. structural (cell membrane and muscle/tendons)
b. regulator (section 5.4)
1. hormones
2. enzymes
3. carrier proteins
C. Lipids (Fats) (section 3.5)
1. Fatty acids
2. Glycerides
3. Function
Review Questions:
1. List the two functions of carbohydrates in maintaining organisms alive.
2. Why is it that we humans can break down starch into sugar to be used for energy
but cannot break down cellulose into sugar?
3. It is reported that fish and all vertebrates are “nutritionally deficient.” What parts
of proteins do we need to take in as part of our diet as we do not have the ability
to make them ourselves?
4. What are the two functions of proteins?
5. How do enzymes control chemical reactions in the cell?
6. What is the difference between unsaturated and saturated fats?
II. Cell Structures and functions (chapter 4)
A. Prokaryotic cells (bacteria) (section 4.2)
1. Structure
2. Reproduction
B. Eukaryotic cells (plant and animal) (section 4.3)
1. Organelles structure and function (sections 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7)
2. Membranes structure (section 4.4)
3. Transport across membranes (sections 4.4, 4.9, 4.10, 4.11)
III. Cell Size maximum (page 63)
A. The volume of the cell and its cell membrane surface area ratio determine the
maximum size of a cell. A cell can only get so big until the demand for food
(glucose) and oxygen PLUS the amount of waste produces (a function of the
volume of the cell) that must be sent outside the cell exceeds the cell’s
ability to transport across the cell membrane (and therefore its rate of
transport in and out) a function of the surface area of the cell membrane.
A. The answer to this limitation on cell size is the strategy of multicellular
organisms.
Review Questions:
7. The prokaryotic cell was the earliest cell type that appeared on earth about 3.5
billion years ago. Was this cell type successful or not successful? Give a 2-3
sentence defense of your answer.
8. List two major differences between prokaryotic cell structure and eukaryotic cell
structure.
9. Give a brief function for each of the following cell organelles:
A. Mitochondria
B. Rough endoplasmic reticulum
C. Nucleus
D. Chloroplasts
E. Nucleolus
F. Cytoplasm
G. Cell membrane
H. Ribosomes
10. Contrast the difference between active transport and passive transport across a
cell membrane.
IV. Photosynthesis (Chapter 6)
A. Structure of Chloroplasts (page 101-102)
B. Pigments and light frequencies that green plants use to excite electrons
(section 6.2)
C. Photophosphorlation: Light –Dependent reactions (section 6.4)
1. Produces ATP
2. Produces NADPH (electron transfer molecules) (section 6.3)
3. Produces O2
D. Calvin Cycle: Light-Independent reactions (section 6.4)
1. Uses CO2 from the atmosphere
2. Builds glucose from the carbon dioxide, ATP and NADPH
3. Can also be used to produce amino acids, nucleic acids and fats
Review Questions:
11. What colors of visible light do green plants use most in photosynthesis?
12. Of the three steps in photosynthesis, which one(s) must occur in daylight?
13. What metal atom is found in chlorophyll?
14. When exposed to light, a system of chlorophyll molecules release electrons that
drive the photosynthesis process.
A. What compound is the source of replacement electrons to this system?
B. What gas is released in this process?
15. What is the compound that is the final product of photosynthesis?
V. Respiration (chapter 7)
A. Mitochondria structure (page 115)
B. Overview of aerobic respiration (pages 116-118)
C. In cell cytoplasm: Glycolysis (section 7.2)
1. Breaks down a glucose molecule to 2 pyruvate molecules (pyruvic acid)
2. Produces 12 ATP molecules per glucose
D. In mitochondria Krebs cycle (section 7.3)
1. 2 Pyruvate molecules changed to 2 acetyl-Co-A molecules
2. Krebs Cycle breaks down the 2 acetyl-Co-A molecules and releases
a. ATP
b. NADH (electron transfer molecule)
c. FADH2 (electron transfer molecule )
3. Electron transport system
a. Is driven by the energetic electrons from the electrons transfer
molecules.
b. Electrons are removed by oxygen and forms water with H+ ions
4. Produces 24 ATP units per glucose molecule
Review Questions:
16. Glycolysis occurs where in the cell?
17. The Krebs cycle and the electron transport system occur where in the cell?
18. What is the purpose of oxygen (O2) in the process of respiration/
19. What is the advantage of aerobic respiration to a cell?
20. What is the name of the molecule that transports the energy given off from
respiration to the cell functions that require energy?
21. Where is the energy found in a sugar, a lipid, or a protein molecule located?
VI. Cell Reproduction
A. Genetic Structures
1. Chromosomes (8.3)
2. Genes and alleles (pg 24 and pg 187)
3. DNA and RNA structure and function
a. Nucleic Acid molecules (section 3.3)
1. Adenine nucleotide
2. Guanine nucleotide
3. Cytosine nucleotide
4. Thymine nucleotide
5. Uracil nucleotide
b. Structure of DNA (pg 53)
c. DNA replication (pgs 190-191)
d. Transcription (section 12.1)
e. Translation (section 12.2)
B. Mitosis (sections 8.1, 8.2, 4.4)
1. Occurs in prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells
2. In multicellular eukaryotic cells only in body (soma) cells
3. Results in the duplication of chromosomes in a mother cell and then
separation of the chromosome pairs into two daughter cells.
4. Cell differentiation
5. Normal cell reproduction and cell death vs. abnormal cell reproduction
Review Questions:
22. What are chromosomes?
23. Eukaryotic body (soma) cells do divide and produce two daughter cells. How
does the number of chromosomes of the mother cell compare to the number of
chromosomes in each of the daughter cells?
24. As the eukaryotic body cell prepares to divide, what happens first to the
chromosomes?
25. During the process of mitosis as the a body cell is dividing into two daughter
cells, what are the chromosomes doing?
26. How many chromosome pairs are found in the normal human body cell?
C. Meiosis (Sexual Reproduction) (section 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4)
1. Review the questions/outline from the Video: Why Sex?
2. Diploid and haploid number of chromosomes
3. Produces gametes: egg or sperm
4. Only occurs in germ-line cells
Review Questions:
27. The second type of cell found in multicellular organisms is the germ-line cell (sex
cell). Germ-line cells produce gametes. Name each type of gamete and describe
their structural differences.
28. A. Define the term diploid number.
B. Define the term haploid number.
29. In meiosis the eukaryotic germ-line cell produces how many daughter cells?
30. In germ-line daughter cells (also known as gametes) how does the number of
chromosomes in the mother cell compare to the number of chromosomes in the
daughter cells?
31. Explain the process of crossing over.
32. What is the advantage to the organism to engage in sexual reproduction?
33. What do we call the condition when cells divide without restraint?
VII. Heredity (Mendelian genetics) (Chapter 10)
A. Each trait has at least two sets of alleles
B. Dominate and recessive alleles
C. The use of Punnett Squares
C. Genotype and phenotype
D. Homozygous and heterozygous
E. Mendel’s two laws
F. Differences from Mendel’s laws
Review Questions:
34. Eukaryotic cells carry the directions for each of their traits in their genetic
material (DNA). What do we call the specific genetic information (code or
directions) for a particular trait?
35. Each trait has two sets of directions (information or code) for each trait. Where
did each of these two sets of directions come from?
36. With these two sets of directions for a particular trait we might find that one set
of directions calls for the trait to be expressed one way (i.e. round chin) and the
second set of directions may call for the trait to be expressed a different way (i.e.
cleft chin). If so, in this case the person will have a cleft chin. What do we call
that set of directions (allele) that is expressed by the organism?
37. A. Define phenotype:
B. Define genotype:
38. Draw a Punnett square for the possible offspring from two parents whose
genotypes for freckles are FF and Ff.
39. From the Punnett Square information in question 17, what is the chance that an
offspring will have freckles?
40. Explain why I cannot plant apple seeds from my favorite apple variety and get a
tree that produces apples of the same variety. In your answer use the idea of
continuous variation and polygenic inheritance.
VIII. Population Genetics
A. Genetic variation (14.8)
B. Hardy-Weinberg Rule (14.8)
C. Alterations in allele frequencies (pgs 260-261)
D. Forms of natural selection (pgs 261-263)
E. Isolating mechanisms in speciation (14.13-14.14)
Review Questions:
41. In a population of 1,000 individuals, 800 people are right handed and the rest are
left handed. Use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to calculate the frequency of
A. Homozygous dominate individuals
B. Homozygous recessive individuals
C. Heterozygous dominate individuals
Show your calculations of each of these values.
42. How have humans used non-random mating to produce certain desirable
characteristics in domestic animals and plants? In your answer, you can pick a
particular domesticated animal or plant to use as an example.
43. A. In sexual selection which gender selects its mate?
B. Why is this so?