BIOL 200 --> Diversity of Life Exam
Questions and Answers
What is systematics? - ANSWER-- the study of biological diversity
- taxonomic: theory and practice of making and classifying organisms (framework for
classifying ancestral relationships, assessment and management of biodiversity,
environmental impact assessment)
- phylogenetic: theory and practice of discovering the evolutionary interrelationships
among organisms (mainly DNA based)
What are the different taxa? - ANSWER-1) domain
2) supergroup
3) Kingdom
4) phylum
5) class
6) order
7) family
8) genus
9) specific epithet
What is a virus? - ANSWER-A genome that replicated itself within a host cell by
directing the machinery of the cell to synthesize viral nucleic acids and proteins
What aren't viruses organisms? - ANSWER-1) lack fundamental cellular features
2) do not grow by increasing in size or dividing
3) do not respond to external stimuli
4) cannot carry on independent metabolism
What is the origin of viruses? - ANSWER-- no fossil record
- probably renegade segments of host genomic material that became partially
independent (replicate independently in another cell, acquired exterior protein to
protect nucleic acid)
- extremely rapid evolution
- have evolved independently many times with double stranded or DD or single
stranded or SS sequences (DS RNA --> SS neg. sense --> SS + sense --> SS DNA
--> DS DNA, DNA RNA reverse transcribing)
What impact have viruses had on life? - ANSWER-- viruses infect almost every kind
of organisms including humans, animals, and plants
What is the structure of viruses? - ANSWER-- very small
- DNA (animal) or RNA (plant)
- single or double stranded
- surrounded by protein coating
,- identifying coating is often key to medical treatment
- some have an outer lipid envelope
-protein coating-helical; spherical; sometimes with a tail
- plant viruses generally require vector to penetrate the target plants thick cell wall
How do viruses get transmitted? - ANSWER-1) bodily fluids
2) animal vectors
3) air
4) hand contact
What is a vaccine? - ANSWER-a preparation of a weakened pathogen or some of its
components that primes the organisms defence mechanisms against the virulent
strain
What are prokaryotes? - ANSWER-- highly evolved organisms with members that
are specialized for living in almost all environments
- before a nucleaus, primitive, advanced
Why is it important to study prokaryotes? - ANSWER-- earliest form of life
- diverse and high specialized, abundant and ubiquitous
- relatively simple organisms for various biological studies
- essential to biosphere functioning
- industrial potential
- importance to humans: digestion, diseases, environments
What are the biological characteristics of prokaryotes? - ANSWER-- most unicellular
and small
- most rigid walls
- 1 double-stranded circular chromosome
- lack nucleus, and membrane-bound organelles
- ACK cytoskeloton
smaller ribosomes that eukaryotes
- no sexual reproduction
- simple flagella
- classified by shape, size, cellular arrangement, nutrition, biochemistry, nucleic acid
similarities
What are the implications of being microscopically small? - ANSWER-- imidiate
contact with surrounding = high sensitivty to envirnment
- rapid reproduction
- high 'rate of living'/metabolic rates
- ecology of prokaryotes defined by aquatic continuum: water is needed for metabolic
demand, to supply nutrients and to remove waste; small size means water is
extremely viscous, making movement passive in water
-restricted mobility = spatial and temporal heterogeneity in nutrients and environment
critical to prokaryotic activity
How to prokaryotes acquire nutrients? - ANSWER-- rigid cell wall: makes engulfing
hard
, - uptake across cell membrane is restricted to small membranes and requires:
extracellular hydrolysis of larger organics, enzymes constantly being secreted,
diffusion of materials
- many have resource storage capacity as granules or inclusion bodies
What are the fundamentals of energetics and nutrition? - ANSWER-- energy
transformation
- metabolism = energy transfer = oxidation/reduction to drive chemiosmosis
- supply of nutrients
- waste removal
How to prokaryotes reproduce? - ANSWER-- Fission
1) duplication
2) cell elongation
3) ingrowth of plasma membrane
4) ingrowth of cell wall
How does cell growth (patterns and control) work in prokaryotes? - ANSWER--
environmental controls --> water availability, pH, temperature, oxygen, nutrients,
waste accumulation
- biological controls if with communities --> dispersal, competition, inhabitation
What are the mechanisms that drive genetic variability in prokaryotes? - ANSWER--
mutation plus rapid generation time
- genetic transfers --> conjugation, transformation (DNA taken up), transduction
(movement of genes: DNA from donor to host non-virulently or virulently)
What are the differences between archaea and bacteria? - ANSWER-ARCHAEA:
- rRNA nucleotide sequences
- cell wall and membrane lipids differ
BACTERIA
- more scarce in extreme environments
- some can form endospores
- are associated with disease
- are more diverse in forms of energy acquisition
What do bacteria cell walls contain? What does this do for bacteria? - ANSWER--
peptidoglycan, but in differing amounts
- lipid protects outside
- space between inside and outside --> creates a buffer zone to protect inside
plasma space
- ground negatives are less impacted by antibiotics
- complex structure with complex function
What is the significance of the gram stain response? - ANSWER-- common quick
medical diagnostic tool
- gram positives: very resistant to osmotic stress, can form endospores, usually
chemoheterotrophs, non-motile and without appendages
Questions and Answers
What is systematics? - ANSWER-- the study of biological diversity
- taxonomic: theory and practice of making and classifying organisms (framework for
classifying ancestral relationships, assessment and management of biodiversity,
environmental impact assessment)
- phylogenetic: theory and practice of discovering the evolutionary interrelationships
among organisms (mainly DNA based)
What are the different taxa? - ANSWER-1) domain
2) supergroup
3) Kingdom
4) phylum
5) class
6) order
7) family
8) genus
9) specific epithet
What is a virus? - ANSWER-A genome that replicated itself within a host cell by
directing the machinery of the cell to synthesize viral nucleic acids and proteins
What aren't viruses organisms? - ANSWER-1) lack fundamental cellular features
2) do not grow by increasing in size or dividing
3) do not respond to external stimuli
4) cannot carry on independent metabolism
What is the origin of viruses? - ANSWER-- no fossil record
- probably renegade segments of host genomic material that became partially
independent (replicate independently in another cell, acquired exterior protein to
protect nucleic acid)
- extremely rapid evolution
- have evolved independently many times with double stranded or DD or single
stranded or SS sequences (DS RNA --> SS neg. sense --> SS + sense --> SS DNA
--> DS DNA, DNA RNA reverse transcribing)
What impact have viruses had on life? - ANSWER-- viruses infect almost every kind
of organisms including humans, animals, and plants
What is the structure of viruses? - ANSWER-- very small
- DNA (animal) or RNA (plant)
- single or double stranded
- surrounded by protein coating
,- identifying coating is often key to medical treatment
- some have an outer lipid envelope
-protein coating-helical; spherical; sometimes with a tail
- plant viruses generally require vector to penetrate the target plants thick cell wall
How do viruses get transmitted? - ANSWER-1) bodily fluids
2) animal vectors
3) air
4) hand contact
What is a vaccine? - ANSWER-a preparation of a weakened pathogen or some of its
components that primes the organisms defence mechanisms against the virulent
strain
What are prokaryotes? - ANSWER-- highly evolved organisms with members that
are specialized for living in almost all environments
- before a nucleaus, primitive, advanced
Why is it important to study prokaryotes? - ANSWER-- earliest form of life
- diverse and high specialized, abundant and ubiquitous
- relatively simple organisms for various biological studies
- essential to biosphere functioning
- industrial potential
- importance to humans: digestion, diseases, environments
What are the biological characteristics of prokaryotes? - ANSWER-- most unicellular
and small
- most rigid walls
- 1 double-stranded circular chromosome
- lack nucleus, and membrane-bound organelles
- ACK cytoskeloton
smaller ribosomes that eukaryotes
- no sexual reproduction
- simple flagella
- classified by shape, size, cellular arrangement, nutrition, biochemistry, nucleic acid
similarities
What are the implications of being microscopically small? - ANSWER-- imidiate
contact with surrounding = high sensitivty to envirnment
- rapid reproduction
- high 'rate of living'/metabolic rates
- ecology of prokaryotes defined by aquatic continuum: water is needed for metabolic
demand, to supply nutrients and to remove waste; small size means water is
extremely viscous, making movement passive in water
-restricted mobility = spatial and temporal heterogeneity in nutrients and environment
critical to prokaryotic activity
How to prokaryotes acquire nutrients? - ANSWER-- rigid cell wall: makes engulfing
hard
, - uptake across cell membrane is restricted to small membranes and requires:
extracellular hydrolysis of larger organics, enzymes constantly being secreted,
diffusion of materials
- many have resource storage capacity as granules or inclusion bodies
What are the fundamentals of energetics and nutrition? - ANSWER-- energy
transformation
- metabolism = energy transfer = oxidation/reduction to drive chemiosmosis
- supply of nutrients
- waste removal
How to prokaryotes reproduce? - ANSWER-- Fission
1) duplication
2) cell elongation
3) ingrowth of plasma membrane
4) ingrowth of cell wall
How does cell growth (patterns and control) work in prokaryotes? - ANSWER--
environmental controls --> water availability, pH, temperature, oxygen, nutrients,
waste accumulation
- biological controls if with communities --> dispersal, competition, inhabitation
What are the mechanisms that drive genetic variability in prokaryotes? - ANSWER--
mutation plus rapid generation time
- genetic transfers --> conjugation, transformation (DNA taken up), transduction
(movement of genes: DNA from donor to host non-virulently or virulently)
What are the differences between archaea and bacteria? - ANSWER-ARCHAEA:
- rRNA nucleotide sequences
- cell wall and membrane lipids differ
BACTERIA
- more scarce in extreme environments
- some can form endospores
- are associated with disease
- are more diverse in forms of energy acquisition
What do bacteria cell walls contain? What does this do for bacteria? - ANSWER--
peptidoglycan, but in differing amounts
- lipid protects outside
- space between inside and outside --> creates a buffer zone to protect inside
plasma space
- ground negatives are less impacted by antibiotics
- complex structure with complex function
What is the significance of the gram stain response? - ANSWER-- common quick
medical diagnostic tool
- gram positives: very resistant to osmotic stress, can form endospores, usually
chemoheterotrophs, non-motile and without appendages
