BIOL 200 - diversity of life
What is biodiversity? - answer- The study of the multiple different ways that evolution
has generated for an organism (species) to grow, survive and reproduce
- nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution and ecology
- DIVERISTY BEGETS DIVERISTY
What questions does Nick Lane pose? (The vital question) - answer1) why did life arise
so early
2) why did it stagnate in morphological complexity for several billion years?
3) why did complex, eukaryotic cells arise just once in 4 billion years?
4) why do all eukaryotes share several perplexing traits (eg. sex, two sexes, aging), that
are never found in bacteria or archaea?
5) why does all life conserve energy in the form of proton gradients across membranes?
Why is an understanding of diversity of life important? - answer- A sense of 'Our place'
in the scheme of things --> "where do we come from? what are we? where are we
going?
- the 'wonder' of our natural environment
- the fundamental context for almost all other realms in biology
- human health
- human subsistence
- management of our environment
What are the characteristics of living organisms? - answer1) grow and/or survive
2) reproduce
3) pass on characteristics to the next generation
How to ALL organisms achieve the processes of living organisms? - answer1)
organization based on cells bounded by semi-permeable membranes
2) ATP-based energy currency
3) common chemical machinery for the synthesis and degradation of essential
molecules
4) heredity via nucleic acids using a common genetic code
what are the theories of early life? - answer- Millar 1953: potential for amino acid, sugar
and nuleic acid generation on early earth (disfavoured)
- Current theory: ALKALINE deep sea vents suitable for evolution of earliest life
What are heterotrophs? - answer- 'Hereros' = other
- 'trophs' = feeder
- primitive heterotrophs began to compete for limited resources
,What are autotrophs? - answer- "auto" = Self
- "trophs" = feeder
- evolved AFTER heterotrophs
- Photosynthesis: requires specialized pigments, change the earth's atmosphere (ozone
O2), and greatly influence the subsequent evolution of life
What is the best way to define a species? - answer- Biological species: reproductive
isolation --> a group of natural populations whose members can successfully
INTERBREED with one another and produce viable fertile offspring, but not with
members of other such groups
- morphological species: differences in structure
- ecological species: niche differences
- phylogenetic species: nucleic and sequence differences
- prokaryotic species: strains that share a common set of stable biochemical properties;
phytol types based on 97% similarity in DNA coding for rRNA sequences
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? - answer1) domain
2) supergroup
3) Kingdom
4) phylum
5) class
6) order
7) family
8) genus
9) specific epithet
What is a virus? - answerA 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? - answer1) 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? - answer1) bodily fluids
2) animal vectors
3) air
4) hand contact
What is a vaccine? - answera 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 is biodiversity? - answer- The study of the multiple different ways that evolution
has generated for an organism (species) to grow, survive and reproduce
- nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution and ecology
- DIVERISTY BEGETS DIVERISTY
What questions does Nick Lane pose? (The vital question) - answer1) why did life arise
so early
2) why did it stagnate in morphological complexity for several billion years?
3) why did complex, eukaryotic cells arise just once in 4 billion years?
4) why do all eukaryotes share several perplexing traits (eg. sex, two sexes, aging), that
are never found in bacteria or archaea?
5) why does all life conserve energy in the form of proton gradients across membranes?
Why is an understanding of diversity of life important? - answer- A sense of 'Our place'
in the scheme of things --> "where do we come from? what are we? where are we
going?
- the 'wonder' of our natural environment
- the fundamental context for almost all other realms in biology
- human health
- human subsistence
- management of our environment
What are the characteristics of living organisms? - answer1) grow and/or survive
2) reproduce
3) pass on characteristics to the next generation
How to ALL organisms achieve the processes of living organisms? - answer1)
organization based on cells bounded by semi-permeable membranes
2) ATP-based energy currency
3) common chemical machinery for the synthesis and degradation of essential
molecules
4) heredity via nucleic acids using a common genetic code
what are the theories of early life? - answer- Millar 1953: potential for amino acid, sugar
and nuleic acid generation on early earth (disfavoured)
- Current theory: ALKALINE deep sea vents suitable for evolution of earliest life
What are heterotrophs? - answer- 'Hereros' = other
- 'trophs' = feeder
- primitive heterotrophs began to compete for limited resources
,What are autotrophs? - answer- "auto" = Self
- "trophs" = feeder
- evolved AFTER heterotrophs
- Photosynthesis: requires specialized pigments, change the earth's atmosphere (ozone
O2), and greatly influence the subsequent evolution of life
What is the best way to define a species? - answer- Biological species: reproductive
isolation --> a group of natural populations whose members can successfully
INTERBREED with one another and produce viable fertile offspring, but not with
members of other such groups
- morphological species: differences in structure
- ecological species: niche differences
- phylogenetic species: nucleic and sequence differences
- prokaryotic species: strains that share a common set of stable biochemical properties;
phytol types based on 97% similarity in DNA coding for rRNA sequences
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? - answer1) domain
2) supergroup
3) Kingdom
4) phylum
5) class
6) order
7) family
8) genus
9) specific epithet
What is a virus? - answerA 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? - answer1) 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? - answer1) bodily fluids
2) animal vectors
3) air
4) hand contact
What is a vaccine? - answera 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
