Lecture 4

Question 1

What are the simplest life forms?

Answer 1

Viruses

Question 2

What are viruses made up of?

Answer 2

Proteins, RNA and DNA

Question 3

What is the function of RNA?

Answer 3

It codes, decodes, regulates and expresses genes

Question 4

What’s the function of DNA?

Answer 4

It’s genetic material in all life for growth and development

Question 5

What’s the importance of carbs?

Answer 5

Creating metabolism and energy resources, which are the building blocks of life

Question 6

Why are viruses considered diseases?

Answer 6

Because they attack the building blocks of life

Question 7

How old is our modern atmosphere and what elements does it contain?

Answer 7

It’s 3 billion years old and contains N2, O2, Ar, CO2 and H2O.

Question 8

What are the key concepts of the Archean?

Answer 8

4.6-2.5 billion years old, has a thin, mobile crust, few plate-tectonic processes, minor weathering, unstable depositional environments, immature, detrital textures (sediment, sandstone) and minor carbonates

Question 9

What are the key concepts of the Proterozoic?

Answer 9

2.5-570 million years old, thick stable crust, many plate-tectonics, significant weathering, stable depositional environments (sediment was deposited), mature detrital textures and common carbonates.

Question 10

What are features of Prokaryotes?

Answer 10

Bacteria, cyanobacteria (e.coli), 1-10 micrometers, anaerobic-aerobic, non-motile with flagella, cell walls sugar, peptide, *no membrane-bounded organelles, DNA looped in cytoplasm, reproduce by binary fission, unicellular

Question 11

What are features of Eukaryotes?

Answer 11

Protists, fungi, plants and animals, 10-100 micrometers, aerobic, motile, cellulose/chitin, mitochondria and chloroplast, DNA in nuclear membrane, reproduce by mitosis/meiosis and are multicellular

Question 12

When were the earliest life forms originated?

Answer 12

3.8 billion years ago

Question 13

When were humans originated?

Answer 13

10,000 year ago

Question 14

What are the limitations of nutrient cycling?

Answer 14

There’s only 94 natural occurring elements, 6/17 account for 95% of all matter in life forms.

Question 15

What are the 6 elements of life?

Answer 15

N, C, H, O, P and S

Question 16

What are the parts of the ecological pyramid?

Answer 16

1st trophic level- producers (plants)
2nd trophic level- primary consumers (herbivores)
3rd trophic level- secondary consumers (carnivores)

Question 17

What happens while trophic levels increase?

Answer 17

While trophic levels increase, the loss of energy available to use by successive trophic levels decreases by 10-20%

Question 18

What happens when you go down trophic levels?

Answer 18

There’s an increase in biomass in the ecosystem.

Question 19

What are the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem?

Answer 19

Abiotic: sun, solar radiation, heat energy loss
Biotic: producers, consumers and decomposers

Question 20

Where did human species originate?

Answer 20

In Africa, 4.5 million years ago

Question 21

When did humans begin to migrate away from Africa?

Answer 21

100, 000 yeas ago to Europe, 60,000 to Asia and 15,000-35,000 to North America

Question 22

What is the series of events of climate vs. time?

Answer 22

There was an ice age and extinction of mammoths, then Egypt and early civilization occurred, Romans and now present day.