exam 1 Flashcards
(36 cards)
what does the benedict’s test test for?
it is used to test for reducing sugars and turns brick red when positive
what is the lugol’s test used for?
it is used to test for starches and turns from a yellow amber to a black participate when positive.
what is used to test for the presence of proteins?
sodium hydroxide and copper sulfate is used to test for proteins, when positive the sample turns from blue to purple
what is used to test for the presence of lipids?
Sudan IV is used to test for lipids, if positive the Sudan IV will dissolve and turn pink
What are macromolecules?
they are carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acid, and lipids. they all share a similar organization as they are composed of monomers linked together to form a polymer
What are carbohydrates?
they are organic molecules made up of one or more sugars and are polymers made up of monosaccharide monomers. made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
why are carbohydrates important?
carbohydrates are important for energy storage and are used as building blocks for synthesizing other molecules. they are also used to indicate cell identity, store chemical energy, and form fibrous structural materials
what are some common disaccharides?
sucrose, lactose, maltose
what are storage polysaccharides in plants and animals?
plants store glucose in the form of starch and animals store simple sugars in the form of glycogen
what are structural polysaccharides?
cellulose, starch, chitin, and peptidoglycans
what are proteins?
they are organic molecules made up of amino acid subunits. their most important role is as enzymes and serving as metabolic catalysts that regulate the chemical reaction within cells
what are some protein functions?
structural: hair, fingernails, horns
protective: coagulate blood
regulatory: control cell activity
movement: heart to pump, muscles to contract
transport: carry molecules around the body
what are nucleic acids?
consists of a phosphate group, a five-carbon sugar, and a nitrogenous base. their monomer subunit is called a nucleotide
how does nucleic acid vary?
they can have two different monomers: ribonucleotides or deoxyribonucleotides. they also have five different kinds of nitrogenous bases: purines (adenine, guanine) and pyrimidines (cytosine, uracil, and thymine)
what are lipids?
they are organic molecules that are generally hydrophobic. there are three different kinds: steroids, fats, and phospholipids. are defined by their solubility rather than chemical structure
What are unsaturated fats?
they contain fewer than maximum number of hydrogen atoms that can be attached to the carbon skeleton. at room temperature they are liquid
What are saturated fats?
they are saturated hydrocarbon chains that contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms that can attach to the carbon skeleton. at room temperature they are solid.
How does structure correlate with function?
the length of the digestive tract often correlates with their diet. in general, the alimentary canals, relative to their body size, are longer in herbivores/omnivores and are shorter in carnivores.
What regulates the shape of trophic/energy pyramids?
they are shaped that way because energy is lost at every trophic level and only a fraction of the energy in a trophic level is available to be passed on in the food chain
Why does available energy decrease in each successive trophic level?
Energy decreases as it moves up trophic levels because energy is lost as metabolic heat when the organism from one trophic level are consumed by organism from the next level
What is top-down regulation?
species occupying the highest trophic level exerting a controlling influence on species at the next lower level and so forth down the trophic level
What is bottom-up regulation?
a lower trophic level in the biological network affects the community structure of higher trophic levels by means of resource restriction
How does energy flow through ecosystems?
Energy flow takes place via the food chain and food webs. Plants being the producers absorb sunlight and gain energy and when other animals eat those plants or other animals they gain a portion of their energy
What is a nutrients cycle?
A system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms and non-living parts of the environment. occurs as animals and plants consume nutrients found in the soil, and these nutrients are then released back into the environment via death and decomposition.
