Exam 3 Flashcards
(119 cards)
Phylogeny
shared common ancestry
Why do we need a species system?
Organization Communication Different contexts and languages
What are the requirements for life?
Carbon source, energy source, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, cell membrane
What are the environmental characteristics for life?
Temperature, O2 level, pressure, salt concentration, pH
Steps to life
- Abiotic synthesis of organic molecules 2. Building polymers from monomers 3. Packaging polymers, separating self from non-self (cell membrane) 4. Self-replication and inheritance
Miller-Urey experiment
using electricity and atmospheric gasses to produce amino acids
shock synthesis
comet impact creating organic molecules
montmorillonite
clay that may have catalyzed the formation of RNA polymers
RNA World Hypothesis
early forms of life used RNA as their genetic material
What did protocells use to protect their RNA?
Phospholipids
Vesicle vs. Micelle

What is a cell membrane important for?
Establishing protein gradients
RNA replicase
makes RNA from a template
Why does the use of DNA for long term storage make sense?
More chemically stable than RNA (chemically selected), mutates less
Where could life have started?
Surface, deep sea vent, geyser
Who could have been the first replicates?
Viruses
What are the oldest fossils we have?
Cyanobacteria Not the oldest form of life
Are prokaryotes simple?
Nope just specialists
What is the difference between metabolic processes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Eukaryotes do things pretty much the same (chemoheterotroph and/or photoautotroph) Prokaryotes’ processes are diverse and complicated
What is the size difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Prokaryotes are 1/10 the size of eukaryotes
How do prokaryotes and eukaryotes move molecules inside the cell?
eukaryotes: endomembrane system prokaryotes: diffusion
Organelles
membrane-bound sub-cellular structure eukaryotes have a common set, prokaryotes don’t
Why can’t the biological species concept be applied to prokaryotes?
Asexual reproduction
How do we ID bacteria in clinical labs?
metabolic tests, not very useful for novel species

