Midterm Review Flashcards
Phosphorus is an important element in building which macromolecules?
Nucleic acids and (Phospho)lipids
What is an independent variable?
The manipulated variable
What is a dependent variable?
The measured variable.
What is used to ensure that no confounding/outside variable has affected the results or to factor in any likely sources of bias?
A control
What is the most accurate reason for why null hypotheses are used?
It enables the hypothesis to be tested using statistical analysis
What does a low standard deviation mean?
The independent variable is likely causing the changes in the experiment.
What does a carboxyl group look like?
COOH
What is responsible for the adhesive properties of water?
Hydrogen bonds between water and other molecules
Which macromolecule do plants use for storage?
Carbohydrates
Know the phenomenon on number 9. of the review.
“When NaCl is exposed to water the positive charges of the water are attracted to the negative Cl and the negative charge of the water molecules are attracted to the positive Na.”
What causes ice to float?
Hydrogen bonds; they stabilize the structure of water, keeping water molecules apart causing ice to be less dense.
According to the endosymbiotic theory, mitochondria and chloroplasts are believed to have evolved through a symbiotic relationship originating when an early ancestor of eukaryotic cells engulfed a prokaryotic cell. What is the evidence to support this theory?
Mitochondria and chloroplast have their own DNA, can self replicate, and can perform transcription and translation
You are examining a cell that has a high rate of protein synthesis. Knowing this, what cellular component would you expect to see large numbers of?
Ribosomes
What is the function of the Mitochondria?
Cellular respiration
What is the function of chloroplasts?
Photosynthesis
What is the function of lysosomes?
Clean up old parts
What is the function of the vacuole?
Storage
At the gym an athlete decided to push himself to bench press more than what he was ready for. Due to the overly heavy weight, he damaged his pectoral (chest) muscles and had soreness for one week. Which part of the cytoskeleton was most likely damaged in the pectoral muscle cells?
Microfilaments
If analyzing the membrane composition of an organism living in a cold climate, what would you expect to find?
Many unsaturated fatty acid chains to prevent tight packing of the phospholipids.
To be most efficient at exchanging material across the plasma membrane, a cell must have what kind of SA:V ratio?
Low
To be best for storage of materials, a cell must have what kind of SA:V ratio?
High
Intestinal cells have both villi and microvilli, which are small finger-like projections off of the cells. These villi and microvilli play a vital role in the absorption of food passing through the small intestine. What best explains why these projections play such a vital role in the intestinal cells?
They increase the surface area to volume ratio
(for food absorbtion)
What is the best explanation for why the meniscus of water in the capillary tube to the right is concave?
The adhesive forces are stronger than the cohesive forces
You are given a protein with the following amino acid sequence:
methionine (nonpolar)-glycine (nonpolar)-serine (polar)-alanine (nonpolar)-lysine (polar)
If an amino acid substitution occurred in this polypeptide chain, how would that affect the structure and function of the protein?
Replacing a polar amino acid with a nonpolar amino acid would greatly affect the structure of the protein, therefore greatly affecting the function
