Biology Chapter on Ecology and Biomolecules

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Questions and Answers

What role do carbohydrates play in living organisms?

Storage of genetic information

Main source of energy (correct)

Energy storage

Insulation and protection

Which biomolecule is primarily involved in enzymatic reactions and cell signaling?

Nucleic acids

Carbohydrates

Proteins (correct)

Lipids

What is the purpose of a controlled variable in an experiment?

To change throughout the experiment

To isolate the effect of the independent variable (correct)

To represent the independent variable

To measure the dependent variable

What does the dependent variable represent in an experiment?

The outcome measured in response to the independent variable Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines ecology?

The interactions among organisms and their environment Signup and view all the answers

How do food chains illustrate energy flow?

By depicting energy transfer from producers to consumers Signup and view all the answers

Which trophic level in a food chain typically consists of herbivores?

Primary consumers Signup and view all the answers

What happens to energy as it moves up a food chain?

It decreases with each trophic level Signup and view all the answers

What describes the primary relationship in commensalism?

One species benefits while the other is unaffected Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'community' refer to in ecology?

A collection of different species interacting in a geographical area Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the cytoplasm within a cell?

To provide a medium for cellular reactions Signup and view all the answers

Why are decomposers essential for an ecosystem?

They recycle nutrients and prevent waste accumulation Signup and view all the answers

What does dependent logistic growth indicate about a population as it nears carrying capacity?

Population growth slows due to limited resources Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is an example of a decomposer?

Bacteria Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of communities in an ecosystem?

They are dynamic and can change over time Signup and view all the answers

Which molecule is primarily found in the cytoplasm?

Water Signup and view all the answers

How do limiting factors affect an organism's population size?

They restrict growth, abundance, or distribution of the organism. Signup and view all the answers

What role do lipids play in an organism's body?

Lipids are essential for energy storage and regulating body functions. Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic defines hydrophilic substances?

They form hydrogen bonds with water. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to cells in a hypertonic solution?

They shrink due to water loss. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes lysosomes?

Lysosomes contain enzymes for breaking down waste materials. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes invasive species?

Non-native species that cause ecological harm. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary composition of lipids?

Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the mitochondrial matrix?

ATP (energy) production. Signup and view all the answers

What defines independent logistic growth in populations?

Population growth levels off due to limited resources. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following types of pollution can disrupt natural patterns of species?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

How does hydrophobic interaction influence protein structure?

It contributes to the formation of protein shapes by avoiding water. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes the extracellular matrix from other types of matrices?

It connects cells together while providing structural support. Signup and view all the answers

What term describes a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area?

Population Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary consequence of immigration in populations?

It increases genetic diversity within a population. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the function of microscopes?

They magnify small objects for detailed observation. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT mentioned as influencing the size of a population?

Predation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a biotic limiting factor?

Ecosystem temperature. Signup and view all the answers

What role do hydrophobic substances play in cell membrane structure?

They create barriers that prevent water passage. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does a hypertonic saline solution have on human health?

It helps treat certain lung diseases by drawing water out. Signup and view all the answers

How might predators influence the evolution of prey species?

By driving adaptations like camouflage or speed Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary consumer?

An organism that feeds directly on producers Signup and view all the answers

In what way do primary consumers contribute to their ecosystems?

They serve as a food source for secondary consumers Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about predators is true?

Predators help maintain ecosystem balance Signup and view all the answers

Which strategy is NOT typically used by predators when hunting?

Exploration Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of producers in an ecosystem?

Convert energy from the environment into carbon bonds Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about prokaryotes is true?

They can survive in extreme environments. Signup and view all the answers

What roles do proteins play in living organisms?

Catalyzing metabolic reactions and DNA replication Signup and view all the answers

Where are ribosomes found in eukaryotic cells?

Cytoplasm and on the endoplasmic reticulum Signup and view all the answers

Secondary consumers primarily obtain energy by consuming which type of organisms?

Primary consumers Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the function of solitude in some species?

It can be necessary for specific behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

How are the structures and functions of proteins determined?

By the sequence of amino acids in their chains Signup and view all the answers

Which organisms are classified as prokaryotes?

Bacteria and archaea Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Biomolecules

Biomolecules are complex organic molecules vital for life, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
These molecules provide structure, energy, and information storage in cells.
Carbohydrates are the main energy source for organisms.
Lipids are important for insulation, protection, and energy storage.
Proteins perform diverse functions, including enzymatic reactions, cell signaling, and structural support.
Nucleic acids store and transmit genetic information and are essential for protein synthesis.

Controlled Variable

A controlled variable, also known as a constant variable, is a factor that remains unchanged throughout an experiment.
It's crucial to control variables to accurately measure the effect of the independent variable.
Examples include temperature, time, and the amount of light.

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable is the factor that changes in response to the independent variable.
It's the outcome being measured in an experiment, reflecting the effect of the independent variable.

Ecology

Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their natural environment, encompassing both abiotic and biotic aspects.
It focuses on energy flow, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and population dynamics.

Food Chain

A food chain illustrates the interdependence of organisms for nutrients, showing how energy and matter flow from producers to consumers.
Each level is a trophic level, starting with producers (usually plants).

Food Web

A food web represents the complex interconnected feeding relationships within an ecosystem.
It displays the flow of energy and nutrients through multiple predator-prey interactions.
Organisms are categorized by trophic levels based on their dietary habits.

Independent Variable

The independent variable is the factor that is purposely changed or manipulated in an experiment.
It is also known as the manipulated variable and is typically plotted on the x-axis of a graph.
By controlling the independent variable, researchers ensure that observed changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation.

Active Transport

Active transport moves molecules across cell membranes against their concentration gradient, requiring energy (typically ATP).
It involves carrier proteins to facilitate the movement of ions or molecules.
Types include primary, using ATP directly, and secondary, using electrochemical gradients.

Aerobic

Aerobic processes require oxygen to generate energy from food fuels.
Aerobic respiration is the most efficient energy production process occurring in the presence of oxygen.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, consisting of an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain (R-group).
They are essential for many cellular functions, either essential or nonessential depending on whether the body produces them.

Anaerobic

Anaerobic processes occur in the absence of oxygen.
Anaerobic metabolism produces energy through processes like fermentation.

ATP

ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is a molecule that stores and transfers energy within cells.
Often referred to as the energy currency of the cell, it provides energy for cellular processes like muscle contraction and nerve impulse propagation.

ATP Synthase

ATP synthase is an enzyme found in the inner mitochondrial membrane that catalyzes the synthesis of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate.

Autotroph

Autotrophs are organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
They are also known as primary producers and form the base of food chains.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, including species, ecosystems, and genetic material.
It is essential for maintaining ecological balance and providing ecosystem services.

Biomass

Biomass refers to the total mass of living organisms in a given area or ecosystem.
It's an indicator of ecosystem health and productivity, often used in assessing environmental impact.

Biome

A biome is a major ecological community characterized by specific climate patterns, vegetation types, and major animal species.

Biosphere

The biosphere encompasses all living organisms and their interactions with the lithosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere on Earth.

Calorie

A calorie is a unit of energy, defined as the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

Calvin Cycle

The Calvin cycle is a metabolic pathway in the stroma of chloroplasts, converting carbon dioxide into glucose using energy from light-dependent reactions.

Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle describes the continuous exchange of carbon atoms between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, and geosphere, through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion.

Carnivore

A carnivore is an animal that primarily eats other animals.
Carnivores have adaptations like sharp teeth and claws for hunting and consuming prey.

Carrying Capacity

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a population that an ecosystem can support sustainably, based on available resources.

Cell Membrane

The cell membrane is a semi-permeable barrier surrounding cells, regulating the passage of molecules and maintaining a stable internal environment.

Cells

Cells are the fundamental units of life, performing various metabolic functions, growth, and reproduction.

Cellular Respiration

Cellular respiration is a process that converts glucose into ATP (energy) in the presence of oxygen.
It involves three stages: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Cell Wall

The cell wall is a rigid outer layer found in plant cells, fungi, and some prokaryotes, providing structural support and protection.

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a pigment found in plants and algae that is crucial for capturing light energy during photosynthesis.

Chloroplasts

Specialized organelles in plant cells, containing chlorophyll, enabling photosynthesis.

Commensalism

Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Community

A community refers to a group of populations of different species interacting in a specific geographical area.

Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is the fluid-like substance filling the cell, excluding the nucleus, supporting cell structure and housing cellular functions.

Decomposer

Decomposers are organisms that break down dead organisms into simpler organic substances, thus recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Dependent Logistic Growth

Dependent logistic growth describes population growth that slows as it approaches carrying capacity due to limited resources.

Detritivore

A detritivore is an organism that feeds on decomposing organic matter, breaking down dead organisms and recycling nutrients.

Diffusion

Diffusion occurs when molecules spread from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration, until equilibrium is reached, a passive transport mechanism.

Ecology Footprint

An ecological footprint quantifies human demand on Earth's ecosystems, considering resource consumption and waste production.

Ecosystem

An ecosystem encompasses interaction of living organisms and their physical environment, demonstrating nutrient cycling and energy flow.

Electron Transport Chain

The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes in the mitochondria involved in the final stage of cellular respiration, where electrons from NADH and FADH2 are transferred to create a proton gradient to produce ATP.

Emigration

Emigration is the movement of individuals out of a population or habitat.

Endocytosis

Endocytosis is a process where cells absorb substances from outside the cell by engulfing them within vesicles, formed from the cell membrane.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of membranes within eukaryotic cells.
Smooth ER is involved in lipid metabolism and detoxification, while rough ER is involved in protein synthesis.

Eukaryotes

Eukaryotic cells contain a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, distinguishing them from prokaryotic cells.

Exocytosis

Exocytosis is the process where materials are expelled from the cell via vesicles fusing with and releasing their contents into the cell membrane.

Exponential Growth

Exponential growth describes a population's increase where the rate of increase is proportional to the current size of the population.

Facilitated Diffusion

Facilitated diffusion is a type of passive transport that uses membrane proteins to move molecules across membranes down their concentration gradients.

Fermentation

Fermentation is an anaerobic metabolic process where organisms produce energy by breaking down organic molecules without the use of oxygen.

Glycolysis

Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that breaks down glucose into pyruvate, releasing a small amount of ATP energy during cellular respiration.

Golgi Apparatus

The Golgi apparatus is an organelle in eukaryotic cells involved in processing, packaging, and modifying proteins and lipids.

Growth Rate

Growth rate represents the rate at which an organism increases in size, number, or mass over a specific period.

Habitat

A habitat is the specific area where an organism lives, encompassing its physical environment and resources.

Habitat Destruction

Habitat destruction involves the alteration or removal of natural habitats, significantly impacting the populations and species living in them.

Herbivore

A herbivore is an organism that primarily consumes plants and other producers.

Heterotroph

Heterotrophs are organisms that cannot produce their own food, relying on consuming other organisms for energy and nutrients.

Homeostasis

Homeostasis refers to the ability of organisms to maintain relatively stable internal conditions despite changes in the external environment.

Hydrophilic

Hydrophilic molecules are attracted to water and tend to dissolve readily in it.

Hydrophobic

Hydrophobic molecules repel water and tend not to dissolve in it.

Hypertonic

A hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration compared to another solution, resulting in water moving out of a cell to equilibrate the solute concentration.

Immigration

Immigration is the movement of individuals or populations into a new geographic area or population.

Independent Logistic Growth

Independent logistic growth describes population growth that levels off as it approaches carrying capacity.

Invasive Species

An invasive species is a non-native organism that is introduced to an ecosystem, causing harm and disrupting the ecological balance.

Isotonic

Isotonic refers to a solution that has the same solute concentration as another solution, leading to no net movement of water across the cell membrane.

Keystone Species

Keystone species significantly influence the structure and function of their ecosystem by their abundance, roles, actions, or relationships.

Krebs Cycle

The Krebs cycle, also called the citric acid cycle, is a metabolic pathway that forms part of cellular respiration, oxidizing acetyl CoA to produce ATP and carbon dioxide.

Light-dependent Reactions

Light-dependent reactions are the first stage of photosynthesis using light energy to produce ATP and NADPH, crucial for the next stage of photosynthesis.

Light-independent Reactions

The light-independent reactions, or Calvin cycle, is the stage of photosynthesis that involves the use of ATP and NADPH from light reactions to convert carbon dioxide into glucose.

Limiting Factor

A limiting factor is an environmental constraint that restricts the growth, abundance, or distribution of organisms or populations within an ecosystem.

Lipids

Lipids are a diverse group of organic compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble in non-polar solvents, playing a vital role in energy storage, insulation, and structural components of cells.

Lysosome

Lysosomes are organelles in eukaryotic cells containing enzymes that break down waste materials and cellular debris.

Matrix

The matrix is a complex substance where cells, tissues, or organs reside and offering structural support.

Microscopes

Microscopes are scientific instruments used to magnify small objects allowing detailed observation.

Mitochondria

Mitochondria are organelles in eukaryotic cells that produce ATP (energy) through cellular respiration.

Mutualism

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

NADH

NADH is a key coenzyme involved in cellular respiration, transferring electrons and contributing to ATP production by the electron transport chain.

NADP+

NADP+ is a coenzyme involved in anabolic reactions, often in photosynthesis.

Niche

A niche is the role or function of an organism within its ecological community, accounting for its interactions and adaptations.

Nucleus

The nucleus is the central organelle in eukaryotic cells, containing the cell's genetic material (DNA), controlling cellular activities.

Omnivore

Omnivores are organisms that consume both plants and animals for their dietary needs.

Organism

An organism is a complex entity with interdependent systems performing life functions.

Osmosis

Osmosis is a passive transport process that facilitates the movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration.

Overexploitation

Overexploitation occurs when the use of a natural resource or species is excessive, often resulting in drastically reduced populations or extinction.

Parasitism

Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the host organism.

Passive Transport

Passive transport involves movement of substances across membranes without using cellular energy, driven by concentration gradients.

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process plants use to convert light energy into chemical energy, producing glucose from carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen.

Photosystem

Photosystems are protein complexes in chloroplasts crucial for capturing light energy and converting it into chemical energy using chlorophyll, during photosynthesis.

Pigment

Pigments are molecules that absorb specific wavelengths of light and reflect others, contributing to organism color and impacting processes like photosynthesis.

Pollution

Pollution refers to the introduction of harmful substances into the environment, negatively impacting organisms and ecosystems.

Population

A population is a collective of individuals of the same species living in a defined geographic area.

Predator

A predator is an organism that hunts, kills, and consumes other organisms for sustenance.

Prey

Prey is an organism that is hunted and consumed by predators.

Primary Consumer

A primary consumer is an organism that eats producers (plants or algae).

Producer

A producer is an organism that can produce its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Prokaryotes

Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms that do not have a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles.

Proteins

Proteins are complex molecules composed of chains of amino acids, crucial for various functions in living organisms.

Ribosomes

Ribosomes are organelles responsible for protein synthesis within cells, either prokaryotic or eukaryotic.

Secondary Consumer

A secondary consumer consumes primary consumers (herbivores or other producers).

Solitude

Solitude is the state of being alone or isolated, often having both positive and negative effects on living organisms.

Solute

A solute is a substance that is dissolved in a solvent to form a solution.

Solvent

A solvent is a substance in which a solute dissolves, creating a solution.

Stroma

The stroma is the fluid-filled space surrounding the thylakoid membranes within chloroplasts in plant cells. It contains enzymes essential for light-independent reactions of photosynthesis

Symbiosis

Symbiosis refers to interactions between organisms of different species, often involving close associations, including mutualistic, commensalistic, and parasitic relationships.

Tertiary Consumer

Tertiary consumers primarily eat secondary consumers in a food chain/food web.

Thylakoid

Thylakoids are membrane-bound compartments inside chloroplasts where light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis occur.

Trophic Level

A trophic level specifies an organism's position within a food chain or ecosystem, reflecting the transfer of energy through feeding relationships.

Vacuole

A vacuole is a membrane-bound sac in plant and animal cells, playing roles in storing materials, controlling turgor pressure (in plants), and aiding in cellular processes.

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Description

This quiz explores fundamental concepts in biology, focusing on carbohydrates, enzymatic reactions, and ecological relationships. It covers the roles of various biomolecules and the dynamics of ecosystems. Test your understanding of food chains, trophic levels, and population dynamics.