Biology: Eukaryotic Organisms Overview

Biology Study Notes

• Movement: Changing position or location.
• Respiration: Releasing energy from food.
• Sensitivity: Responding to the environment.
• Growth: Increasing in size.
• Reproduction: Producing offspring.
• Excretion: Removing waste.
• Nutrition: Obtaining nutrients for growth and energy.

Eukaryotic Organisms

• Multicellular: Composed of many cells
• Contain a nucleus: A central structure housing genetic material (DNA).

Plants

• Multicellular: Contain many cells.
• Chloroplasts: Contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
• Cellulose cell walls: Provide structural support.
• Store carbohydrates: Primarily as starch.

Animals

• Multicellular: Composed of many cells.
• No chloroplasts: Cannot perform photosynthesis.
• No cell walls: Lack structural support from cell walls.
• Store carbohydrates: Primarily as glycogen.

Fungi

• Multicellular: Composed of many cells.
• Cannot photosynthesize: Cannot produce their own food.
• Cell walls: Made of chitin, not cellulose.
• Store carbohydrates: Primarily as glycogen.

Protoctists

• Single-celled: Composed of a single cell.
• Some photosynthesis: Some species are photosynthetic.
• No cell walls (some have): Depending on the species.
• Store carbohydrates: Variety depending on the species.

Prokaryotic Organisms

• Microscopic: Extremely small.
• Single-celled: Composed of one cell.
• Cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, and plasmid: Typical components of prokaryotic cells
• Lack a nucleus: DNA is not enclosed within a membrane-bound nucleus.
• Circular DNA: DNA is in a loop, not linear structures.
• Feed off living or dead matter: Can be heterotrophic.

Organelles

• Organelles: Cellular compartments with specific functions.
• Cells: Basic unit of life.
• Tissues: Groups of similar cells.
• Organs: Groups of tissues working together.
• Organ systems: Groups of organs working together.

Importance of Cell Differentiation

• Enables tissues and organs to perform specific functions.
• Crucial for complex tasks in multicellular organisms.

Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Proteins

• Carbohydrates: Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Forms like starch and glycogen store glucose.
• Lipids: Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Forms like fats and oils store energy.
• Proteins: Composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen. Essential for a variety of functions in living organisms.

Enzymes

• Biological Catalysts: Speed up chemical reactions without being consumed.
• Substrate-Specific: Specific to the substrate they act upon.
• Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity: Temperature, pH, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, and environmental conditions.

Catalysts

• Speed up chemical reactions without being used up.

Respiration

• Aerobic Respiration: Uses oxygen to produce energy (ATP).
• Anaerobic Respiration: Does not use oxygen, yielding less energy.

Photosynthesis

• Converting light energy to chemical energy (glucose).
• Requires carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight.
• Releases oxygen as a byproduct.
• Factors affecting rate include CO2 concentration, light intensity, and temperature.

Transpiration

• Evaporation of water from plant leaves, primarily through stomata.

Cell Structure

• List of cell types and their respective components.

Adaptations for Photosynthesis

• Adaptations in plants include large surface area, thinner tissues, and concentrated chloroplasts in cells near a light source.

Mineral Requirements for Plants

• Elements like magnesium, nitrates, and phosphates are essential for plant growth and various metabolic processes.

Experimental Design and Variables

• Explain how organisms vary and how to control variables to make reliable measurements for experiments. Include independent variable, dependent variable and control variables.

Cell Structures and Function

• Key components: list of cell types and their respective components

Hypotonic, Hypertonic, and Isotonic Solutions

• Different solution concentrations in relation to cells.

Digestive Enzymes

• Summarize the different enzymes, their substrates, sources, and functions.