Class Assignment 1 (Tugas Terstruktur I)

Principles of Biology I (Biologi Dasar I) 2015/2016

(Oral presentation and paper due: Lecture 7)
Topic 1: Cellular Respiration
Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is sold as a nutritional supplement.One company uses this marketing slogan
for CoQ: Give your heart the fuel it craves most. Considering the role of coenzyme Q, how do
you think This product might function as a nutritional supplement to benefit the heart? Is CoQ
used as a fuel during cellular respiration?

Topic 2: Photosynthesis
The photo below shows watermelon snow in Antarctica, caused by a species of
photosynthetic green algae That thrives in subzero temperatures (Chlamydomonas nivalis).
These algae are also found in high altitude year-round snowfields. In both locations, UV light
levels tend to be high. Based on what you learned in this chapter, propose an explanation for
why this photosynthetic alga appears reddish-pink.

Topic 3: The Cell Cycle

Shown by the graph below are two HeLa cancer cells that are just completing cytokinesis.
Explain how the cell division of cancer cells like these is misregulated. What genetic and other
changes might have caused these cells to escape normal cell cycle regulation?

Topic 4: Meiosis
The Cavendish banana is the most popular fruit in the world, but is currently threatened by
extinction due to a fungal agent (see the photo). This banana variety is triploid (3n, with three
sets of chromosomes) and can only reproduce through cloning by cultivators. Given what you
know about meiosis, explain how the bananas triploid number accounts for its seedless
condition. Considering genetic diversity, discuss how the absence of sexual reproduction might
contribute to the vulnerability of this domesticated species to infectious agents.

Topic 5: Mendel and The Gene idea

Just for fun, imagine that shirt-striping is a phenotypic character caused by a single gene.
Make up a genetic explanation for the appearance of the family in the above photograph,
consistent with their shirt phenotypes. Include in your answer the presumed allele
combinations for shirt-striping in each family member. What is the inheritance pattern shown
by the child?