Biology 204

Principles of Biology I

Assignment 1B

For students with first names starting with the

letters H to N.

This assignment is graded out of 110 points, and is

worth 10% of your final mark. Please submit this
assignment after you have completed Chapter 7 and
before you write the midterm exam.

A. Definition/Comparison Questions

Instructions: In your own words, define the pairs

of terms given below. Write in complete sentences,
stating the differences and relationships between
the two terms, and give specific examples where
appropriate.
A complete answer usually requires four to eight
sentences.

Each question is worth four marks, for a total of 40

marks.

1. bioluminescence / fluorescence

 bioluminescence is cold light, created in cells by

excited electrons; ATP is used to provide the
energy

Principles of Biology I 1
  does not require incoming light;

 various animals, bacteria, fungi are capable of

producing bioluminescence, e.g. fireflies; used
for mating purposes

 fluorescence requires a pigment such as

chlorophyll to first accept photons causing
electrons to move to an excited stage

 when the electron moves back to the ground

state, light is emitted as fluorescence

 fluorescent light is of a longer wavelength than

incoming light, as some of the energy is lost

2. endoplasmic reticulum (ER) / Golgi complex

 Both are parts of the endomembrane system in

eukaryote cells and connect to each other

 ER = endoplasmic reticulum, system of

interconnected channels

 rough ER with surface covered by ribosomes,

involved in protein synthesis

 smooth ER without ribosomes, lipid synthesis

 can pinch off vesicles to transport substances

 Golgi complex = stacked membranous sacks,

may receive material, example: proteins from ER

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  may also release vesicles to other parts of the
cell

3. microtubule / microfilament

 Both part of the cytoskeleton

 microtubules are thicker; hollow tubes made up

of tubulin subunits

 involved in cell movements; crucial for

movement of flagella

 microfilaments are thinner, made up of actin

units, not hollow

 responsible for amoeboid motion, cytoplasmic

streaming; also crucial component of muscle
cells

4. enthalpy / free energy

 Enthalpy is the potential energy of a system.

 Reactions are spontaneous if the enthalpy of the

products is less than that of the reactants;

 in exothermic reactions the products have less

potential energy than the reactants

 in endothermic reactions the products have more

potential energy than the reactants

Principles of Biology I 3
  free energy is the amount of energy that can be
used for work in the cell;

 spontaneous reactions are those that involve the

loss of free energy

 exergonic reactions involve a loss of free energy

 endergonic reactions increase the free energy of

a system

 ΔG =ΔH - TΔS

5. active site / allosteric site

 both refer to locations on the surface of an

enzyme

 the active site is the location where the substrate

binds to the enzyme

 lock-key pattern; very specific, binds only a

particular substrate

 allosteric site is at a different location, does not

bind substrate, but provides opportunity for
enzyme regulation

 inhibiting or inducing molecule binds to

allosteric site resulting in conformational change
of the enzyme

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  changed shape makes it impossible to bind to
substrate; process is reversible

6. first law of thermodynamics / second law of

thermodynamics

 1st Law: energy can neither be created nor

destroyed, only transformed from one state to
another

 2nd Law: whenever energy is transformed from

one state to another, there is a loss of energy that
cannot be used to do work; this results in an
increase in disorder called entropy;

 organisms use energy all the time to minimize

entropy

7. antiport / symport

 Active transport of substances (requiring energy

as ATP) across cells can be primary or secondary

 In secondary active transport the transporting

protein first creates a gradient of an ion using
ATP; that gradient provides the energy to drive
the transport of another molecule;

 antiport and symport are the two mechanisms of

secondary active transport

Principles of Biology I 5
  symport, cotransport: the molecule to be moved
moves in the same direction with the driving ion
through the channel protein

 antiport, exchange diffusion: the molecule to be

moved moves in the opposite direction to the
driving ion through the channel protein

 examples glucose for symport, ion exchange for

antiport

8. exocytosis / pinocytosis

 both are ways to transport large amounts of

substances into or out of the cell using
membrane bound vesicles that either merge with
the cell membrane or originate/fold out from the
membrane

 pinocytosis (cell drinking) is a special case of

endocytosis, which is the opposite of exocytosis;
in the latter substances move out of the cell; in
endocytosis they move into the cell from the
outside

 membrane folds into cell and "drinks” a liquid

from outside the cell, separates it from cell and
forms a vesicle that moves inside the cell

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  exocytosis opposite, but can be liquid or solid
particle in vesicle

 both require energy

9. NADH / NADPH

 nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide / nicotinamide

adenine dinucleotide phosphate

 coenzymes in the cell that play a crucial role as

reduction equivalents, involved in most cellular
pathways notably aerobic respiration and
photosynthesis

 donate electrons and hydrogen turning into

NAD/NADP that can oxidize and "recharge"

 indirectly also a source of energy (ATP) when

they are involved in the processes in the ETC

 NADP mainly in anabolic, NADH in catabolic

pathways

10. aerobic respiration / photorespiration

 Respiration in all aerobic organisms;

photorespiration only in plants, especially C3
plants

 Respiration in mitochondria, PR in plastids

Principles of Biology I 7
  Respiration produces high amount of energy
(ATP and NADH), photorespiration produces no
energy;

 four main stages of respiration, glycolysis,

pyruvate oxidation, citric acid cycle, ETC

 both produce CO2 and use O2

 respiration crucial to meet energy needs of

aerobes, photorespiration undesirable, due to
rubisco property as an oxidase under high O
concentration; sidetracks from Calvin cycle;
wastes CO2

 some plants evolved C4 and CAM metabolism

where CO2 is fixed first as a C4 acid; adaptation
to avoid photorespiration

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 A. Short Answer/Short Essay Questions

Instructions: Answer each of the questions given

below in your own words. Write in complete
sentences where appropriate. A complete answer
usually requires one to two sentences per mark, so a
three-mark question would be answered in three to
six sentences. This section is worth a total of 40
marks.

(2 marks) 1. What is a circadian rhythm?

 internal biological clock of animals

 each turn lasts about 24 hours

 environment has a modifying effect

 controlled by the brain

(2 marks) 2. What is a ribozyme?

 RNA molecules that can act as catalysts

 they catalyze reactions to create more RNA

 discovery gave rise to RNA world hypothesis

(3 marks) 3. Define adiabatic cooling.

 as warm moist air masses expand their
temperature drops without the loss of heat
energy

 causes torrential rainfall in the tropics

Principles of Biology I 9
 (5 marks) 4. Explain what it means when a reaction has a
positive ΔG.
 G is the free energy

 positive free energy means the products have

more free energy than the reactants

 these are called endergonic reactions

 therefore these reactions cannot happen

spontaneously, but need free energy from
another reaction (e.g. from the hydrolysis of
ATP) to proceed; that second coupled
exergonic reaction needs to have a higher
negative ΔG than the positive ΔG of the first
reaction

(2 marks) 5. What are gated channels?

Most channel proteins that serve in facilitated
diffusion are gated, with a closing mechanisms that
allows for regulation of the solute/ion flow; this may
depend on membrane voltage.

(4 marks) 6. Explain what exchange diffusion means, and

give an example.
 Refers to active (energy requiring) secondary
transport

 secondary transport means that the solute to be

transported is moved by an ion gradient that is first

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 established by a primary pump using ATP

 two types of secondary active transport, symport and

antiport = exchange diffusion

 the latter means the moving of a solute/ion in

opposite direction to the driving ion

example chloride/hydro carbonate in red blood cells

(9 marks) 7. Compare mitochondria and chloroplasts. Include

both structure and function in your answer.
 Structure: both double membrane;

 cristae versus thylakoids; matrix vs stroma; grana in

plastids; chlorophyll in chloroplasts;

 both contain DNA

 Function: mitochondria sites of most phases of

aerobic respiration (not glycolysis); power plants of
cells;

 thylakoid membrane site of light reactions of PS;

stroma Calvin cycle; chemiosmosis in thylakoid
membrane/inner mitochondrial membrane; glucose
production in chloroplasts;

 ATP (energy) production in mitochondria;

 both endosymbionts that lost their ability to live

independently

Principles of Biology I 11
 (5 marks) 8. The electron transport chain of aerobic
respiration leads to oxidative phosphorylation of
ATP. What is an alternative way to synthesize ATP?
Give an example of a specific reaction that uses this
alternative way.

 an alternative way to synthesize ATP is substrate

level phosphorylation. Here ATP is produced by the
direct transfer and donation of a phosphoryl group to
ADP from a phosphorylated reactive intermediate.

 substrate level phosphorylation occurs in the

cytoplasm of cells as part of glycolysis and in
mitochondria as part of the Krebs cycle.

 example may include the step where 1,3-

bisphosphoglycerate are converted to 3-
phosphoglycerate by transferring a phosphate group
to ADP by a kinase and ATP is produced.

(8 marks) 9. Chemiosmosis is a process that occurs both in

aerobic respiration and photosynthesis. Explain
similarities and differences in chemiosmosis
between the two pathways.
 both produce ATP using ATP synthase

 both use energy from the energy rich electrons to pump

protons:

 in the case of photosynthesis into thylakoid lumen of

chloroplasts, into intermembrane space in mitochondria

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  in both cases a proton gradient (proton motive force)
results that drives protons along their gradient to
synthesize ATP

 ATP synthase location inner mitochondrial membrane vs

thylakoid membrane

 electrons originate from P680 vs NADH/H+ produced

during 1st 3 stages of aerobic respiration

 mitochondria make ATP available for the cell, plastids

use it for glucose synthesis

Principles of Biology I 13
 B. Multiple Choice Questions

Instructions: Select the single best answer to each

of the questions given below. Each question is
worth one mark, for a total of 30 marks.

1. Organisms likely use visible light because

a. a large proportion of the electromagnetic
radiation on Earth is light.
b. radiation with a higher energy than light
might damage biological molecules more
easily.
c. radiation with a lower energy content than
light might not have enough energy to excite
electrons.
d. radiation with longer wavelengths than light
are absorbed by water and carbon dioxide.
e. all of the above

11. Which of the following statements is NOT

correct?
a. DNA can be damaged by ultraviolet radiation.
b. The pigment melanin protects plants from
excessive damage to their photosynthetic
apparatus.
c. Shorter wavelengths of radiation are more
harmful to organisms than longer
wavelengths.

14 Biology 204
 d. Human skin cells can be harmed by ultraviolet
radiation.
e. Visible light contains less energy than
ultraviolet radiation.

12. Photoheterotrophs
a. use light as an energy source.
b. are found in protists.
c. use carbon dioxide as a carbon source.
d. are found in certain groups of plants.
e. are NOT found in prokaryotes.

13. Chemoautotrophs
a. use organic or inorganic substances as an
energy source.
b. are found in protists.
c. use organic substances as a carbon source.
d. are found in certain groups of plants.
e. are not found in prokaryotes.

Principles of Biology I 15
 14. Under what conditions may adaptive radiation
occur?
a. when islands are colonized
b. after the demise of a successful group of
organisms
c. after the emergence of new physiological
pathways
d. when organisms move into new adaptive
zones
e. all of the above

15. Climbing plants in tropical forests have a

competitive advantage over trees because
a. they grow relatively slowly.
b. they have a high amount of supporting
structure.
c. they have a low amount of leaf biomass.
d. they receive a good amount of sunlight
e. they are usually parasites supported by trees.

16. Which of the following groups of organisms are

decomposers?
a. animals
b. fungi
c. plants
d. algae

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 e. all of the above

17. Which of the following items is NOT associated

with monsoons?
a. rain shadow
b. reversal of wind direction
c. adiabatic cooling
d. high precipitation
e. low air pressure

18. Which of the following is NOT true about ocean

currents?
a. They move clockwise in the northern
hemisphere.
b. They move counter-clockwise in the southern
hemisphere.
c. They are partly caused by trade winds and
westerlies.
d. They mix water thoroughly, resulting in a
uniform water temperature at similar latitudes.
e. They are influenced by the Earth’s rotation.

Principles of Biology I 17
 19. Some sea slugs are able to perform
photosynthesis. They do this by
a. producing their own chlorophyll.
b. eating algal cells and moving the cells to the
endodermis.
c. having a mutualistic association with algae.
d. having algal chloroplasts in their endodermis.
e. all of the above.

20. The total potential energy in a system is called

a. entropy.
b. free energy.
c. enthalpy.
d. exothermic.
e. endothermic.

21. Under which condition will a reaction be

spontaneous?
a. when ΔG is positive
b. when ΔH is negative
c. when the product(s) will have more free
energy than the reactant(s)
d. when ΔS is negative
e. none of the above

18 Biology 204
 22. The binding of a substrate to an enzyme causes a
change in the enzyme’s shape. This shape
change is known as
a. allosteric inhibition.
b. activation.
c. reversible inhibition.
d. induced fit.
e. denaturation.

23. The part of an enzyme that interacts with its

substrate(s) is called
a. an allosteric site.
b. an induced-fit.
c. a reaction site.
d. an active site.
e. a cofactor.

Principles of Biology I 19
 Use the following figure to answer the next
question.

24. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

a. The figure represents a spontaneous reaction.
b. The reactants have more free energy than the
products.
c. The products have more free energy than the
reactants.
d. The figure represents an exergonic reaction.
e. ΔG is negative.

25. Which of the following substances is most

difficult to move across a membrane?
a. Na+
b. O2
c. H2O
d. glycerol
e. CO2

20 Biology 204
 26. Receptor mediated endocytosis
a. moves liquids out of the cell.
b. moves unspecified substances into the cell by
forming a pocket in the plasma membrane.
c. is very specific.
d. involves a proton pump.

Principles of Biology I 21
 27. Which of the following does NOT apply to
electrochemical gradients?
a. There is a difference in the concentration of
ions between the two sides of the membrane.
b. There is a difference in the electrical charge
between the two sides of the membrane.
c. There is a difference in the electrical charge
but not in the concentration of ions between
the two sides of the membrane.
d. The energy of the gradient can be used for a
number of purposes.
e. Nerve impulses are based on electrochemical
gradients.

28. Which of the following is NOT true of symport?

a. Two substances move in opposite directions.
b. Two substances move in the same direction.
c. The diffusion of one substance provides the
energy for the transport of a second one.
d. Ions are usually involved.
e. Amino acids are one type of substance
involved.

29. A cell needs ________ to obtain unsaturated

fatty acids from saturated fatty acids.
a. glycoproteins
b. glycerol

22 Biology 204
 c. cholesterol
d. phospholipids
e. desaturases

30. The role of the oxygen molecules required for

aerobic respiration is to
a. accept electrons directly from either NADH or
FADH2.
b. accept the low energy electrons at the end of
the electron transport chain.
c. form ATP.
d. to produce CO2.
e. store high energy electrons to pass to complex
I of the electron transport chain.

Principles of Biology I 23
 31. During chemiosmosis, ________ are transferred
from NADH and FADH2 to electron acceptor
molecules, and the energy released is used to
create a(n) ________ gradient across the inner
mitochondrial membrane.
a. ATP molecules; ADP molecule
b. water molecules; oxygen
c. protons; electron
d. ADP molecules; ATP molecule
e. electrons; proton

32. Which of the following terms would you

associate with lactate fermentation?
a. NADPH
b. glycolysis
c. ethanol
d. citric acid cycle
e. electron transport chain

33. During the citric acid cycle, each acetyl group

entering the cycle yields
a. four ATP, two NADH, and one FADH2.
b. one ATP, two NADH, and four FADH2.
c. three ATP, two NADH, and one FADH2.
d. one ATP, three NADH, and one FADH2.
e. one ATP, two NADH, and three FADH2.

24 Biology 204
 34. Which of the following statements concerning
decarboxylation reactions is FALSE?
a. They are one type of general reaction that
occurs during aerobic respiration.
b. They involve the removal of two protons and
two electrons.
c. They occur as part of the citric acid cycle.
d. They produce CO2 that is then exhaled via
breathing.
e. They involve the removal of a carboxyl group
(-COOH) from a substrate.

Principles of Biology I 25
 35. The genes coding for rubisco are found
a. both in the nuclear DNA and in the
chloroplast DNA.
b. both in the nuclear DNA and the
mitochondrial DNA.
c. only in the nuclear DNA.
d. only in the chloroplast DNA.
e. only in the mitochondrial DNA.

36. How (exactly) is water split and oxygen released

during photosynthesis?
a. An energy-rich photon directly provides the
energy to split water.
b. An enzyme in photosystem I uses the energy
of a photon to split water.
c. The oxidized form of P680 splits water.
d. A proton pump provides the energy to split
water in the thylakoid lumen.
e. ATP originating from the Calvin cycle splits
water.

37. Which of the following reactions occur(s) during

the Calvin cycle?
a. photolysis of water
b. synthesis of NADPH
c. synthesis of ATP
d. synthesis of sugars

26 Biology 204
 e. all of the above

38. Reaction centre complexes of the light-

dependent reactions contain ________ and
________, which receive energy from ________.
a. chlorophyll; antenna complexes; carotenoids
b. accessory pigments; chlorophyll; antenna
complexes
c. carotenoids; proteins; chlorophyll
d. proteins; antenna complexes; carotenoids
e. chlorophyll; proteins; antenna complexes

39. In photosynthesis, how many molecules of

carbon dioxide, ATP, and NADPH are needed to
form two molecules of glucose?
a. 12, 36, and 24
b. 6, 18, and 12
c. 24, 18, and 24
d. 26, 18, and 24
e. 3, 9, and 6

— End of Assignment 1B —

Principles of Biology I 27