Biology Semester 1 Assignment

Student Name: Adriana Nadal

Student ID: JM2308927

1. How the student applied the scientific method:

• Observation: Feeling sleepy after lunch.

• Question: How can she stay more alert in her mid-afternoon class?
• Hypothesis: Physical activity or water consumption might help.
• Experiment: Tried jumping jacks and sipping water.
• Observation (Experiment 1): Jumping jacks didn't work.
• Observation (Experiment 2): Water helped her stay alert and attentive.
• Conclusion: Bringing a water bottle to class helps her stay attentive and alert.

2. More accurate way to describe electron orbitals:

• It would be more accurate to characterize electron orbitals as areas with a high likelihood of discovering an
electron. This probability distribution is represented by the quantum mechanical model or the electron cloud
model.

3. Covalent bonds vs. Ionic bonds:

• Covalent bonds: Formed by sharing electrons, typically occurs between nonmetals.

• Ionic bonds: Formed by transferring electrons, typically occurs between a metal and a nonmetal.

4. Water cycle stages:

• Evaporation: Water turns into vapor.

• Condensation: Vapor forms clouds.
• Precipitation: Water falls as rain, snow, etc.
• Runoff/Infiltration: Water returns to oceans or infiltrates into the ground.

5. Symbiotic relationship of Toxoplasma with cats:

• * Mutualism, whereby the cat is not seriously damaged while Toxoplasma gains from the cat's reproduction.

6. Ribosomes in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells:

• Prokaryotic cells: Smaller ribosomes; free in cytoplasm.

• Eukaryotic cells: Larger ribosomes; free in cytoplasm or bound to endoplasmic reticulum.

7. Structure of the plasma membrane:

• Facing the environment: Phospholipid heads.

• Facing the cell: Phospholipid tails.
• Inside the membrane: Proteins, cholesterol.

8. Aerobic vs. Anaerobic respiration:

• Aerobic: Requires oxygen, more ATP produced. Final electron acceptor: Oxygen.
• Anaerobic: Doesn't require oxygen, less ATP produced. Final electron acceptor: Various, not oxygen.

9. Meiosis vs. Mitosis:

 • Meiosis: 4 daughter cells, haploid, for gamete formation.
• Mitosis: 2 daughter cells, diploid, for growth and repair.

10. Importance of cell cycle regulators:

• Regulate cell division, prevent uncontrolled growth. If unregulated, can lead to cancer or other disorders.

11. Punnett square for sickle cell anemia:

• XD (normal allele), Xd (sickle cell allele).

• • XD • Xd
• Xd • No disease • Carrier
• XD • No disease • No disease

12. Hershey-Chase experiment:

• Used radioactive sulfur (in protein) and phosphorus (in DNA) to show that DNA, not protein, is the carrier of
genetic information.

13. Three main types of RNA:

• mRNA (messenger RNA): Carries genetic information.

• tRNA (transfer RNA): Carries amino acids to the ribosome.
• rRNA (ribosomal RNA): Forms part of the ribosome.

14. Frameshift vs. Single nucleotide substitution mutation:

• Frameshift: Insertion or deletion of nucleotides, alters the reading frame.

• Single nucleotide substitution: Replacement of one nucleotide, may or may not change the amino acid.

15. Muscular dystrophy Punnett square:

• XD (normal allele), Xd (muscular dystrophy allele).

• • XD • Xd
• Xd • Disease • Carrier
• XD • No disease • No disease