Study Guide
General Biology 102

FINAL EXAM

DATE:             Monday, May 1, 2006;  3-5 PM;  LSB Rm. G-15

COVERS:        All lecture notes, handouts and readings from this semester. 
There will be 25 cumulative (review) questions from the entire semester, and 50 questions on new material covered during the last 3 weeks (after Exam #3).

This list is only a study guide, not a complete list of all the material on the test. 

Office hours:    (Dead Week)   Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 2:30-4:00 PM, Rm. 3324A

(Finals Week)  Monday 10-12 AM, 1-2 PM

 

REVIEW MATERIAL:  25 QUESTIONS ON TEST (2 points each)

Domains and Kingdoms

1.      Review the three “domains” of living things (Eukarya, Bacteria, Archaea), and what makes them different. 

2.      Review the four “kingdoms” of eukaryotes (Plants, Animals, Fungi, and Protists), and what makes them different.  Focus on cell structure and modes of nutrition (how do they get food or energy)?  Focus on the three kingdoms that we studied in class.

Cells & Cell Structure

3.      What are the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes?  Are multi-celled organisms eukaryotes, prokaryotes, or both?

4.      What is an organelle, in general, and what general purpose(s) do organelles serve?  (Remember the one-room-school analogy from class, or the refrigerator analogy—whichever you prefer.)

5.      Know the organelles we have studied in detail:  mitochondria (why is the inner membrane so folded up, and why is that useful? what occurs in the matrix vs. the inner membrane?), chloroplasts (what happens in the stroma space vs. the thylakoid membranes?).

6.      Review cell surface structures: cilia, microvilli.  These are involved in organ function later.

7.      Know the four “molecules of life” (proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids), and their general functions in a living organism. 

Metabolism, Enzymes, and Energy

8.      What is metabolism?  How are metabolism, anabolism, and catabolism related?  Define them. How do these relate to energy and ATP?  What do they do to molecules—make them or break them?

9.      The “metabolic pathways” we studied in class were photosynthesis and respiration.  Which one is an example of anabolism vs. catabolism?  Why?

10.   Write out an equation for ATP breakdown, and one for ATP synthesis.  How is energy involved? 

11.   What is an enzyme, and what does it do?  What properties are typical of enzymes? 

12.   Electrons lose energy as they pass through electron transport chains—where does the energy go?  We encountered electron transport chains in both photosynthesis and respiration—how did they “store” energy and how was it used later?  (Hint:  review ATP synthase.)

Glycolysis, Cellular Respiration, and Fermentation

13.   Overall, what do glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and electron transport do?  (Know starting materials and products, but don’t worry about precise numbers.)  Explain very briefly how energy stored in glucose is converted into energy stored in ATP.  Where are oxygen, carbon dioxide, glucose, water, and ATP involved, and how do they relate to each other?

14.   Can cellular respiration use foods other than glucose to make ATP?  Which ones?

15.   When is fermentation used instead of cellular respiration?  How does this apply to humans?

16.   What is ATP synthase do?  Compare its location and function in cellular respiration vs. photosynthesis.

17.   How are oxygen and carbon dioxide related to the function of the mitochondria?  Why do we REALLY need to breathe?  (Hint:  where does CO2 come from?  Where is O2 used?)

Viruses

18.   Describe the general structure of a virus, including protein, nucleic acids, and lipids as appropriate. 

19.   How do viruses use their host cells?  Why do they need host cells?

20.   Why are viruses hard to “cure” with drugs, unlike bacteria? 

21.   What is a prion?  What famous disease is caused by prions?  How is a prion disease different from a virus?

Prokaryotes:  Archaea and Bacteria

22.   What 3 general shapes are seen in bacteria?  What names are given to them?  What shape would you expect to see in a bacterium named “Streptococcus”?

23.   How do antibiotics work?  Describe where you would find them in nature, and what their role is.  (Example:  a fungus produces penicillin—how does this benefit the fungus?)

Fungi

24.   How do fungi get their food?  Compare this to plants and animals.  What’s a mycelium?  (Your answer should include its purpose as well as its structure.)

25.   What are dikaryotic cells?  These are unique to fungi.  Briefly describe how fungi reproduce.

26.   Describe how fungi and plants interact through mycorrhizae.  Are these beneficial or harmful interactions?

Plant Groups and Life Cycles

27.   Review the 4 major groups of plants: mosses (bryophytes), seedless vascular (ferns), gymnosperms (pines), angiosperms (flowering plants).  What anatomical features make each of these groups unique?  Give an example of each type.

28.   How is plant reproduction different from human reproduction?  Compare our reproduction (involving sperm and eggs) to plant reproduction (involving alternation of generations, spores, and eggs and sperm)  Briefly describe the life cycle of any plant, in general.  (Use the sheet from class.)

29.   Where do you find the male and female gametes (sperm and egg) in a flowering plant?

30.   What is a seed, and what two main things does it contain?  HINT:  A germinating seed uses a lot of energy… but it can’t do photosynthesis yet.  Where does the energy come from.

Plant Tissues

31.   Review the types of tissues in plants:  vascular tissue (xylem and phloem), ground tissue, epidermal tissue.

32.   Compare xylem and phloem:  what is transported?  What direction? Are cells alive or dead?

33.   What is transpiration, and why is it important?

34.   Know what meristems are, and why they are important.  How does a tree grow taller vs. wider?

35.   Explain why trees have “rings” for each year of growth.  What kind of tissue is this (xylem or phloem)?  Related question:  Why can a tree live for years with a rotten core, but die quickly from a shallow cut from a weed-eater?

Photosynthesis:  Light(-dependent) Reactions and (Light-independent) Calvin Cycle

36.   Review the two parts of photosynthesis:  light-dependent reactions and Calvin Cycle (light-independent reactions).  Where in the chloroplast do they occur?  Know the starting materials and products of both processes, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, sugar, ATP, water, NADPH.  Which one provides energy, and which one uses it? 

37.   Why is oxygen produced by photosynthesis?  (Where does the oxygen come from?)

38.   Plants carry out respiration as well as photosynthesis.  Why do they need respiration, and where does it occur?

Animal Kingdom

39.   Know the 9 “phyla” of animals discussed in class and in your book.  Be able to classify these examples: lobsters, butterflies, ants, starfish, jellyfish, human beings, fish, earthworms.

40.   Do all animals have tissues?  What IS a tissue?

Tissues, Organ Systems, and Homeostasis

41.   Define tissue, organ, and organ system.

42.   Know the 4 types of tissues, what they look like, and how/where they are used in the body.

43.   What is homeostasis?  Review the definition in your textbook.

44.   Compare negative-feedback regulation and positive-feedback regulation.  (We might also have called these “negative/positive control systems” in class.)

Endocrine System

45.   Review the locations of the endocrine glands:  hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, testes/ovaries, and pancreas.  Which ones control calcium balance?  What about glucose levels?

46.   How are hormone signals carried to their “target” cells?  (Hint: how are these signals different from nervous system signals?)

Nervous System

47.   Review the structure of a neuron.

48.   What’s the difference between an action potential and a neurotransmitter?  Which one is used within a neuron, vs. at a synapse between two cells?  When a drug affects your nervous system, which signal does it usually interfere with?

49.   Compare the speed of nerve signals vs. endocrine signals.

50.   What is myelin, and what effect does it have on nerve signals?

51.   How do reflexes occur?

52.   What are the roles of your sympathetic vs. parasympathetic nervous systems?

 

NEW MATERIAL:  50 QUESTIONS ON TEST (2 points each)

Circulatory System

53.   Describe the sizes and locations of venules, veins, arteries, arterioles, and capillaries.  What tissues are used to construct arteries vs. capillaries, and why?

54.   Which types of blood vessels are leaky, and how does this support their function?

55.   Describe the roles of blood vs. interstitial fluid in gas exchange and nutrient transport.  How do nutrients from your digestive system (or oxygen from your lungs) get to the cells deep in muscle tissue?

56.   Know how arteries, veins, and the heart are arranged in the systemic and pulmonary systems.

57.   What function do valves serve in blood vessels?  What about in the heart?

58.   Which is under higher pressure:  veins or arteries?  Why?  How do their structures reflect this?

59.   Review the general connection between arteries/veins and your heart.  (Which ones deliver vs. transport fluid?  Where do you find valves, and why?)

60.   Which side of the heart serves the body?  What about the lungs?  Why is the left side of your heart larger?

61.   What is the function of your body’s natural “pacemaker”?  How does this interact with your nervous system? 

62.   Describe the events that occur when your heart beats—when do atria vs. ventricles contract?  Do the two sides of the heart beat together?  What events are triggered by the pacemaker?  (Hint: consult diagrams in your textbook.)

Blood

63.   Describe the types of blood cells and their functions.  What is plasma?  How does it exchange nutrients with interstitial fluid?

64.   Where are blood cells formed?  Include stem cells in your explanation.

65.   What is hemoglobin?  What conditions favor the binding of oxygen to hemoglobin?  What conditions favor its release?  How does this relate to conditions found in active muscles (heat, low/acidic pH, low concentration of oxygen…)?

66.   How does a blood clot form?

Lymphatic System

67.   Describe the lymphatic system.  What are its functions?  Relate these functions to the circulatory system, the immune system, and the digestive system. 

68.   What would happen to your body if the lymphatic system didn’t collect fluids that escape from your circulatory system?

69.   Briefly describe the functions of lymph nodes vs. vessels, the thymus, and the spleen.

70.   How are lymphatic vessels similar to veins?  Do they ever connect to veins?  (Where?)

Immune System and Other Defenses

71.   What non-specific defenses help to prevent infection?  How is a “non-specific” defense different from a “specific” defense?

72.   Describe the roles of complement, cilia (in lungs), and phagocytes.  How are these non-specific defenses?

73.   Describe the inflammatory response.  Describe why and how this happens, and how it helps the body heal and prevent or repair damage.  How is histamine related?

74.   How is the immune system (and inflammation) related to allergies?

75.   What’s an antigen?  How does your immune system recognize it?

76.   Know the difference between B cells, killer T cells, and helper T cells.  What do they do?

77.   Describe how the immune system responds to an infection.  How are the right antibodies and cells produced?

78.   Why do lymph nodes sometimes swell when you’re sick?

79.   Compare antibodies and T-cell receptors.

80.   What is MHC (also called “self protein”)?  What two functions does it serve in your body? 

81.   Explain why you don’t tend to get sick with the exact same virus twice. (Consider immune “memory,” and primary vs. secondary response in your answer.) 

82.   How does a vaccine take advantage of the secondary immune response?

Respiratory System

83.   Review the parts of your respiratory system:  trachea, bronchi (bronchus), alveoli.

84.   How is the respiratory system of insects different from that of humans?  Consider the structure of the respiratory system AND the circulatory system in your answer; see your book for good diagrams.

85.   How many layers of cells must be crossed for gases to escape from the blood (inside a capillary) into the air inside your lungs?

86.   How are differences in concentration involved in oxygen and carbon dioxide transport?  If the level of oxygen is 140 mm Hg in your lungs and 40 mm Hg in your blood, which way should the oxygen flow?  Is this a normal condition?

87.   How is the diaphragm involved in breathing?  Is muscle contraction (and energy use!) needed for inhalation, exhalation, or both?

88.   How is carbon dioxide transported in your circulatory system?  How does that relate to the pH of blood?

89.   What is the function of cilia and mucus in your lungs?

90.   More questions may be posted, depending on class coverage.  Use the “non-credit” self-tests in the homework folder to check your understanding.

Kidney Function and the Urinary System

91.   Why does nitrogen-containing waste need to be disposed of so carefully?  What kinds of animals use urea, uric acid, or ammonia?  Urea and uric acid take a lot of energy to produce… why is this energy spent to make a waste product—what’s the benefit?

92.   Know the structure of a nephron and the capillaries surrounding it.  Know the location and function of the loop of Henle, collecting duct, renal pelvis, and ureter.

93.   Explain filtration, re-absorption, and secretion.  What sorts of substances are filtered out of blood, and how does this occur?  What is re-absorbed by the body?  What is secreted?

94.   How does re-absorption of salt aid the reabsorption of water by the kidney?

95.   What is anti-diuretic hormone, and what does it do?  How does alcohol interfere with it?

96.   What is a diuretic?  Know some examples.

97.   More questions may be posted, depending on class coverage.  Use the “non-credit” self-tests in the homework folder to check your understanding.

Digestive System

98.   Why does food need to be broken down by enzymes?

99.   Where are fats, proteins, and sugars digested?  Some may be digested in more than one location.  Review the organs of your digestive system.

100.          What are the functions of the small intestine and large intestine, and how are they different?

101.          Describe how the structure of the small intestine helps absorb nutrients. 

102.          If excess water remains in the large intestine, is the result diarrhea or constipation?  Where should this water have been absorbed?

103.          More questions may be posted, depending on class coverage.  Use the “non-credit” self-tests in the homework folder to check your understanding.

Muscular and Skeletal System

104.          Questions will be posted soon, depending on class coverage.