Biology Final Reading Assignments

If each parent can produce 100 genetically distinct gametes, how many genetically distinct offspring can two parents produce?

10,000

The eyepiece of a light microscope has a magnification level of 10x. If you were looking at a paramecium under the lowest-power objective (4x), what would be the total magnification?

40x

Each somatic cell in an individual with Down syndrome contains _____ chromosomes.

47

A woman with type O blood is expecting a child. Her husband is type A. Both the woman's father and her husband's father had type B blood. What is the probability that the child will have type O blood?

50%

A 100 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm cell has a surface area that is _____ and a volume that is _____. When this volume is broken into many smaller cells, that are 10 mm x 10 mm x 10 mm, the sum of the surface areas of the smaller cells is _____ than the surface area of the initial cell.

60,000 mm2 ... 1,000,000 mm3 ... larger

A human bone marrow cell in the prophase stage of mitosis contains 46 chromosomes. Therefore, there are a total of __________ sister chromatids in this cell.

92

Proteins are an important class of molecules because of the functions they perform. Proteins can _____.

Act as signal receptors to receive signals in cell communication

Which of the following is a difference between active transport and facilitated diffusion?

Active transport requires the expenditure of cellular energy, and facilitated diffusion does not.

Ethanol, propanol, and methanol are three simple alcohols. They can be grouped together because they _____.

All share the same functional group, a hydroxyl

Antibiotics - for example, penicillin - cannot be used to treat viral infections, such as the common cold. Why?

Antibiotics inhibit enzymes that are essential to the survival of bacteria only.

Which is a typical function of lysosomes?

Breaking down of damaged organelles, such as mitochondria

CAM plants have adapted to arid environments by closing their stomata during the day. However, photosynthesis still occurs. This is because __________.

CO2 is fixed at night when the stomata are open

The most important role of pigments in photosynthesis is to _____.

Capture light energy

Since the first animal was produced using a fully differentiated cell, a number of observations have been made. Which of the following statements is true in regard to reproductive cloning?

Cloned animals often develop chronic conditions that are usually only associated with old age.

The function of the chloroplast is to _____.

Convert light energy to chemical energy

What are the inner folds of the mitochondria called?

Cristae

The movement of atoms, ions, or molecules from a region of higher concentration to regions of lower concentration is called _____.

Diffusion

An insect that has the genotype EeGGcc will have the same phenotype as an insect with the genotype _____.

EEGgcc

Which statement regarding the light reactions is true?

Electrons are supplied to chlorophyll P680 as it reduces the primary electron acceptor.

Which option best describes the concept of an evolutionary tree diagram?

Evolutionary trees relate species to each other by ancestry. An ancestor common to all of the species is placed at the root of the tree. Branch points are defined by homologous features that are shared by the descendant species along a particular branch.

Gel electrophoresis separates DNA molecules on the basis of size. Which of the following DNA molecules would move the slowest?

F plasmid (100 kb)

The nucleotide sequence of a DNA codon is GTA. A messenger RNA molecule with a complementary codon is transcribed from the DNA. In the process of protein synthesis, a tRNA pairs with the mRNA codon. What is the nucleotide sequence of the tRNA anticodon?

GUA

Which of the following structures is directly involved in the passage of electrical signals between cells as, for example, in the vertebrate heart?

Gap junctions

Which is the correct term for compounds that do not mix with water?

Hydrophobic

We inhale O2 and we exhale CO2. Carbon dioxide is produced _____.

In the reaction that creates acetyl CoA (coenzyme A) from pyruvate

Which example below presents a misconception about how antibiotic resistance develops?

Individual bacteria and viruses become immune to antibiotics after they are exposed to them. Eventually the antibiotics are useless.

The regions of noncoding DNA shown below that separate the coding regions within a gene are called _____.

Introns

What does the term amino acid signify about the structure of the molecule?

It consists of an amino group and a carboxyl group.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of asexual reproduction?

It does not increase genetic variability.

With reference to homeostatic control, what is negative feedback?

It ensures that conditions in an organism do not vary too much above or below their set points.

What is meant by the term ecological footprint?

It is the amount of land required to support a single individual.

The phage reproductive cycle that kills the bacterial host cell is known as a _____ cycle

Lytic

The protein actin is a component of a(n) __________.

Microfilament

After fertilization, the resulting zygote begins to divide by __________.

Mitosis

relatively modest number of calories burned by anything but the most vigorous activities, why can people consume over 2,000 kilocalories a day, yet maintain a healthy body weight?

Most of the energy consumed in food is spent maintaining the body's functions, so only a fraction of food energy needs to be burned in exercise.

In the absence of oxygen, cells need a way to regenerate which compound?

NAD+

Oxygen is the final electron acceptor for cellular respiration. What is the final electron acceptor in the light reactions of photosynthesis?

NADP+

Natural selection and evolution are two terms that are sometimes confused, even by freshman biology students. What is the relation between natural selection and evolution?

Natural selection is one of several mechanisms of evolution.

Which of the following is the most accurate comment on the Earth's carrying capacity for people?

Our technology has allowed us to keep increasing K.

Passive Transport

Passive transport can transport molecules without the assistance of proteins from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration.

Suppose we have a pea plant with purple flowers, determined by the dominant allele P. How might you determine whether the plant is homozygous (PP) or heterozygous (Pp)?

Perform a testcross: Cross the plant with a white one, which must be homozygous recessive (pp).

The lipids that form the main structural component of cell membranes are _____.

Phospholipids

You have identified a new organism. It has ribosomes, plasmodesmata, and cell walls made of cellulose. This new organism is most likely a(n) __________.

Plant

Hydrogen is a likely candidate in the search for a replacement for petroleum. However, removing hydrogen from water requires the investment of a great deal of energy. Why are plants considered to be one step ahead in the utilization of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source?

Plant cells possess water-splitting enzymes.

A single allele that controls more than one character is said to be _____.

Pleiotropic

Which properly states the role of bacteria and prokaryotes in general in human life?

Prokaryotes cause half of all infectious human diseases. However, they also play vitally important positive roles as decomposers and even as beneficial partners in our bodies. The sudden disappearance of all prokaryotes would almost certainly doom humans to extinction.

How does DNA differ from RNA?

RNA contains ribose, DNA does not.

n transcription, _____.

RNA polymerase links nucleotides to form mRNA.

A scientist is investigating a new drug that blocks the action of the enzyme responsible for splicing mRNA molecules. If this drug is effective, which of the following statements will be true?

RNA would remain in the nucleus as it would be unable to move through the nuclear pores, thus blocking translation of the gene.

_____ is the science of facilitating the return of a degraded ecosystem to a more natural condition.

Restoration ecology

When you eat a plant, you derive energy from the stored __________, but not from the __________ component.

Starch and cellulose

Which of the following would be affected when a protein is denatured?

Tertiary structure

Osmosis is often viewed incorrectly as a process driven directly by differences in solute concentration across a selectively permeable membrane. What really drives osmosis?

The difference in water concentration across a selectively permeable membrane

Which best describes the fossil record?

The fossil record is the highly ordered sequence in which fossils are found in layers of sedimentary rock.

A eukaryotic gene was inserted into the DNA of a bacterium. The bacterium then transcribed this gene into mRNA and translated the mRNA into protein. The protein produced was useless; it contained many more amino acids than the protein made by the eukaryote. Why?

The mRNA was not spliced as it is in eukaryotes.

The Rb protein prevents mitosis by inhibiting cells from entering S phase. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is thought to inhibit the action of the Rb protein in cervical epithelial cells. What would be the effect of cervical cells being infected with HPV?

The mitotic rate would increase.

When analyzing relationships among a particular group of taxa, how does a biologist decide which trees are the most parsimonious?

The most parsimonious tree produces the observed traits in the organisms with the lowest number of evolutionary changes.

What prevents menstruation when a woman first becomes pregnant?

The release of HCG from the implanted embryo acts like LH, stimulating the corpus luteum to continue to secrete progesterone and estrogen.

Which of the following statements is true about double-stranded DNA?

The strands run in opposite directions.

When chloroplast pigments absorb light, _____.

Their electrons become excited.

Why do you think that adult stem cells are found in bone marrow and the lining of the small intestine specifically?

These cells must be able to regenerate various types of cells throughout life.

What do the rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and lysosomes have in common?

They are constructed of interrelated membranes.

What is the ultimate fate of the electrons that are stripped from glucose during cellular respiration?

They are used to form water.

In eukaryotes, translation is initiated only after transcription is completed. However, prokaryotes can initiate translation before a gene is completely transcribed. Which choice is the best explanation for this observation?

Translation in eukaryotes cannot occur until the RNA leaves the nucleus, whereas in prokaryotes both transcription and translation occur in the cytoplasm.

Although in humans there are 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes, only three different chromosomal trisomies are commonly seen in newborns. Of the remaining 19 autosomes, many trisomies have not been seen in newborns. Why not?

Trisomy for the other autosomal chromosomes is often lethal, and the affected embryos are miscarried.

A mutation in the operator region of the trp operon can prevent the trp repressor from binding to this operator. When these mutant cells are placed in a solution containing chicken broth, which of the following happens?

Tryptophan would bind to the repressor.

Which organ system regulates the water balance of the blood?

Urinary

We can better understand our ancestry by analyzing the __________ in males.

Y chromosome

A genomic library is _____.

a collection of cloned DNA fragments from an organism's genome

Which of the following is most likely a density-dependent growth regulator of animal populations?

a decrease in clutch size

The concentration of solutes in a red blood cell is about 2%. Sucrose cannot pass through the membrane, but water and urea can. Osmosis would cause red blood cells to shrink the most when immersed in which of the following solutions?

a hypertonic sucrose solution

Which of the following describes a complete nucleotide?

a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and a phosphate group

In a hydrolysis reaction, __________. In this process, water is __________.

a polymer breaks up to form monomers ... consumed

In eukaryotic cells, signal transduction pathways involve _____.

a series of relay molecules, of which the last activates a transcription factor

Emerging viruses that infect human cells can originate from __________.

a virus spreading from one host species to humans

Which correctly orders the likely steps in the origin of life from nonlife early in Earth's history, from earliest to most recent?

abiotic synthesis of small organic molecules; formation of proteins and nucleic acids; formation of protocells; origin of self-replicating molecules of inheritance

While out canoeing, you discover the remains of a dugout canoe in a river bed. You remove a sample of the wood and have it analyzed for carbon-14. It has one-quarter (25%) of the carbon-14 expected in a living tree. About how long ago did the tree that the canoe was made from die?

about 11,500 years

If members of a population have traits that are both heritable and variable among individuals, then _____.

advantageous traits will probably become more widespread in subsequent generations

Proteomics studies __________.

all of the proteins encoded in a genome

Fish that were ancestral to the first amphibians may have had limbs that were used for moving through underwater vegetation, and were later adapted for use in walking on land. If so, the limbs were an example of _____.

an exaptation

The protists are _____.

an informal category of eukaryotes that are not plants, animals, or fungi; they include algae and protozoans

In prokaryotes, a group of genes with related functions that are organized and regulated as a group is called __________.

an operon

The prokaryotes most likely to be found living in extreme environments such as salt ponds or hot springs are _____.

archaea

A cell replicates its entire chromosomal DNA only __________.

before it is about to divide

Golden rice has been genetically engineered. Golden rice differs from other rice varieties because it contains genes that will produce _____.

beta-carotene

You have been asked to participate in the cleanup of an old mining site. You build a treatment wetland to clean up a contaminated spring flowing out of the mine area. Before sending the water to the wetland, you pass it through a holding tank where Thiobacillus removes heavy metals. The plants and microbes of the wetland will absorb many of the contaminants that remain in the water. Your method is an example of _____.

bioremediation

Ligaments connect _____ to _____.

bone ... bone

DNA synthesized using an RNA template is called _____.

cDNA

Asexual and sexual reproduction differ in that sexual reproduction _____.

can produce great variation among the offspring

In the Calvin cycle carbon dioxide provides _____, whereas ATP and NADPH provide _____ and _____, respectively.

carbon ... energy ... high-energy electrons

A benign and a malignant tumor differ in that _____.

cells of a benign tumor remain within the tumor, whereas cells of a malignant tumor can spread to other body tissues

During enzymatic reactions, substrates are converted to products. A property of enzymes that facilitates this reaction is that they are catalysts and therefore _____.

change the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction

An important consequence of global warming is __________.

changes in the distribution of terrestrial biomes

Bacteria that live around deep-sea hot-water vents obtain energy by oxidizing inorganic hydrogen sulfide belched out by the vents. They use this energy to build organic molecules from carbon dioxide obtained from the seawater. These bacteria are _____.

chemoautotrophs

Which of the following tissues is responsible for food absorption in the small intestines?

columnar epithelium

Which of the following statements best defines recombinant DNA technology?

combining genes from different sources

Which of the following birth control methods also provides the best protection against STDs?

condoms

Cacti are native to deserts in the Americas, whereas cactus-like euphorbs are native to African deserts. The two plant groups are not closely related, and the euphorbs have normal broad-leaved plants such as the Christmas poinsettia in their ancestry. The most likely explanation for the similarity of some euphorbs to cacti is __________.

convergent evolution

The loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Humans are contributing significantly to this loss by _____.

damaging the biosphere

The "normal" function of restriction enzymes in cells is to __________.

destroy foreign DNA

Homeotic genes are responsible for _____.

determining the location and pattern of structural features such as limbs

Cells become specialized by a process known as _____.

differentiation

In the process of gastrulation, three embryonic tissue layers become established. From outermost to deepest, these three embryonic layers are _____.

ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm

Some American soldiers serving in Iraq have become infected with a skin disease caused by a protist called Leishmania, which is transmitted by sand flies. The Leishmania organism bears flagella with a unique crystalline rod structure. One of its life stages is squiggly and worm-like in appearance, much like its relative in the same group, Trypanosoma. Leishmania belongs to the group __________.

excavata

Plants are being engineered to produce pesticides; therefore, _____.

farmers can reduce chemical use

Which of the following would cast doubt on the asteroid-impact hypothesis for the extinction of the dinosaurs?

finding abundant fossil dinosaur bones in strata above (younger than) the 65-million-year-old iridium layer

Interstitial fluid is the _____.

fluid that bathes the cells of the body

Which of the following might typically be caused by bacteria?

food poisoning

Evidence available indicates that the three major multicellular kingdoms (plants, animals, and fungi) arose _____.

from two different lineages of protists (one for plants, one for animals and fungi)

According to the latest theories of evolutionary history, which of the following paired groups of organisms are the most closely related?

fungi and animals

The figure above provides information about the increase in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. Because of the importance of increased amounts of these gases, scientists predict _____.

global warming

If wolves were eliminated from Yellowstone National Park, we would expect that __________.

grasses will be shorter

The crossover percentage between two different genes is _____.

greater as the distance between the two genes increases

Increasing concentrations of _____ such as methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are changing global climatic patterns.

greenhouse gases

The single greatest current threat to biodiversity is _____.

habitat destruction

A bluegill population is at its carrying capacity in a stable lake in Minnesota. Biologists studying the bluegills' reproductive behavior learn that a single female in one breeding season can produce 1,000 to 70,000 eggs. We can expect that the life table of these Minnesota bluegills will indicate _____.

high early mortality in a Type III survivorship curve

Where does glycolysis occur in a eukaryotic cell?

in the cytoplasmic fluid

Epithelial tissue is involved in _____.

interior lining of blood vessels

An ecological landscape _____.

is composed of interacting ecosystems

Spontaneous generation of life from nonlife __________.

likely occurred once or at most a few times about 3.9 billion years ago

In humans, the most common cancer is _____.

lung cancer

Of the choices listed below, which contributes the most to genetic variation among individuals in most prokaryote species?

mutation

The synthesis of an amino acid follows this pathway: precursor A → intermediate B → amino acid C. Each reaction is catalyzed by a different enzyme. This metabolic pathway is controlled by feedback inhibition with amino acid C inhibiting the conversion of precursor A to intermediate B. Amino acid C acts as a _____ of the first enzyme in the pathway.

noncompetitive inhibitor

In addition to the integrity of the integumentary system, what other component of the skin protects against bacterial infection?

oil gland

In the course of normal events leading to fertilization and eventually birth, the route of the egg, embryo, and finally fetus is from the ovary into the __________.

oviduct, to the uterus, and then out the vagina

The plasma membrane is selectively permeable. Which of the following can pass freely through the membrane with no assistance?

oxygen and carbon dioxide

The uterine contractions during labor are stimulated by _____.

oxytocin and prostaglandins

In the models that describe population growth, r stands for _____.

per capita rate of increase

It may be possible for some organisms to cope with global climate change by _____.

phenotypic plasticity

Amoebas move and feed by using _____.

pseudopods

The figure below indicates that the northern cod fishery of Newfoundland was eliminated due to poor management practices. Resource managers could have prevented this and the decline of other fish populations by _____.

raising the carrying capacity

Which of the following is the primary function of the nervous tissue?

rapid communication of signals

Members of the same population _____.

share a common gene pool

Which of the following is an example of a tissue?

simple columnar epithelium lining the intestine

During anaphase II, _____.

sister chromatids separate and migrate toward opposite poles

In humans, the testes are located outside the abdominal cavity within the scrotum because __________.

sperm are unable to mature properly at the higher temperatures found within the abdominal cavity

Yaws is a serious skin disease of children in tropical countries, caused by Treponema pertenue, a species closely related to the bacteria that cause syphilis. Individual cells of T. pertenue are helical, relatively long, and flexible like the one pictured below. These cells are known as _____.

spirochetes

Creationists sometimes disparage the experiments of Miller and Urey (apparatus illustrated below), pointing out that they did not make all of the amino acids we see today in any given run of the experiment. This criticism misses the point of the Miller-Urey experiments, as they intended to demonstrate __________.

that organic molecules can be made from inorganic building blocks in the absence of living organisms

A large and increasing number of genetic tests are available to prospective parents and children. Even as these testing methods become more and more sophisticated, what is one thing technology will never solve?

the ability to prescribe the correct course of action based on test results

In developing countries, continued population growth occurs primarily because __________.

the birth rate exceeds the death rate

Which of the following represents an example of a population?

the eastern gray squirrels that live in New York City's Central Park

Hemophilia appears rarely in females. This is because _____.

the female must possess the hemophilia gene on both X chromosomes

A reaction is designated as exergonic rather than endergonic when _____.

the potential energy of the products is less than the potential energy of the reactants

To determine the density of a rabbit population, you would need to know the number of rabbits and _____.

the size of the area in which they live

Chlorophyll is found in the __________ of chloroplasts.

thylakoid membranes

In terms of hierarchy of organization, organs fall between _____ and _____.

tissues ... organ systems

During the process of translation, __________ matches an mRNA codon with the proper amino acid.

transfer RNA

Mitosis and cytokinesis result in the formation of __________; meiosis and cytokinesis result in the formation of __________.

two diploid cells : four haploid cells

Mendel's view of the mechanism of heredity was radically different from the prevailing view of the time because he saw heredity working through _____.

unchanging (immutable), heritable factors that were contributed by each parent and never mixed

Hershey and Chase's experiment allowed them to discern whether DNA or proteins contain genetic information because __________.

viruses consist only of proteins and DNA and only the DNA was injected into the host cells

Which of the following clues would tell you whether a cell is prokaryotic or eukaryotic?

whether or not the cell is partitioned into compartments by internal membranes