Thursday, March 4, 2010

chapter 25. the history of life on Earth



Q. why is fossil record important to know about evolution over times?


The fossil record is life’s evolutionary epic that unfolded over four billion years as environmental conditions and genetic potential interacted in accordance with natural selection.


Q.what are two major hypotheses on how evolution takes place?


gradualism and punctuated equlibrium


Q. what is Divergent speciation?


Divergent speciation suggest that a gradual accumulation of small genetic changes results in subpopulation of a species, that eventually accumulate so many changes that the subpopulations become different species.






facts


1.The age and morphologies (appearances) of fossils can be used to place fossils in sequences that often show patterns of changes that have occurred over time.


2.Fossils are traces of organisms that lived in the past.


3.Gradualism suggest that organisms evolve through a process of slow and constant change.


4.Punctuated equilibrium suggests that species evolve very rapidly and then stay the same for a large period of time.


5.Phyletic speciation suggests that abrupt mutations in a few regulatory genes occur after a species has existed for a long period of time.






diagram
fossils illustrate representative organisms from different points in time. the fossil record shows that there have been great changes in the kindso forganisms that dominated life on earth at different points in time. Many past organisms were unlike today;s organisms, and many organisms that oncewere common are now extinct.


video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiTMJFdMlcQ


summary





A subterranean evolution of life has also been suggested. Rock layers deep below the continents and ocean floors, that were previously thought to be too poor in nutrients to sustain life, have now been found to support thousands of strains of microorganisms. Types of bacteria have been collected from rock samples almost 2 miles below the surface, at temperatures up to 75 degrees Celsius. These chemo-autotrophic microorganisms derive their nutrients from chemicals such as carbon, hydrogen, iron and sulphur. Deep subterranean communities could have evolved underground or originated on the surface and become buried or otherwise transported down into subsurface rock strata, where they have subsequently evolved in isolation. Either way, these appear to be very old communities, and it is possible that these subterranean bacteria may have been responsible for shaping many geological processes during the history of the Earth

chapter 24. the origin of species

Q. what is allopatric speciation?
gene flow is interrupted when a population is divided into geographically isloated subpopulations.
Q.what is phylogenetic species concept?

it defines a species as the smallest group of individuals that share a common ancestor, forming one branch on the tree of life.

Q. what is an allopolyploid?

they are fertile when mating wich each other but cannot interbreed with either parent species


facts

1.Temporal isolation prevents fertilization because the two different species reproduce at different times.

2.Mechanical isolation acts a prezygotic barrier by preventing sexual intercourse between two different species.

3.Prezygotic and postzygotic isolating mechanisms have preserved the integrity of the different species throughout millions of years.

4.Behavioral isolation is another isolating mechanism. This mechanism operates through courtship behavioral patterns. If one species displays a certain courtship pattern, it won’t be recognized by those of the other species.

5.Hybridization is the practice of two different species interbreeding.

diagram
A region in which members of different species meet and mate, producing at least some offspring of mized ancestry. a hybrid zone is like observing a natural experiment on speciation. Will the result be the rapid formation of a new species.


video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx8C3pq4poE


summary

The biological species concept is the most widely accepted species concept. It defines species in terms of interbreeding. For instance, Ernst Mayr defined a species as follows: "species are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups."The biological species concept explains why the members of a species resemble one another, i.e. form phenetic clusters, and differ from other species.When two organisms breed within a species, their genes pass into their combined offspring. As this process is repeated, the genes of different organisms are constantly shuffled around the species gene pool. The shared gene pool gives the species its identity. By contrast, genes are not (by definition) transferred to other species, and different species therefore take on a different appearance. This explanation should be compared with that given by the ecological species concept.

chapter 23. the evolution of population



Q. what are the five conditions that should follow when we use Hardy-Weinberg's equilibrium?

No migration


Large population size


No mutation


Random mating


No selection


Q. what is population?

A population is an interbreeding group of organisms (the same species) that occupies a particular area.




Q. what is genetic drift reffered to?


Genetic drift refers to random fluctuations in the gene frequency of a population.






facts


1.The Hardy-Weinberg law states that under certain conditions ,the gene frequency of a population does not change from generation to generation.


2.The founder effect occurs when the gene frequency of a newly established population is somewhat different from the parental population. This may be due to the small sample of founding individuals


3. Migration can change the gene frequency of a population if the migrants have a different gene frequency than that of the population they are leaving or entering.


4.Gene frequency refers to the proportion of alleles that are of a particular type


5.The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that if the following conditions are met, the gene frequency of a population will not change from generation to generation:

diagram

this small widlflower population has a stable size of ten plants. suppose that by chance only five plants of generation 1 produce ferile offspring. this could occur, for example, if only those plants happend to grow in a location that provided enough nutrients to support the production of offspring. again by chance, only two plants of generation 2 leave ferile offspring. as a result, by chance alone, the frequency of the a allel first increases in generation 2, then falls to zero in generation 3.

video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kbruik_LOo&feature=fvst


summary

Evolution, the science of how populations of living organisms change over time in response to their environment, is the central unifying theme in biology today.
One of the most important tools population genetics gave to the study of evolution was the principle of
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. This principle states that there is nothing in gene replication, meiosis, fertilization, or reproduction that changes the frequency of gene alleles over time.Since these are the assumptions that must hold true for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to be maintained, their opposites are the causes of evolution, or the change of allele frequencies in populations. For example, mutation can cause changes in allele frequency by creating new, altered genetic material while gene flow can change allele frequencies by introducing new alleles to the population through immigration or removing alleles through emigration. Of these five causes of evolution, only the last one involves natural selection, or directional change imposed by survival of the fittest in a harsh environment. The first four, all of which can play critical roles in evolution, involve chance events.

chapter 22. Descent with modification: a Darwinian view of life

Q. what is adaptation?


characteristics of organisms that enhance their survival and reproduction in specific environments


Q.what is natural selection?


a process in which individuals with certain inherited traits leave more offspring than individuals with other traits


Q.what is artificial selection?


humans have modified other species over many generation by selecting and breeding individuals that possess desired traits.


facts


1. Evolution, in its most general sense, is simply successive change that occurs over time


2.Evolution only occurs when there is a change in gene frequency within a population over time


3.Darwin addressed the sweeping issues of biology: the great diversity of organisms, their origins and relationships, their similarities and differences, their geographical distribution, and their adaptations to the surrounding environment


4. As all the modified descendants from a common and widely-diffused species, belonging to a large genus, will tend to partake of the same advantages which made their parent successful in life, they will generally go on multiplying in number as well as diverging in character


5.Natural selection, however, is not a random process. It is an ordering process, creating structure from noise and increasing the degree of regularity in the biological system.






diagram
descent with modification. the most striking differences among them are their beaks which are adapted for specific diet. the finches' various beaks and behaviors are adapted and Darwin realized that explaining such adaptations was essential to understanding evolution.

video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWtCakPk9eM


summary

Charles Darwin was the leading transmutationist of the nineteenth century

The fundamental basis of evolution is that present life forms are descended from primitive ancestors and that the process was guided by natural selection. Creationists and Intelligent Design proponents attack evolution by attacking the concept of natural selection. However, even if it could be done, disproving natural selection does not automatically disprove descent with modification. How evolution occurred and whether it occurred are two separate concepts.




chapter 20. Biotechnology

Q. What are stem cells?

They have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth.



Q. What is gene therapy?


Introducing genes into an affilicted individual for therapeutic purpose



Q. what is totipotent?


A totipotent cell has the capacity to form an entire organism.




the facts


1. A clone is an exact copy of an organism, organ, single cell, organelle or macromolecule.


2. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enables researchers to produce millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence in approximately two hours. This automated process bypasses the need to use bacteria for amplifying DNA.


3. This primer on stem cells is intended for anyone who wishes to learn more about the biological properties of stem cells, the important questions about stem cells that are the focus of scientific research, and the potential use of stem cells in research and in treating disease.


4. Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease.


5. Gel Electrophoresis is the process in which molecules (such as proteins, DNA, or RNA fragments) can be separated according to size and electrical charge by applying an electric current to them.


diagram
gene cloning is useful for two basic purposes: to make many copies of a particular gene and to produce a protein product. In this simplified diagram of gene cloning, people start with a plasmid isloated from a bacterial cell and a gene of interest from another organism. only one copy of the plasmid and one copy of the gene of interest are shown at the top of the figure, but the starting materials would include many copies of each.
video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrT5BT_7HdI
summary

Biotechnology, or the genetic modification of living materials, has ignited heated debates over trade policy. Innovations in the manipulation of microbes, plants, and animals raises serious ethical questions related to the commoditization and exchange of living organisms. Agricultural concerns center on issues of 'genetic pollution' or the genetic flow from GM crops to unmodified plants in the wild. Transfer of genes from GM to wild plants could create health problems in humans, anti-biotic resistance in plants and associated insects, long-term damage to ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and lack of consumer choice. Biotechnology issues related to intellectual property rights are concerned with the moral and ethical implication of patenting living organisms. Biotechnology and its products have created some amazing possibility as well as raised fears among many of their potential negative consequences. There is also the moral dimension of playing with living beings. Nevertheless, the technology and its products are here to stay.

chapter 19. Viruses


Q. what is lytic cycle?

a phage reproductive cycle that culminates in death of the host cell

Q. what is lysogenic cycle?

unlikely to the lytic cycle, does not kill the host cell

Q. In humans, smallpoxthe common cold, chickenpox, influenza, shingles, herpes, polio, rabies, Ebola, hanta fever, and AIDS are examples of what?

viral diseases



the facts

1.Viruses depend on the host cells that they infect to reproduce.

2. a virus can insert its genetic material into its host, literally taking over the host's functions.

3. viruses exist as a protein coat or capsid, sometimes enclosed within a membrane. The capsid encloses either DNA or RNA which codes for the virus elements.

4.Some viruses may remain dormant inside host cells for long periods, causing no obvious change in their host cells (a stage known as the lysogenic phase).

5. because viruses can transfer genetic material between different species of host, they are extensively used in genetic engineering



diagram
fist, the T4 phage uses its tail fibers to bind to specific receptor sites on the outer surface of cell, and the sheath of the tail contracts, ingecting the phage DNA into the cell and leaving an empty capsid ouside. the cell's DNA is hydolyzed. The phage DNA directs production of phage proteins and copies of the phage genome by host enzymes, using cimponents withing the cell. three separates sets of proteins self-assemble to form phage heads, tails, and til fivers. the phage genome is pakcaged inside the capsid as the head forms, it released with a lot of damages on the cell.


video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpj0emEGShQ



summary


In 1898, Friedrich Loeffler and Paul Frosch found evidence that the cause of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock was an infectious particle smaller than any bacteria. This was the first clue to the nature of viruses, genetic entities that lie somewhere in the grey area between living and non-living states. A virus is defined as any of a various number of submicroscopic parasites that can infect any animal, plant or bacteria and often lead to very serious or even deadly diseases. A virus consists of a core of RNA or DNA, generally surrounded by a protein, lipid or glycoprotein coat, or some combination of the three. No virus can replicate without the help of a host cell, and though they can be spread, viruses lack the ability of self-reproduction and are not always considered to be living organisms in the regular sense. Viruses may have double-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA or single-stranded RNA. The type of genetic material found in a particular virus depends on the nature and function of the specific virus. The genetic material is not typically exposed but covered by a protein coat.

chapter 18. Regulation of gene expression

Q.what is promoter?



it is a base-pair sequence that sepecifies where transcription begins.


Q. what is significant that transcription and translation in prokaryotic cell?


prokaryotic had no nucleus to separate the processese of transcription and translation; so they are coupled.


Q. what is rRNA? ribosomal RNA with ribosomal proteins makes up the ribosomes. the prganelles translate the mRNA





facts


1.Gene transcription can be switched on and off by gene regulation proteins


2.As long as the operator remains free of the repressor, RNA polymerase that recognizes the promoter can transcribe the operon's structural genes into mRNA. The operon is ON.


3.In an E. Coli cell growing in the absence of lactose, a repressor protein binds to the operator, preventing RNA polymerase from transcribing the lac operon's genes. The operon is OFF.


4.Glucose and lactose levels control the initiation of transcription of the lac operon, i.e. whether the lac operon is switched "ON" or "OFF".


5..An operon is a cluster of bacterial genes along with an adjacent promoter that controls the transcription of those genes.




diagram





lactose absent, repressor active, peron off. the lac repressor is innately active, and in the absence of lactose it switches off the operon by binding to the operator. Lactose present, repressor inactive, operon on. allolactose, an isomer of lactose, derepresses the operon by inactivating the repressor. in this way, the enzymes for lactose utilization are induced.








video



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBwtxdI1zvk



summary





The general term for the product of a regulatory gene is a regulatory protein. The Lac regulatory protein is called a repressor because it keeps RNA polymerase from transcribing the structural genes. Thus the Lac repressor inhibits transcription of the lac operon.The effect of the Lac repressor on the lac genes is referred to as negative regulation.Allolactose binds to an allosteric site on the repressor protein causing a conformational change. As a result of this change, the repressor can no longer bind to the operator region and falls off. RNA polymerase can then bind to the promoter and transcribe the lac genes.