Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Biology

Wood Structure and Properties

Sapwood and Heartwood

Sapwood

• Width varies with species, growth rate, and tree age.
• Typically represents 20-50% of the total radius (except in very young trees).

Heartwood

• Formed from former sapwood cells.
• Acidity increases, extractives form, and color changes.
• Resistance to fungal and insect attack increases.
• Many timbers develop gums and resins in the heartwood.

Functions of Cells in a Growing Tree

• Primary function: Conduction of water and dissolved minerals from roots to leaves.
• Secondary function: Mechanical support of the tree.
• Tertiary function: Food storage for spring growth.

Characteristic Differences between Softwoods and Hardwoods

• Hardwoods: Water-conducting elements distributed throughout the annual ring.
• Softwoods:

Understanding Digestion

What is Digestion?

Digestion is the process by which food is transformed into simpler substances (nutrients) so they can be used by our cells. It involves two main processes:

• Mechanical Process: Chewing and the muscular action of organs crush and mix foods with digestive juices.
• Chemical Process: Digestive enzymes in digestive juices cause chemical reactions that break food into simple substances.

Mechanical vs. Chemical Digestion

The digestive system employs both mechanical and chemical digestion:

• Mechanical: Mouth
• Chemical: Stomach, liver, small and large intestine

Swallowing: The Process

Swallowing allows substances to pass from the mouth to the pharynx. It involves three main stages:

1. The bolus is moved to the oral cavity as

Human Nutrition

The cells of all organisms require nutrients to grow and function. Heterotrophic organisms, like humans, cannot produce their own nutrients, so they obtain them from food. Multicellular organisms have many organs grouped into systems, such as the digestive and respiratory systems.

Digestive System

Like all animals, humans obtain proteins, fats, and sugars from food through the digestive system. Food processing involves three phases: digestion, absorption, and waste expulsion. Food moves through the digestive tract via peristaltic movements—muscle contractions in the tract walls that narrow the tube.

Respiratory System

Besides nutrients from digestion, our cells need oxygen for cellular respiration, the process that converts glucose... Continue reading "Human Nutrition and Respiration: A Comprehensive Guide" »

Cellular Respiration

Glycolysis

• Enzymes break down a 6-carbon glucose molecule into two 3-carbon pyruvate molecules.
• A small amount of ATP is synthesized through substrate-level phosphorylation, an enzyme-catalyzed reaction transferring a phosphate group from a substrate to ADP.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

• High-energy electrons are delivered to oxygen through a series of electron carriers in the electron transport system.
• The free energy released by electron flow generates an H+ gradient via chemiosmosis.
• ATP synthase utilizes the H+ gradient as the energy source for ATP production.

Reaction Locations

• Glycolysis: Occurs in the cytosol.
• Pyruvate oxidation and citric acid cycle: Take place in the mitochondrial matrix.
• Electron transfer system and ATP synthase

Components of the Circulatory System

The circulatory system consists of various components that work together to transport blood throughout the body. These components include:

Blood

• Plasma: a liquid substance that carries nutrients and waste throughout the body.
• Red blood cells: responsible for carrying oxygen and giving blood its red color.
• White blood cells: protect the body from germs and diseases.
• Platelets: help stop bleeding from wounds.

Blood Vessels

• Arteries: carry blood from the heart to the capillaries.
• Veins: carry blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
• Capillaries: enter body cells to deliver nutrients and oxygen, and remove carbon dioxide and waste.

Heart

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the blood... Continue reading "Components of the Circulatory System: Blood, Blood Vessels, and Heart" »

Twins and Multiple Births

Twins originate from the same egg and sperm that then divides into two embryos. These embryos share the same genetic material. On the other hand, fraternal twins develop from two separate eggs and two sperm cells. Genetically, they are like siblings but born at the same time.

Puberty

Puberty is the life stage where a person develops secondary sexual characteristics and achieves reproductive capability. It's the initial phase of adolescence, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Diseases and Health

Causes of Diseases

Degenerative diseases involve the progressive destruction of tissues. Affected organs gradually deteriorate, as seen in Alzheimer's disease.

Health

Health is a state of complete physical, mental,... Continue reading "Understanding Health, Diseases, and the Immune System" »

Environmental Factors and Their Influence

Environmental factors are characteristics of the environment that affect living things. These can be categorized as:

• Abiotic factors: Physical and chemical conditions.
• Biotic factors: Organisms that share the same natural environment.

Limiting Factors and Adaptation

Limiting factors are environmental conditions that restrict the growth and abundance of a population within an ecosystem. Adaptation is the evolutionary process where organisms become better suited to survive in a specific environment.

Population Dynamics

A population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same territory and can reproduce together. Within populations, we can observe different structures:

• Colonies: Resulting

archaea, extremophiles, cyanobacteria, bacteria.

DNA is the molecule that gives cells and organisms their biological characteristics. Types of Nucleotides: Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine, Guanine. DNA/RNA: DNA has a double helix structure, while RNA does not. In DNA, thymine is present, whereas in RNA, uracil is present. RNA can exit the nucleus, but DNA cannot. Ribose Nucleotide does not contain thymine. Transcription is the process of copying a part of the genetic message from DNA to RNA. Translation is the process in which RNA moves from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Genetic Code refers to the relationship between the sequence of nitrogenous bases in DNA and the sequences of amino acids that form proteins. Transcription occurs in the nucleus, while translation occurs in the cytoplasm. In prokaryotic... Continue reading "DNA and Genetic Engineering: A Comprehensive Overview" »

Peripheral Nervous System

Consists of nerves and supports it collects info about the body's external and internal environment.

Central Nervous System

Consists of the brain and spinal cord, processes info, and creates a response.

Cell Body

The largest part of the typical neuron.

Dendrites

Short branched extensions that receive impulses from other neurons and carry them to the cell body.

Axon

Long fiber that carries impulses away from the cell body.

Myelin Sheath

Insulating membrane that surrounds a single, long axon.

Resting Potential

Electrical charge across the cell membrane of a resting neuron.

Action Potential

A nerve impulse that charges more negatively charged to more positively charged.

Threshold

The minimum level of a stimulus that is required to cause... Continue reading "Understanding the Nervous System and Sensory Organs" »