Principles of Biotechnology and Environmental Science
Biotechnology and Biological Applications
Biotechnology: The application of any form of technology on living organisms to make or modify plants and animals. Cryopreservation is a procedure to maintain substances, microorganisms, and biological materials in good condition at low temperatures. Germplasm consists of all the genes that show the variability of a population. Biopharmaceuticals are custom-made pieces of DNA bases capable of reaching the origin of an illness to fix it without affecting other organs and healthy cells.
Agricultural Technology and Micropropagation
Micropropagation is a micro-multiplication process that is quick and performed in vitro; it can use any plant tissue, cell, or organ.
Advantages of Greenhouse Production
- Increased precocity in fruit quality and yield.
- Production outside of the natural season.
Environmental Science and Pollution
Relative Humidity: The amount of water in the air or in a given volume. CO2 is located in the atmosphere.
Primary Pollutants: Those pollutants from the source of emission. Example: Exhaust from car industries.
Secondary Pollutants: Examples include sulfuric and nitric acid.
Photochemical Smog: A mixture of primary source pollutants and secondary pollutants formed by reactions caused by sunlight.
Water Contaminants
Major organic pollutants include bacteria, hydrocarbons, industrial waste, pesticides, and other products used in domestic agriculture, chemicals, and radioactive waste.
- Physical Contaminants: They affect the appearance of the water and interfere with aquatic flora and fauna.
- Chemical Contaminants: Various products dissolved or dispersed in water that come from domestic discharges, agricultural and industrial sources, or soil erosion.
Waste Management
- Biodegradable: Decomposes naturally in a relatively short time.
- Non-biodegradable: Does not break down easily; they take a long time to do so.
History of Microbiology
The scientist who discovered microorganisms and called them "animalcules" in 1684 was Antony van Leeuwenhoek.
Louis Pasteur devised the pasteurization process and refuted the theory of spontaneous generation. Joseph Lister practiced surgical asepsis.
Virology and Immunology
Viruses: Their three characteristics are size, they are crystallizable, and they are obligate intracellular parasites. A virus is a biological entity capable of self-replicating using cellular machinery.
Vaccines: Classified as live or attenuated, and dead or inactive.
Epidemiology and Disease
Epidemiology: The science which studies how diseases occur, are transmitted, and are prevented.
Spread of Infectious Diseases:
- Direct: When touching the infected animal or person.
- Indirect: When touching contaminated items.
Infestation: The invasion of a multicellular organism or cell.
Pandemic vs. Endemic: Endemic diseases remain in a given region, while pandemics spread to other nations. Zoonotic diseases are common to humans and animals, such as rabies and tuberculosis.
The Six Phases of Micropropagation
- Preparation of the mother plant
- Establishment of mature embryos
- Proliferation of outbreaks
- Rooting (Enraizamiento)
- Acclimatization