BIOL 111 Practice Assignment #1

Sara Farheen
Bio of Humans Practice Assignment #1

1. List the characteristics of life.
● All living things contain the molecules of life and include four macromolecules:
nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.
● All living things are composed of cells
● All living things grow and are capable of reproduction
● All living things use energy and raw materials to carry out metabolism (all of the
chemical reactions that occur within the cells of living things)
● All living things respond to their environment and maintain homeostasis (the
relatively constant and self-correcting internal environment of a living organism)
● All populations of living things evolve and have adaptive traits
2. Describe how evolutionary relationships are reflected in modern systems of

classification.
Scientists organize living organisms in a system that demonstrates a way to demonstrate

evolutionary relationships. Organisms with the greatest similarity are grouped together.
Several classification systems have been proposed; the latest includes three domains:
Domain Bacteria, Domain Archaea, and Domain Eukarya.
3. Define and give examples of the following groups of organisms: population,

community, ecosystem, and biosphere.
A population is the term we use to describe multiple individuals or organisms of a single

species that live within a particular geographic area. For example, there may be one population
of painted turtles in one state and another population of painted turtles 250 miles away in
another state.
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A community is the term used to describe two or more populations of different species that
occupy the same space at the same time. For example, the community of Yellowstone National
Park is made up of numerous animals such as elk, bighorn sheep, coyotes, porcupines, different
species of frogs, fish and insects and so forth.
An ecosystem is the term used to describe

both the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving)
factors in a system. The ecosystem in the
image to the right is made up of birds, frogs,
fungi, plants, mammals, bacteria, the water,
the run, the rocks, the soil, and so forth.
A biosphere is the term used to describe the
combination of every ecosystem on the
planet. Our biosphere is Earth. The biosphere
includes all living beings and their
relationships.
4. Design an experiment with a control and experimental group that follows the
scientific method to solve the following scenario: When you got to the CAT bus
stop this morning, you discovered that you had missed the bus.
Step 1 - Research Question: What caused you to miss the bus this morning? How could
you have avoided missing the bus?
Step 2 - Gather Information: What are your activities before going to bed? What time do
you go to bed? What time do you wake up in the morning? How long do you take to get
ready and do breakfast?
Step 2 - Hypothesis: If you slept late at night, then you woke up late this morning,
causing you to miss the CAT bus stop this morning.
Step 3 - Experiment: There are a group of 10 students. 5 students get a sufficient
amount of sleep and wake up refreshed and early. This is your control group. The other
5 students sleep late at night and wake up later in the morning. This is your experimental
group. Record how many students miss the bus for 1 week.
Step 4 - Results and Conclusion: Based on the data that you gathered from the students
in the control and experimental groups, make a conclusion of whether sleeping late and
waking up late causes you to miss the bus stop or not.
5. What are the 3 subatomic particles of an atom, draw and label a diagram of a
carbon atom and explain how carbon-12 is different from carbon-14
A typical atom consists of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Most of an atom's mass is in the nucleus - a small, dense area at the center of every
atom, composed of nucleons. Nucleons include protons and neutrons. All the positive
Sara Farheen
charge of an atom is contained in the

nucleus, and originates from the protons.
Neutrons are neutrally-charged.
Electrons, which are negatively-charged,
are located outside of the nucleus.
The difference between Carbon-12 and
Carbon-14 is the number of neutrons in
each of their atoms. Carbon-12 has 6
neutrons while Carbon-14 has 8 neutrons.
6. Differentiate between covalent, ionic, and hydrogen bonds in terms of strength and the
actions of the electrons.
A covalent bond forms when two or more atoms
share electrons. Molecules are chemical structures
held together by covalent bonds; compounds are
molecules formed with 2 or more elements.
Ions are atoms or a group of atoms with a positive or
negative electrical charge. The charge results from
an uneven number of protons and electrons.
An ionic bond
results from the mutual attraction of oppositely
charged ions. It is a bond between atoms where
electrons are transferred from one atom to
another. Ionic bonds are weaker than covalent
bonds since they do not share electrons.
When the electrons of a covalent bond are shared
unequally, the bond is called polar. The resulting
molecules are
called polar molecules. Water is an example of a polar
molecule.
Hydrogen bonds form when the slightly positive
hydrogen atoms of one water molecule are attracted to
the slightly negative oxygen atoms in another water
molecule. Hydrogen bonds are the weakest of all
bonds.
7. List the unique properties of water that make it valuable to biological systems.
The unique properties of water, such as its high heat capacity, high heat of vaporization,
and its superior ability as a dissolving agent, can be traced to its polarity.
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8. Define pH, explain the range of the pH scale, and tell which values indicate acid
and which values indicate base.
pH is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration; it is a measure of how acidic/basic water

is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH less than 7 is acidic. A pH greater than 7 is
basic.
Pure water is neutral. But when chemicals are mixed with water, the mixture can become
either acidic or basic. Examples of acidic substances are vinegar and lemon juice. Milk
and ammonia are examples of basic substances.
Acids release hydrogen ions (H+) when placed in water and bases release hydroxide ions (OH-)
when added to water
9. Describe the structure of a polymer, including its formation through dehydration

synthesis and its breakdown through hydrolysis.
Long chains called polymers are made of repeating units called monomers. Polymers
are formed by dehydration synthesis, in which a water molecule is removed and two
monomers are joined. Polymers are broken down by hydrolysis, in which the addition of
a water molecule disrupts the bonds between two monomers.
10. Describe the structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic
acids and give an example of each.
Carbohydrates
Structure/Monomer: glucose
Function: Main source of energy
Example: Glucose, sugar, starch, fiber
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Lipids
Structure/Monomer: Not a polymer, made of mostly carbon C
and hydrogen H
Function: Store long-term energy, protect vital organs, and
form cell membranes
Example: Fats and oils
Proteins
Structure/Monomer: Amino acids - building blocks of proteins
Function: enzymes, catalyze reactions
Example: Found in meats, eggs, and dairy foods
Nucleic Acids
Structure/Monomer: Nucleotide
Function: Store genetic information
Example: DNA and RNA
11. Insert a diagram of the ATP cycle and explain how ATP
provides cells with usable energy.
ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) is an important molecule

found in all living things. It can be thought of as the
“energy currency” of the cell. If a cell needs to spend
energy to accomplish a task, the ATP molecule splits off
one of its three phosphates, becoming ADP (Adenosine
di-phosphate) + phosphate. The energy holding that
phosphate molecule is now released and available to
do work for the cell. When the cell has extra energy
(gained from breaking down food that has been
consumed or, in the case of plants, made via
photosynthesis), it stores that energy by reattaching a
free phosphate molecule to ADP, turning it back into
ATP. The ATP molecule is just like a rechargeable
battery. When it’s fully charged, it’s ATP. When it’s run
down, it’s ADP. However, the battery doesn’t get thrown
away when it’s run down–it just gets charged up again.

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Sara Farheen

Bio of Humans Practice Assignment #1

2. Describe how evolutionary relationships are reflected in modern systems of

Scientists organize living organisms in a system that demonstrates a way to demonstrate

3. Define and give examples of the following groups of organisms: population,

A population is the term we use to describe multiple individuals or organisms of a single

An ecosystem is the term used to describe

charge of an atom is contained in the

pH is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration; it is a measure of how acidic/basic water

9. Describe the structure of a polymer, including its formation through dehydration

ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) is an important molecule

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