Robert Gallo

Living Environment A

March 13, 2012

Review

Homeostasis in Organisms
Basic Biochemical Processes of Living Organisms: Storing Energy Photosynthesis

8 Without chloroplasts and light energy, the process of photosynthesis in plants would not

occur Two raw materials that are also necessary for this process are Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and

water (H20) Carbon Dioxide is needed to build carbohydrates, such as the sugar glucose In
fact, water and carbon dioxide are combined to make this simple carbohydrate of glucose,

proving why water is important along with carbon dioxide Water is also needed in the electron

transport chain

Basic Biochemical Processes of Living Organisms: Releasing Energy: Cell Respiration

17 Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are two very important processes; however, are also

extremely different For example, in photosynthesis energy comes from sunlight as solar energy
and ends up in glucose molecules as chemical bond energy; whereas, in cellular respiration
energy comes from the chemical bond energy of glucose molecules and ends up in ATP bonds

where it can be utilized for cell activities In photosynthesis, carbon dioxide gas and water are
used; both molecules come from the environment; however, in cellular respiration sugar or other
energy-rich organic food compounds and oxygen gas is used from the environment (Food is

obtained through photosynthesis in producers and by feeding in consumers Oxygen is obtained

through gas exchange ) Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells, algae, and some
one-celled organisms when they are exposed to light; whereas, respiration occurs in the cell of all

living things In most organisms, cellular respiration is concluded in mitochondria, in which

ATP is produced more efficiently Finally, photosynthesis occurs in plant cells when light is
available, which is generally during the daytime; however, cellular respiration occurs in all cells

(including plant cells) 24 hours a day

19 Yes, plants do carry out cellular respiration Cellular respiration is the process by which

food is broken down by the body's cells to produce energy, in the form of ATP molecules In

plants, some of this ATP energy is used during photosynthesis to produce sugar These sugars are

in turn broken down during cellular respiration, continuing the cycle

Basic Biochemical Processes of Living Organisms: Enzymes

33 Enzyme interactions are determined by molecular shape Molecule B has been created by

chemically bonding two other molecules for the synthesis of the new one, Molecule B After the
two molecules collide creating molecule C, the enzyme forms a temporary physical condition

with them and then separated after a reaction has occurred This new separated molecule is

represented by Molecule D, representing the product of this process digestion

34 This reaction is an illustration of digestion

35 Most enzymes have an optimum temperature at which they function most efficiently and

produce the highest reaction rate As the temperature of a cell or organism reaches its optimum
level, enzymes and the molecules they are interacting with will move faster and collide more

often, causing the reaction to increase Beyond the optimum temperature, the rate falls rapidly

because the fragile enzyme molecules begin to change shape or break apart

36 Another name for a protein catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions during cellular

respiration is an enzyme

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Feedback and Homeostasis: Feedback Mechanisms and Negative Feedback and Cell/Organ
System Interaction

49 Soon after a person eats a meal that contains carbohydrates blood glucose levels will rise
steadily for about two hours after you eat (can be shorter for some people), at that point it will

level out and remain the same for a short time After about three hours from when you last ate, it

will begin to dip again

50 Insulin affects blood sugar levels by triggering the cells to open up their glucose receptors to

allow the glucose to enter thereby lowering blood sugar concentrations

52 This process is important to the individual because the heat to evaporate the water in the

sweat comes from the skin and provides a cooling effect The body then does not overheat

53 Feedback refers to positive and negative feedback loops Normally is used to describe

hormonal changes Positive feedback is like this: You start out with a certain population The

population produces young, which increases the population, which continues to produce young

It's exponential growth; more gives you more Effect A leads to affect B, which increases effect

A, causing more effect B Negative feedback is like this; if the population is too small, the

population produces young until the population is at a reasonable height If the population is too

large, certain parts of the population become axe murderers and destroy other members of the

population until the population is at that same reasonable height Due to this positive and

negative feedback, the organism maintains homeostasis

Disease as a Failure of Homeostasis: The Immune System

65 There are many causes of diseases, including inherited disorders, exposure to toxins, poor

nutrition, organ malfunction, high-risk behaviors, etc An example of a specific disease from
inherited disorders is Down syndrome and an example of a specific disease from exposure to

toxins is radiation poisoning

66 Sometimes the immune system fails to recognize the self molecules and attacks the bodys

own cells For example, in some cases, the immune system attacks and destroys the pancreas

cells that produce insulin The result is one type of diabetes

67 The steps I would follow to prepare a vaccine to immunize people against a newly
discovered virus are as followed:

obtain pathogen
treat pathogen to kill or weaken it
inject altered pathogen (vaccine) into organism

body responds to antigens present by making antibodies and having white blood cells

attack invader
some white blood cells specific for this pathogen remain in the body for a long to
continue the protection from future attacks by the pathogen

68 There are many methods developed on how to diagnose and prevent/control a disease

For

example, to diagnose a disease doctors use X-rays, CAT scans, ultrasound, blood pressure

monitoring devices, and other methods to determine the cause or extent of the illness

An

example of how to prevent/control a disease is promoting improved sanitation measures,

including frequent hand washing, safe garbage disposal, and sewage treatment

69 Parasites survive by living and feeding on other organisms

Examples of a specific disease

that can make us ill or negatively affect body functioning are leeches and tapeworms Malaria (a
disease caused by a one-celled organism and transmitted to humans by mosquitoes) and

heartworm (a parasitic worm that lives in cats and dogs) are diseases caused by parasites

Questions for Regents Practice: Part B

20 The jar full of air fouled by breathing probably contained an excess of carbon dioxide

(CO2)

21 Plants go through respiration when they don't have sunlight Therefore the answer is

respiration

Plants go through respiration at night, and photosynthesis in the day

The plant will produce O2 (Oxygen) during the day, and CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) at night

22 The process the plant performed to produce air nearly as good as common air was

photosynthesis

23 The gas oxygen was produced by the plant in the process that improved the air in the jar

24 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is produced in the dark

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Questions for Regents Practice: Part C

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