Friday, October 28, 2011

What I Learned About Macromolecules

Most macromolecules are polymers which is a long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks linked by covalent bonds. The building blocks of a polymer are smaller and they are known as monomers. The nature of their monomers determine the class of the polymeric macromolecules. Although, the chemical mechanisms that are used to break down polymers are the same. In hydrolysis polymers are disassembled to monomers. Hydrolysis is the reverse reaction of the dehydration reaction. The bonds between monomers are broken apart by water.

images:
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ProteinStructure.jpg
-http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yellowtang.org/images/macromolecules1_tb_784.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.yellowtang.org/chemistry.php&h=483&w=732&sz=48&tbnid=CraIZjpGLwGWlM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=110&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmacromolecules%2Bchart%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=macromolecules+chart&docid=ePTm5s5q2S2IVM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wKuqTr-GPJOPigKWzeWKCw&ved=0CD0Q9QEwAw&dur=185

C3, C4, CAM plants

C3: In most plants, the first organic product of carbon fixation is a three carbon compound, 3 phosphoglycerate.
Examples of a C3 plant are rice, wheat and soy beans. These plants are important to agriculture. These plants produce less food when their stomatas close due to weather change. The calvin CYcle can no longer function with the declining of the CO2 in the leaves. Instead a process known as photorespiration takes place where oxygen is consumed. No ATP is generated.

C4: They preface the calvin cycle with a different mode of carbon fixation that forms a four carbon compound as its first product. Important members of the C4 plants that are used a lot in agriculture is sugarcane and corn. In C4 plants the two distinct types of photosynthetic cells are bundle sheath cells and mesophyll cells. Their adaptation helps them in hot weather.


CAM : (CAM= Crassulacean Acid Metabolism)Cati and pineapples for example are all water storing plants that open up their stomata  during the night and close them during the day . When they close their stomata during the day it prevents carbon dioxide from entering their leaves. The mesophyll cells store the organic acids they make during the night in their vacuoles until the morning.

images:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calvin-cycle4.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Photorespiration_eng.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:C4_photosynthesis_NADP-ME_type.svg

source: " Biology: Sixth Edition" Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece

BioChem Unit Wordle

<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4315425/Untitled" 
          title="Wordle: Untitled"><img
          src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/4315425/Untitled"
          alt="Wordle: Untitled"
          style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"></a>
 
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The cell is fundamental to biology. It is the key component to life. The cell is a living unit 
greater than the sum of its parts. Animal cells and Plant cells are very similar, plant cells 
dont not contain lysosomes,centrioles, and flagella whereas in a animal cell it does not contain chloroplasts, 
central vacuole and tonoplast, a cell wall, and plasmodesmata.The mitochondria and chloroplasts are the main 
energy transformers of energy in a cell. Cells recycle the ATP they use for work. ATP transfers phosphate groups to
various substrates, getting them ready to do work. Eletrons fall from organic molecules to oxygen during cellular respiration.
Glycolysis harvests chemical energy by oxidizing glucose to pyruvate. Whereas in a Krebs Cycle the energy yielding
oxidation of organic molecules is completed.
source: "Biology: Sixth Edition" Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Ecology Unit Wordle

<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4314831/ecology_unit" 
          title="Wordle: ecology unit"><img
          src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/4314831/ecology_unit"
          alt="Wordle: ecology unit"
          style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"></a>
 
 
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In the Ecology Unit living organisms are tested upon their survival in their own environment. Ecosystems are made up of many species that create 
different populations. There are different biomes that species are found in. Where the species live is where they are able to attain most resources in 
a attempt to be most dominant species to survive and reproduce. In order to survive species must live in a environment where resources are plentiful and predation is low.