BIO.5
The student will investigate and understand life functions of archaebacteria, monerans (eubacteria), protists, fungi, plants, and animals including humans. Key concepts include
a) how their structures an functions vary between and within the kingdoms;
b) comparison of their metabolic activities;
c) analyses of their responses to the environment;
d) maintenance of homeostasis
Please see the individual power point presentations on the kingdoms that are available(Bacteria; Kingdom Animalia, Kingdom Plantae, Animal Reproduction, Plant Reproduction)and skim through chapters in your text on these organisms. Here is a brief summary of the differences among the five kingdoms.
In the older system of classification, all bacteria are grouped into the kingdom Monera. Most schemes today divide this kingdom into two kingdoms (Bacteria and Archaebacteria) Archaebacteria do not have peptidoglycan in their cell walls. Their lipids differ from all other kingdoms. They are very widespread and are divided into three types: (1) Methanogens are obligate anerobes, combining hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide to form methane and obtain energy. They are poisoned by oxygen and are found in swamp mud. (2) Extremophiles are adapted to life in extreme environments such as hot springs, highly saline lagoons, high pressure, and very low pH. (3) Non-extremearchaebacteria which are abundant in soil and seawater and all the places where eubacteria are found. They are prokaryotic, unicellulalr, small, reproduce by binary fission and are both heterotrophic (obtain energy from others) and autotrophic (produce energy).
Bacteria have cell walls composed of peptidoglycan unlike the archaebacteria. Their ribosomal protein and enzymes involved in gene translation are also different from all other organisms. They are prokaryotic, unicellular, small, reproduce by binary fission and are both heterotrophic (obtain energy from others) and autotrophic (produce energy). Some are photosynthetic and are primary producers in both fresh and salt water. Heterotrophic bacteria are important decomposers and recycle nutrients and elements in the ecosystem. Some are anaerobic and others are aerobic. They are currently classified on the basis of shape: coccus (round), spirillum (spiral), and bacillus (rod shaped). Common disease causing bacteria are in this group.
Protists are the most diverse of the five kingdoms. Basically anything that does not fit into the other four (five) kingdoms gets thrown into this kingdom – they are eukaryotes that are not fungi, plants, or animals. It is very likely to be subdivided in the future. Many are unicellular, but others are multicellular with cell specialization such as algae. Some have cell walls, others do not. Some have external shells such as diatoms and foraminifera. Some are autotrophs (algae), some are heterotrophs (foraminifera, radiolaria). They differ in their means of locomotion: cilia (paramecium), flagella (dinoflagellates), pseudopodia (amoeba). They commonly reproduce asexually by mitosis, but under stress can reproduce sexually.
Fungi are generally multicellular (except yeasts), eukaryotic, have a cell wall, and are heterotrophs. Three phyla of fungi are differentiated by their means of reproduction. (1) Zygomycetes reproduce sexually through specialized structures called zygosporangia and include common bread mold. (2) Basidiomycetes reproduce sexually through structures called basidiomycetae and include mushrooms. (3) Ascomycetes reproduce sexually through a structure called an ascocarp or sacs called asci and include morels, truffles, and yeasts.
Plants are eukaryotic, multicellular, autotrophic, and have cell walls composed of cellulose. Plants have varied cell types organized into specialized tissues. There are four basic kinds of plants differentiated on the basis of reproductive structures and the type of vascular tissue (cells specialized for the transport of water and nutrients). (1) Non-vascular plants such as mosses do not have true roots or leaves. They are necessarily small to allow water and nutrients to enter individual cells from the environment. (2) Seedless vascular plants such as ferns have roots, stems, and leaves and reproduce through spores that are resistant to desiccation. (3) Non-flowering seed plants, or gymnosperms (naked seed), such as conifers. These are vascular plants adapted so that seeds can survive long periods of drought or other harsh conditions. (4) Flowering seed plants (angiosperms) such as roses, grasses, maples, etc. produce seeds in fruits which aid in their dispersal.
Animals are eukaryotic, multicellular, heterotrophs. They have highly differentiated tissues. Many have tissues organized into organ systems that carry out basic life functions. Most animals reproduce sexually. Meiosis produces gametes which unite to form a zygote which then passes through several stages of development. Many animals have well developed muscle systems for efficient locomotion. Animals can be subdivided into invertebrate phyla, those lacking a backbone, and vertebrates, those possessing a backbone. Most animals are invertebrates. Invertebrates are classified on the basis of the degree of cell specialization and their basic symmetry and to some extent on their manner of reproduction. Higher invertebrates such as mollusks, annelids, and arthropods have organ systems. An inexpensive dissection is squid, which can be obtained frozen & whole from fish market. Dissection of a crayfish is also instructive.
Vertebrates (chordates) have an internal skeleton, a vertebral column protecting a spinal cord, and a brain enclosed in a skull. Vertebrate classes include (1) fish, thatare classified into jawless fishes such as eels, cartilaginous fish such as rays and sharks, and bony fish. All fish have gills and the last two groups have paired fins for locomotion. (2) Amphibians such as frogs or salamanders are freshwater or terrestrial, lack scales, gills are present at some stage, eggs are laid in water & fertilized externally. (3) Reptiles such as snakes, turtles and lizards are mostly terrestrial, breathe through lungs at all stages, body covering is scales and have internal fertilization, laying amniotic eggs with a hard covering. Body temperature is regulated by behavior, as reptiles take on the temperature of the environment. (4) Birds have a body covered with feathers and forelimbs modified into wings and have internal fertilization, laying amniotic eggs with a hard covering. They are endothermic, maintaining a constant body temperature different from the environment. They have a four chambered heart, like mammals and breath with lungs (5) Mammals (including humans) have a body covering of hair; they are endothermic and have internal fertilization and development of the fetus. They breathe with lungs and nourish young with milk produced by mammary glands. The traditional vertebrate dissection is the frog, but many choose to do sharks or cats. See the websites below for examples of dissections.
This site has the best frog dissection pictures on the web.
Other dissections can be found here.
e) human health issues, human anatomy, body systems, and life functions;
Each of the foregoing power points includes human health issues and references to human organ systems where appropriate. Protista includes a number of human parasites and pathogens and the fungi include a number of toxic species. After going through these kingdoms, students usually want to know if the entire natural world is out to get us. In a word, “Yes.”
f) and,how viruses compare with organisms
Viruses can contain genetic information in DNA or RNA, however, they cannot reproduce independent of a host cell. If we examine viruses from the standpoint of the characteristics of life, they fail the test in terms of all of the characteristics of life, with the possible exception of heredity. They have no cellular organization, they have no metabolism, homeostasis, or growth and development independent of their host cell. Viruses consist of a protein coat or capsule surrounding a single strand of DNA or RNA. Viruses attach to specific sites on the host cell surface and inject their genetic material into the host cell where it is incorporated into the host cell genome. There it can remain dormant or passive, simply reproducing with the host cell, or it can enter a phase in which the host cell is taken over and reproduces many copies of the virus which are then released through cell lysis to infect other host cells.
Please see the power point on Viruses (and Prions)
After reviewing material in your textbook, go to the file labeled BIO.5 Review Response and open it in Word. Type your answers below each question and make them a distinctive readable color or font. E-mail this file as an attachment