Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review)
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses a potential project of creating a comprehensive summary of biology videos to help viewers review and connect key concepts. The discussion highlights the transformation of scientific concepts into easily digestible summaries around topics like the classification of organisms, the characteristics of life, cellular structures, and various biological processes such as photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and genetics. Through playful interaction, the presenters underscore the utility of such summaries in grasping complex details about life sciences, while stressing the interconnectedness of biological systems and the importance of recognizing the broader relevance of the material beyond examination purposes.
Takeaways
- 📹 Videos provide complex information in engaging ways.
- 🧬 Classification highlights the use of scientific names.
- 🔬 Cells are foundational to life's structure.
- 🔍 Enzymes need specific conditions to work.
- 🌿 Photosynthesis and respiration are central life processes.
- 🌊 Diffusion aids in cellular transport.
- 🔎 DNA replication is key for cell division.
- 🥚 Meiosis creates diverse gametes for reproduction.
- 🌍 Bacteria support ecosystems and digestion.
- 🦠 Viruses challenge definitions of life.
Timeline
- 00:00:00 - 00:05:00
The conversation begins with a discussion about creating a "TL;DR" version of their biology videos, possibly as a helpful recap tool. They touch on the idea that such a video could provide a summary of the main points, helping viewers make connections between various pieces of content across the biology playlist.
- 00:05:00 - 00:10:00
They discuss characteristics that define life and explore biological levels of organization. Life’s complexity and biological structures, including the cell as the basic unit, are emphasized. They summarize the hierarchy from cells to ecosystems and introduce biomolecules like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids with their respective functions and structures.
- 00:10:00 - 00:15:00
The importance of enzymes in biological reactions is described, alongside a comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Membrane functions, including passive and active transport like diffusion and osmosis, are explained as vital for cellular homeostasis.
- 00:15:00 - 00:20:00
Delving into cellular respiration and photosynthesis, they explain how mitochondria and chloroplasts function within eukaryotic cells. The reciprocal nature of the chemical equations for these processes is noted, illustrating the interconnectedness of biological systems.
- 00:20:00 - 00:25:00
The discussion moves to genetics, covering chromosomes, DNA replication, and the cell cycle. Emphasis is placed on how DNA structures genetic information and the processes that lead to new cells, featuring key player enzymes and phases in cell cycles such as mitosis and meiosis.
- 00:25:00 - 00:30:00
The explanation shifts to inheritance patterns, focusing on Mendelian genetics, Punnett squares, and non-Mendelian inheritance. Terms like alleles, genotypes, and phenotypes are clarified, with examples of how genetic variation arises through processes like crossing over during meiosis.
- 00:30:00 - 00:35:00
Ecological relationships and cycles such as water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles are discussed, highlighting their crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance. Concepts of natural selection and genetic drift are distinguished, noting the random and non-random evolutions within populations.
- 00:35:00 - 00:41:28
The video wraps up by explaining how various biological systems operate and interact, underlining the integration of the human body systems and ecological succession. Emphasis is placed on understanding the interconnected nature of biology and its relevance beyond just academic assessments.
Mind Map
Video Q&A
What is the 'danger guppy'?
The 'danger guppy' is a reference from a video about classification, highlighting the importance of scientific names over common names.
What is discussed about cell theory in the video?
The cell theory notes the cell as the smallest living unit, all living things are made of cells, and all cells come from pre-existing cells.
How are enzymes described in the video?
Enzymes are proteins that have active sites for substrate binding, speeding up reactions, and they require specific temperature and pH ranges to function properly.
What is meant by 'facilitated diffusion'?
Facilitated diffusion is a type of passive transport where molecules move across a membrane through a protein carrier without energy.
How is DNA replication initiated in cells?
DNA replication initiates with helicase unwinding the DNA and primase setting down primers for DNA polymerase to build new strands.
What does meiosis result in?
Meiosis results in four haploid gametes (sperm or egg cells) that are genetically diverse due to processes like crossing over.
How are bacteria beneficial?
Bacteria aid in digestion, act as decomposers, produce certain foods, and fix nitrogen for plant use.
Why aren't viruses considered living?
Viruses aren't considered living as they are not cellular, can't reproduce independently, and don't respond to antibiotics.
How do plants perform photosynthesis?
Plants perform photosynthesis using chloroplasts to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, requiring sunlight.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is an evolutionary mechanism where organisms with beneficial traits tend to reproduce more, influencing population traits over time.
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- 00:00:00Captions are on! Click CC button at bottom right to turn off.
- 00:00:04Petunia, we have so many videos now.
- 00:00:07Every once in a while, I’ll come across one of your pictures and be reminded all about
- 00:00:10the topic again ---I love them so much.
- 00:00:12Aw, thanks.
- 00:00:14Remember the danger guppy?
- 00:00:15I LOVE the danger guppy.
- 00:00:18Ha!
- 00:00:19Which video was that for?
- 00:00:20Classification.
- 00:00:21Remember, we were talking about how a scientific name is much more reliable than a common name?
- 00:00:25Especially a made up common name?
- 00:00:27Oh yeeeah.
- 00:00:28Sometimes I forget what I’ve drawn.
- 00:00:31You…forget?
- 00:00:32Well, every video has like 200 pictures.
- 00:00:35If I don’t go back and watch the videos, I tend to forget.
- 00:00:38And I mean, we have like more than 50 videos soooo that would take a long time.
- 00:00:43I guess I’d be more inclined to do that if we had like a TL;DR version.
- 00:00:46A what?
- 00:00:47You know – too long, didn’t read?
- 00:00:50A summary of sorts?
- 00:00:52Like a refresher just covering the main points.
- 00:00:54A refresher…
- 00:00:55Now wait a minute, I didn't mean that we actually need to create –
- 00:00:59But we DO.
- 00:01:00I mean, we’ve made quite a few videos now in our biology playlist.
- 00:01:03And if someone was reviewing, we could have this recap video, this stroll through the
- 00:01:08playlist!
- 00:01:09Yeah but–
- 00:01:10Now this one video would be way longer than our short videos, obviously, but it could
- 00:01:13be a useful study tool to connect the main pieces of the content together.
- 00:01:17Granted, it would only have main points.
- 00:01:20Not everything.
- 00:01:21I guess that would be helpful...I just don't think we-
- 00:01:24Also, this stroll would be meant to be paused a lot.
- 00:01:27There’s so much vocabulary in biology.
- 00:01:29We’ll get Gus in on this; he can hold up the “pause” sign so people know when to
- 00:01:34pause the video so we can even ask the viewer questions.
- 00:01:37And if the questions are difficult to answer, that may be a good indicator to check out
- 00:01:41the video it corresponds to.
- 00:01:42Are you ready to stroll, Petunia?
- 00:01:44Uhhhh…
- 00:01:45Actually this is going to be kind of a brisk stroll.
- 00:01:47And because it only covers a short part of each concept, never forget biology is full
- 00:01:51of more exceptions and details than we can cover.
- 00:01:54But that’s great for more exploring.
- 00:01:56We start with characteristics of life.
- 00:01:59What makes an organism alive or not alive anyway?
- 00:02:02Life is difficult to define, and there are exceptions when looking at characteristics
- 00:02:06of life.
- 00:02:07We went through some characteristics between my bathtub grown pony (a long story) and a
- 00:02:11real pony, but we didn’t want to put numbers on the characteristics of life because we
- 00:02:15didn’t want to suggest that these are the only characteristics that one could argue.
- 00:02:19So here’s your first pause question- can you think of some characteristics of life
- 00:02:25to include?
- 00:02:26[PAUSE] We also noted in the video they could certainly be titled differently, but here
- 00:02:31they are!
- 00:02:32But this may get you thinking of what’s living and what’s not.
- 00:02:35When studying biology, the study of life, it’s important to understand the biological
- 00:02:41levels of organization.
- 00:02:43Meaning these levels start small.
- 00:02:45The smallest living unit being the cell---that’s part of the cell theory after all.
- 00:02:49The cell theory includes that the cell is the smallest living unit in all organisms,
- 00:02:53that all living things are made up of cells, and what else?
- 00:02:57[PAUSE] Ah, yes, that all cells come from pre-existing cells.
- 00:03:03So cells combined together make up tissues, tissues make up organs, organs make up organ
- 00:03:09systems, organ systems are part of an organism!
- 00:03:13An individual organism.
- 00:03:15Individuals can be part of a population- they’re all the same species.
- 00:03:18A community---now you’re including different species.
- 00:03:22Can you keep leveling up?
- 00:03:24[PAUSE] So the next larger level after community would be ecosystem…at that level you’re
- 00:03:31including abiotic factors which are nonliving factors.
- 00:03:34Rocks.
- 00:03:35Or temperature.
- 00:03:37Next level is biome.
- 00:03:39And then with biomes combined, all parts of the living world- the biosphere.
- 00:03:44Let’s focus on living organisms.
- 00:03:47Biomolecules are part of living organisms.
- 00:03:50We mentioned four of these major macromolecules---can you name them here with their building blocks?
- 00:03:56[PAUSE] Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
- 00:04:03And here are their building blocks: monosaccharides, fatty acid & glycerol, amino acids, and nucleotides.
- 00:04:10These building blocks are considered true monomers for carbs, proteins, and nucleic
- 00:04:13acids.
- 00:04:14Can you think of some important functions for any of these biomolecules?
- 00:04:18[PAUSE] Ok, Petunia, bring out some functions.
- 00:04:22These are just SOME functions---we wouldn’t exist without these large molecules of life!
- 00:04:27And their structures are---just beautiful----we included a popular mnemonic to remember some
- 00:04:32of the major elements they contain in their structures as well.
- 00:04:36Most enzymes are made of proteins.
- 00:04:38Can you describe some of the vocabulary associated with the enzyme?
- 00:04:41[PAUSE] Well, you can see this enzyme has an active site where a substrate binds.
- 00:04:47Enzymes can speed up reactions.
- 00:04:49Enzymes have the ability to break down or build up the substrates that they act upon.
- 00:04:54And ta-da: products!
- 00:04:56An example of why we care?
- 00:04:57Well, consider the specific, different digestive enzymes that are specific for breaking down
- 00:05:02fats or sugars or proteins.
- 00:05:05But enzymes typically have a specific temperature and pH range that they need to be in to work
- 00:05:11correctly.
- 00:05:12And what happens if enzymes can’t stay in their ideal temperature or pH range?
- 00:05:17[PAUSE] That’s right, they can denature.
- 00:05:21Enzymes play a major role within cells.
- 00:05:23We have oh so many videos on cells that you may wish to explore.
- 00:05:27We explain the differences between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells using the popular
- 00:05:32mnemonic that “pro” rhymes with no and “eu” rhymes with do but what does that
- 00:05:37actually reference to?
- 00:05:39[PAUSE] Prokaryotic cells have no nucleus nor the other fancy membrane bound organelles.
- 00:05:45But “eu” rhymes with do and eukaryotic cells do have a nucleus and other membrane
- 00:05:50bound organelles.
- 00:05:52Prokaryotes include bacteria and archaea.
- 00:05:54Eukaryotes include plants, animals, protists, and fungi.
- 00:05:59Can you think of some things that prokaryotic cells would have in common with eukaryotic
- 00:06:04cells?
- 00:06:05[PAUSE] So just to name a few: DNA, cytoplasm, ribosomes and a cell membrane would be included
- 00:06:11in both.
- 00:06:12In our “Intro to Cells” video, we explore a lot of membrane-bound organelles that would
- 00:06:16be found exclusively in eukaryotes such as the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi
- 00:06:22apparatus, and mitochondria.
- 00:06:25Plant cells and animal cells can have some differences between them as well.
- 00:06:28Let’s consider the cell membrane, also known as a plasma membrane.
- 00:06:32It is a part of all living cells so why is it so important?
- 00:06:37[PAUSE] Remember all cells have a membrane---regardless of whether or not they may have a cell wall.
- 00:06:43The membrane is a big deal for homeostasis because it controls what goes in and out of
- 00:06:49the cell.
- 00:06:50The membrane is made up of these phospholipids which have polar heads and nonpolar tails.
- 00:06:55Some molecules move passively through the membrane without a need for added energy-
- 00:06:59that’s called passive transport.
- 00:07:02Simple diffusion---and facilitated diffusion (which is through a protein)---are examples
- 00:07:07of passive transport.
- 00:07:09In those cases, solutes travel with the gradient.
- 00:07:13Active transport though can involve using ATP to force molecules to move in the opposite
- 00:07:18direction of the gradient.
- 00:07:20So is this example simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, or active transport and how do
- 00:07:27you know?
- 00:07:28[PAUSE] Well it’s not active transport---you can tell the molecules are traveling with
- 00:07:33the gradient without a need for ATP.
- 00:07:35It’s not simple diffusion because it does seem to require a protein.
- 00:07:40It’s facilitated diffusion!
- 00:07:42And that’s passive.
- 00:07:43Water molecules can travel directly across a semi-permeable membrane as they are so small,
- 00:07:49or they can travel through proteins called aquaporins – that is more efficient.
- 00:07:54Water traveling through the membrane is called osmosis.
- 00:07:57Like diffusion, water molecules do travel from an area where there is a high concentration
- 00:08:01of water molecules to an area of low concentration of water molecules.
- 00:08:05But we mention there’s another way to look at osmosis.
- 00:08:09You can also look at it as water traveling to areas where there is a higher solute concentration---as
- 00:08:15the water concentration is less there.
- 00:08:18So to determine the net movement of water in osmosis, look for the hypertonic area,
- 00:08:25the areas of high solute concentration.
- 00:08:28A cell that is placed in a salty solution can lose water because the net movement of
- 00:08:33water is to the area of high solute concentration.
- 00:08:37One reason why you should not drink a lot of salt water…it’s very dehydrating.
- 00:08:41Check to see if you can explain this graphic using the vocabulary hypertonic, hypotonic,
- 00:08:47and isotonic.
- 00:08:48[PAUSE]
- 00:08:49Let’s move beyond the membrane here and take a look at these organelles: the mitochondria
- 00:08:55and chloroplasts.
- 00:08:57In eukaryotes, cellular respiration involves the mitochondria and photosynthesis involves
- 00:09:02the chloroplasts.
- 00:09:04Cellular respiration involves the breakdown of glucose (sugar) to yield ATP.
- 00:09:10All organisms must make ATP in some way or another.
- 00:09:14Yes, this includes plants.
- 00:09:16And amoebas.
- 00:09:17If oxygen isn’t available, some organisms---like bacteria or yeast---can do anaerobic respiration
- 00:09:26or fermentation to make their ATP.
- 00:09:29So what do these chemical equations [cellular respiration and photosynthesis] have in common?
- 00:09:32[PAUSE] Well one thing that is interesting is that these reactants and products are switched
- 00:09:38here.
- 00:09:39Although that doesn't mean they are simply the reverse of each other.
- 00:09:41Keep in mind that they have many different steps within them that make them very different.
- 00:09:46Photosynthesis produces glucose (sugar) using sunlight energy.
- 00:09:51Not everything can do photosynthesis.
- 00:09:53In eukaryotic cells, it occurs in the chloroplasts.
- 00:09:56So moving beyond the mitochondria and chloroplasts, let’s take a look at this nucleus of a eukaryotic
- 00:10:03cell.
- 00:10:04Guess what’s in here?
- 00:10:06DNA!
- 00:10:07DNA is a nucleic acid, and nucleic acids are one of the types of biomolecules.
- 00:10:10It contains your genetic information, and your entire DNA code is found in almost all
- 00:10:15of your body cells, although genes can be turned on or off in different cells.
- 00:10:20Let’s zoom into the monomer of DNA, a nucleotide.
- 00:10:23Nucleotides have a phosphate, deoxyribose, and a nitrogenous base.
- 00:10:30Which part of these do you think is critical for determining genetic information?
- 00:10:35[PAUSE] Yep, the base.
- 00:10:37Well, that is, the sequence of them.
- 00:10:40And this mnemonic, “Apples in the Tree; Car in the Garage” can help you remember
- 00:10:44that the bases adenine and thymine pair together.
- 00:10:47Cytosine and guanine pair together.
- 00:10:49DNA can be tightly coiled and condensed into these units called chromosomes.
- 00:10:54The number of chromosomes in humans is 46.
- 00:10:57How many do you receive from each parent?
- 00:11:00[PAUSE] Well, you would receive 23 from the female parent and 23 from the male parent.
- 00:11:06That’s really important later on when we talk about cell division, because chromosomes
- 00:11:11are more portable when it comes to cells dividing.
- 00:11:14Zooming back out, DNA is made up of two anti-parallel strands.
- 00:11:19One strand runs 5’ to 3’---and the other strand runs 3’ to 5’.
- 00:11:25Now, your body cells have to make copies of their DNA.
- 00:11:29Why?
- 00:11:30[PAUSE] When you make a new body cell- which you make body cells for growth and repair-
- 00:11:36you need DNA to go into that new body cell as that is its genetic material.
- 00:11:41Hence the need for DNA replication.
- 00:11:44Making more DNA.
- 00:11:46We have some major key player enzymes here- can you remember what these key players do?
- 00:11:51[PAUSE] DNA must be unwound by an enzyme called helicase.
- 00:11:55Primase is an enzyme that sets down primers.
- 00:11:59Primers are needed because another enzyme called DNA Polymerase requires them in order
- 00:12:04to start building.
- 00:12:05DNA Polymerase builds the new strand in the 5’ to 3’ direction only.
- 00:12:10And because of that directional building, one of these new strands will be a lagging
- 00:12:14strand as DNA polymerase has to keep racing up here next to where the unwinding is going
- 00:12:19on.
- 00:12:20This causes fragments on the lagging strand known as Okazaki fragments.
- 00:12:25Ligase can eventually be involved in sealing those fragments together.
- 00:12:30So we mentioned that you have to replicate DNA before you make new cells.
- 00:12:34That’s a controlled event that happens in something known as the cell cycle.
- 00:12:37Do you remember the cell cycle phases, often shown in a pie chart like this?
- 00:12:43[PAUSE] The cell cycle includes G1 (the cell is growing), S phase (synthesis of DNA- that’s
- 00:12:50when the DNA replicates), G2 (cell grows some more to prepare for dividing), and then M
- 00:12:56phase which includes mitosis and cytokinesis.
- 00:13:00G1, S, and G2 are all part of interphase so the cell is not dividing during that time.
- 00:13:08But once it enters M phase, it divides.
- 00:13:11There are checkpoints that control whether a cell can continue through the cycle.
- 00:13:15If a cell doesn’t meet the checkpoint requirements, it is either fixed or it must undergo apoptosis
- 00:13:21which means the cell destroys itself.
- 00:13:24This highly regulated cell cycle is controlled by many different proteins- some that we mentioned
- 00:13:29included Cdk, cyclin, and p53.
- 00:13:33Cancer cells are body cells that do not respond correctly to these checkpoints and tend to
- 00:13:39divide out of control.
- 00:13:41They can also have other problems such as making too much of their own growth factors,
- 00:13:46not anchoring properly, and not functioning correctly.
- 00:13:50Now, we mentioned this cell cycle has M phase which includes mitosis.
- 00:13:55So what is mitosis?
- 00:13:58Mitosis is part of cell division.
- 00:14:00What kind of cells does it make?
- 00:14:03[PAUSE] In humans and many other organisms, it makes identical body cells.
- 00:14:08Like skin cells making skin cells or stomach cells making stomach cells.
- 00:14:12Great for growth of an organism or replacement of worn out cells.
- 00:14:17During mitosis, chromosomes- which are condensed forms of DNA and protein- can be moved more
- 00:14:22easily into the newly formed daughter cell.
- 00:14:25We went over the PMAT mnemonic to remember the stages- prophase, metaphase, anaphase,
- 00:14:31and telophase.
- 00:14:33Cytokinesis splits the cytoplasm and completely divides the actual cell.
- 00:14:37What’s really easy to confuse with mitosis?
- 00:14:42Meiosis.
- 00:14:43Kind of wish they didn’t sound so close.
- 00:14:45Anyway what kind of cells does meiosis make?
- 00:14:48[PAUSE] In humans and many other organisms, meiosis makes gametes which are critical for
- 00:14:54sexual reproduction.
- 00:14:57Otherwise known as sperm and egg cells, these gametes have half the number of chromosomes
- 00:15:02as a body cell.
- 00:15:03Gametes are haploid---meaning they have one set of chromosomes.
- 00:15:08Body cells are diploid---meaning they have two sets of chromosomes.
- 00:15:12PMAT happens twice here in meiosis.
- 00:15:15You have your starting cell here which is diploid.
- 00:15:18It goes through prophase I, metaphase I, anaphase I, and telophase I.
- 00:15:23Then cytokinesis happens and it makes 2 cells.
- 00:15:26Then those cells go through prophase 2, metaphase 2, anaphase 2, and telophase 2.
- 00:15:33After cytokinesis, this results in 4 haploid cells as these sperm cells shown here.
- 00:15:39These cells are all different from each other due to independent assortment and a process
- 00:15:44known as crossing over.
- 00:15:46So what is crossing over again and when does it happen?
- 00:15:50[PAUSE] Crossing over happens during prophase I and it’s when pairs of homologous chromosome
- 00:15:57can transfer information between each other.
- 00:16:00So since meiosis is an important process for making sperm and egg cells for sexual reproduction
- 00:16:06in humans and many other organisms, how is this involved with the alleles and genes that
- 00:16:11a baby organism may inherit?
- 00:16:14Remember that in humans, a sperm cell has 23 chromosomes and an egg cell has 23 chromosomes.
- 00:16:21When they come together in a fertilized egg, that is 46 chromosomes.
- 00:16:26Portions of the chromosomes are genes that can code for specific traits.
- 00:16:30Many traits actually involve multiple genes.
- 00:16:32Genes can come in varieties known as alleles.
- 00:16:36Alleles are forms of a gene.
- 00:16:38For example, we talk about the trait of tasting or not tasting the chemical PTC.
- 00:16:44If treating this as a single gene trait, we would say the gene is a PTC tasting gene.
- 00:16:51But the allele that could be on a chromosome, which is a form of the gene, could be tasting
- 00:16:56(in this case we used a capital letter T to indicate it’s a dominant allele) or non-tasting
- 00:17:03(in this case, we used a lowercase letter t to indicate it’s a recessive allele).
- 00:17:09In Mendelian inheritance, recessive alleles are expressed if the dominant allele is not
- 00:17:14present.
- 00:17:15So someone who inherits a homozygous dominant genotype of TT would have a phenotype that
- 00:17:23is PTC tasting.
- 00:17:26What would the phenotypes be of these other two?
- 00:17:29[PAUSE] Someone who inherits a heterozygous Tt genotype would have a phenotype that is
- 00:17:37also PTC tasting.
- 00:17:40Only someone who inherits a homozygous recessive tt genotype would have a phenotype that is
- 00:17:46non PTC tasting.
- 00:17:48Again, assuming it is a single gene trait, and as we mentioned in the video- it may be
- 00:17:53more complex than that.
- 00:17:56So speaking of alleles and genes, it’s time for the super brisk stroll through different
- 00:18:00types of genetics we have covered.
- 00:18:03We started with basic Mendelian monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.
- 00:18:06Could you explain, in your own words, how to complete these Punnett squares and how
- 00:18:11to write out the genotype and phenotype ratios of the offspring?
- 00:18:16[PAUSE] To get help with the answer to these questions, check out the videos on these two
- 00:18:22topics specifically because there are multiple steps to solving these.
- 00:18:26Then we talked about some non-Mendelian inheritance including sex-linked traits and multiple alleles
- 00:18:34– if these look unfamiliar, you might want to review those videos as well.
- 00:18:38We also mentioned incomplete dominance and codominance.
- 00:18:42What is the difference between incomplete dominance and codominance?
- 00:18:47[PAUSE] This graphic may help- notice in codominance both alleles are expressed!
- 00:18:53In incomplete dominance, you can see how the phenotype can have an almost “in-between”
- 00:18:59appearance of the two traits---there is not complete dominance when both of these alleles
- 00:19:03are present.
- 00:19:04Finally, we have a video on pedigrees.
- 00:19:07Pedigrees can be used to track a trait of interest whether it be a sex-linked trait
- 00:19:12or an autosomal trait.
- 00:19:14In a pedigree, individuals that are female are represented by circles, males are represented
- 00:19:19by squares, and individuals that have the trait being tracked are represented by circles
- 00:19:23or squares that are shaded.
- 00:19:25Now, when we’re talking about these fascinating traits, you might wonder---how does DNA actually
- 00:19:30code for your traits?
- 00:19:32Well DNA can code for proteins and proteins are involved with many traits.
- 00:19:37Proteins are involved in transport, in structure, in acting as enzymes that make all kinds of
- 00:19:42materials, in protecting the body…and so much more.
- 00:19:45Your eye color is due to proteins involved in pigment production.
- 00:19:49So protein synthesis- that is making proteins- is a big deal.
- 00:19:54Do you remember the two major steps in protein synthesis?
- 00:19:58[PAUSE] First step is transcription---which makes mRNA within the nucleus.
- 00:20:04The second step is translation---which takes place in the ribosome and makes a chain of
- 00:20:10amino acids known as a polypeptide.
- 00:20:13Proteins can be made up of 1 or more of these polypeptide chains.
- 00:20:18We also mention other forms of RNA such as rRNA and tRNA as well as how to read a codon
- 00:20:26chart to determine which amino acids are produced.
- 00:20:29Proteins often need folding to be fully functional- we have a video clip on protein folding and
- 00:20:34structure too.
- 00:20:36Now on the subject of this codon chart, you will notice that the bases are read in threes
- 00:20:41to determine a specific amino acid.
- 00:20:44These three bases on the mRNA are known as a codon.
- 00:20:47tRNA has an anticodon on it that complements the mRNA codon.
- 00:20:53tRNAs also carry the corresponding amino acid.
- 00:20:57But what if there is a mutation in the DNA or mRNA?
- 00:21:01When we talk about mutations, we first mentioned gene mutations.
- 00:21:06This can include substitution, deletion, or insertion.
- 00:21:10Do you remember which of these are more likely to result in a frameshift mutation?
- 00:21:14[PAUSE] A frameshift is a shift in the reading frame.
- 00:21:19Bases are read in threes so a frameshift mutation is more commonly caused by an insertion or
- 00:21:24deletion.
- 00:21:25If you add or delete a base, it’s possible to change the entire reading frame depending
- 00:21:31on where it occurs.
- 00:21:33With substitution, you typically would only affect one codon.
- 00:21:36Now not every change in the base means the amino acid will be different.
- 00:21:41See how all of these codons still code for the amino acid leucine?
- 00:21:45We also discussed chromosomal mutations.
- 00:21:48Can you name and describe some chromosomal mutations?
- 00:21:52[PAUSE] We mentioned duplication, deletion, inversion, and translocation.
- 00:21:59As mentioned, mutations can be neutral.
- 00:22:02They can also be harmful or, potentially, even beneficial.
- 00:22:07But the mutations are random- the organism doesn’t will itself to mutate or have some
- 00:22:12certain trait.
- 00:22:13This is a good time to talk about natural selection.
- 00:22:17Take these frogs, sitting on logs.
- 00:22:19They are all the same species.
- 00:22:21There can be variety though within the species- due to processes like independent assortment
- 00:22:27and crossing over during meiosis or from mutations.
- 00:22:31The frogs in this population with a darker color blend into this particular environment
- 00:22:36more easily.
- 00:22:38A predator may have a higher chance of consuming the lighter, easier to see green frogs.
- 00:22:44The darker green frogs may have more fitness than the lighter frogs.
- 00:22:48Fitness, in the biological sense, is determined by not how strong they are or how long they
- 00:22:54live---but by how many offspring they have.
- 00:22:57These darker green frogs pass down their DNA to their offspring.
- 00:23:01The new baby frogs will have DNA from their parents.
- 00:23:05The lighter green frogs are being selected against since they are easier to see in this
- 00:23:09particular habitat.
- 00:23:11Over a long period of time, you could expect to see a higher frequency of darker frogs
- 00:23:17in the population.
- 00:23:18This mechanism of evolution is known as natural selection, which acts on populations.
- 00:23:24So how does natural selection compare to genetic drift?
- 00:23:29Well both genetic drift and natural selection are mechanisms of evolution.
- 00:23:35In natural selection, organisms with traits that result in high reproductive fitness tend
- 00:23:40to be more frequent in a population over time.
- 00:23:44But with genetic drift, the organisms that survive and have offspring were randomly selected---they
- 00:23:50are not necessarily more biologically fit- instead it’s more that the organisms won
- 00:23:55the game of chance from an event.
- 00:23:57Check out the bottleneck effect and founder effect which are forms of this.
- 00:24:02We mention in our natural selection video an example involving bacteria and antibiotic
- 00:24:07resistance that continues to be a great concern in our world.
- 00:24:11But let’s talk more about bacteria in general.
- 00:24:15Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotes; some can make their own food (they’re autotrophs)
- 00:24:20and some consume organic material (they’re heterotrophs).
- 00:24:23Being prokaryotes, they don’t have a nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles, but they
- 00:24:29still have genetic material, cytoplasm, and ribosomes.
- 00:24:33Bacteria can come in a range of shapes.
- 00:24:36Bacteria often get a reputation for being bad pathogens, and there are many that can
- 00:24:41be, although not all bacteria are harmful.
- 00:24:44Bacteria can also be very helpful for organisms and ecosystems.
- 00:24:49Can you think of some examples of bacteria being helpful?
- 00:24:53Some examples of helpful bacteria roles include breaking down food in our digestive
- 00:24:59system, acting as decomposers, making some foods that we eat, and fixing nitrogen for
- 00:25:05plants.
- 00:25:06But as for harmful bacteria, they can be treated with antibiotics.
- 00:25:11Examples of bacterial infections include strep throat, tooth decay, or tetanus.
- 00:25:17When we start thinking about bacteria, our minds may wander to viruses.
- 00:25:22How are bacteria and viruses similar and how are they different?
- 00:25:27If you watch our viruses video, you will hear some reasons why viruses are not
- 00:25:32considered to be living organisms although debate still exists on calling them non-living.
- 00:25:38Unlike bacteria, viruses are not prokaryotes; viruses don’t even consist of cells.
- 00:25:44But viruses do have genetic material (DNA or RNA).
- 00:25:48Viruses typically have a protein coat known as a capsid.
- 00:25:52Some viruses have envelopes, and some diseases that viruses cause include the common cold,
- 00:25:58HIV, or influenza (the flu).
- 00:26:02Unlike bacteria though, viruses don’t respond to antibiotics.
- 00:26:06While bacteria can reproduce by splitting in something called binary fission, viruses
- 00:26:11actually require a host to reproduce.
- 00:26:14Viruses reproduce using the lytic or lysogenic cycle- definitely something to revisit if
- 00:26:20you have forgotten.
- 00:26:21While viruses are not considered to be living organisms, bacteria are.
- 00:26:25So are archaea, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.
- 00:26:31We mention that archaea are unicellular prokaryotes and many can live in extreme environments;
- 00:26:37they can be either autotrophs or heterotrophs.
- 00:26:40Protists are mostly unicellular but can be multicellular- this diverse group can be made
- 00:26:45up of autotrophs or heterotrophs.
- 00:26:48Fungi are typically multicellular but they can be unicellular.
- 00:26:52Fungi are heterotrophs; many can act as decomposers.
- 00:26:55We’ll get to plants and animal systems a bit later.
- 00:26:59So how do we classify living organisms?
- 00:27:01Well, first of all, all of life can be organized into three domains.
- 00:27:06Can you recall what those domains are? Those domains are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
- 00:27:14Consider looking at the classification video to refresh your memory of characteristics
- 00:27:18of these domains.
- 00:27:19But we can get more specific than domains, right?
- 00:27:22Can you remember those taxonomy levels that come after domain?
- 00:27:26They are Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
- 00:27:32And this was our mnemonic to help you remember, but you may have one that is more memorable.
- 00:27:37The thing about classification is that it is changing as we learn more about relatedness
- 00:27:42from DNA evidence.
- 00:27:44Scientific names tend to be able to be used everywhere, often having Latin or Greek roots,
- 00:27:49and they are definitely more reliable than common names which can vary by language or
- 00:27:54location.
- 00:27:55Or…in this case…be completely made up.
- 00:27:57Let’s take some time to focus on a kingdom that provides a significant amount of the
- 00:28:01oxygen that we breathe.
- 00:28:03A talented kingdom of autotrophs, which means, they make their own food.
- 00:28:07Plants.
- 00:28:08And if they are going to make their own food using photosynthesis, they are definitely
- 00:28:12going to need to have structure that helps them do so.
- 00:28:15To do photosynthesis, plants need water.
- 00:28:18How do they get water?
- 00:28:19Nonvascular plants get their water by osmosis.
- 00:28:22Kind of like soaking up water like a sponge.
- 00:28:25How is that different from a vascular plant?
- 00:28:28Vascular plants have two major types of vessels.
- 00:28:33The xylem, which carries water, and the phloem, which can carry photosynthesis products such
- 00:28:38as sugar, throughout the plant.
- 00:28:40How about light?
- 00:28:42We mention that plant cells have chloroplasts to capture light energy.
- 00:28:46To do photosynthesis, plants need carbon dioxide.
- 00:28:49Many plants have these fascinating little openings—pores really---called “stomata.”
- 00:28:55Stomata have a major role in gas exchange.
- 00:28:58Gases like CO2 can flow in through these openings.
- 00:29:01Guard cells can control the opening and closing of the stomata.
- 00:29:05When might stomata need to be closed?
- 00:29:09One example is on a very hot day when the plant has low water.
- 00:29:14So staying on the topic of plants, how do they reproduce?
- 00:29:18Well, many plants can reproduce asexually as mentioned with my spider plants.
- 00:29:23But many plants, spider plants included, can reproduce sexually.
- 00:29:27We only covered sexual reproduction in flowering plants at the time of this stroll, otherwise
- 00:29:33known as reproduction in angiosperms.
- 00:29:35Angiosperms typically have petals to attract pollinators and many offer nectar to attract
- 00:29:41them as well.
- 00:29:43Many angiosperms have sepals which protect the developing flower bud.
- 00:29:47Ok, so do you remember the male and female parts that can be within a flower structure?
- 00:29:53Male parts of the flower include the anther and filament---this whole thing here
- 00:29:58is the stamen.
- 00:30:00Female parts of the flower include the stigma, style, and ovary---this whole thing here is
- 00:30:05the pistil.
- 00:30:06Can you describe the pollination and fertilization process in angiosperms using those terms?
- 00:30:12Simplified a bit, pollen is brought from an anther to the sticky stigma.
- 00:30:18Possibly by a pollinator.
- 00:30:19That’s pollination.
- 00:30:21Next comes fertilization.
- 00:30:23For this to happen, a pollen tube is formed.
- 00:30:25A generative cell from within the pollen can divide into two sperm cells which can travel
- 00:30:30down the style to the ovary, into an ovule, where one sperm cell will fertilize an egg---giving
- 00:30:36rise to a zygote.
- 00:30:37Inside the ovule, another sperm cell will fertilize two polar nuclei which gives rise
- 00:30:42to the endosperm.
- 00:30:43The endosperm provides food for the baby plant.
- 00:30:47Because this fertilization process involved sperm cells joining two different things (the
- 00:30:51egg and the polar nuclei)---we call this double fertilization.
- 00:30:56These fertilized ovules can develop into seeds.
- 00:30:59The ovary can give rise to a fruit- and that fruit can be very useful for helping the seeds
- 00:31:04get dispersed.
- 00:31:05But, while angiosperms bear fruit- keep in mind it may not be how you might imagine a
- 00:31:11fruit.
- 00:31:12So we talked about plant structure and how some plants reproduce.
- 00:31:15We already mentioned how plants provide a lot of the oxygen that we breathe.
- 00:31:20But it’s not just about oxygen.
- 00:31:21Plants are also critical as part of food chains and food webs.
- 00:31:26As autotrophs, plants are producers.
- 00:31:28If you remember, in a food chain, we start with producers.
- 00:31:31Then we move into the consumers, which are heterotrophs.
- 00:31:34Heterotrophs have to consume other things.
- 00:31:37So we have primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers---we could keep going.
- 00:31:42The arrows point to the direction of the energy flow.
- 00:31:45We could arrange this into an energy pyramid.
- 00:31:48The producers at the base here---in trophic level 1---- actually contain the most energy.
- 00:31:54The primary consumers here---in trophic level 2---actually only receive approximately 10%
- 00:31:59of the energy from the level below.
- 00:32:01Meaning, let’s say you have plants here that had 10,000 kilocalories of energy.
- 00:32:07Can you complete the rest of the pyramid with approximately how much of the energy would
- 00:32:11be within each trophic level?
- 00:32:14Well the next level here---the primary consumers in trophic level 2, would only receive
- 00:32:201,000 kilocalories of energy.
- 00:32:22The secondary consumers in trophic level 3, would receive 100 kilocalories of energy!
- 00:32:29Tertiary consumers in trophic level 4 would receive approximately 10 kilocalories of energy.
- 00:32:34Energy can be lost as heat or undigested.
- 00:32:38Ecosystems typically do not have a single food chain.
- 00:32:41Instead, they tend to have a food web.
- 00:32:43A food web is made up of multiple food chains that interact together.
- 00:32:47This can show the importance of biodiversity: the variety of organisms living in a given
- 00:32:53area.
- 00:32:54Biodiversity can contribute to the sustainability of a community.
- 00:32:58But how do they develop?
- 00:33:00This takes us to our ecological succession video.
- 00:33:03Ecological succession is a process---over time--- of organisms in an ecological community.
- 00:33:09In primary succession, the area this is happening in generally is brand new without soil.
- 00:33:14An example could be a volcano lava flow that has cooled and left behind this new area with
- 00:33:20no soil present.
- 00:33:22Usually you have a pioneer species, which is a name for the species that colonizes first.
- 00:33:27Lichen or moss for example.
- 00:33:31After pioneer species colonize the area, they slowly break down rock into smaller, more
- 00:33:36plant friendly substrate---and over time, contributing more organic matter in newly
- 00:33:40formed soil which will support plants.
- 00:33:43Small vascular plants like grasses can come in.
- 00:33:46Shrubs can follow.
- 00:33:47Then trees.
- 00:33:49Animals continue to move into the area.
- 00:33:51How long this takes can vary…but it’s often hundreds of years before you get a climax
- 00:33:55community going.
- 00:33:57So how is this different from secondary succession?
- 00:34:01With secondary succession, you’re talking about an area that once had plants
- 00:34:06and animals and an ecological community going on.
- 00:34:09But then there is an ecological disturbance such as a forest fire or human activity.
- 00:34:15The soil is still there and that’s kind of the big key point here, because your initial
- 00:34:19species starting out could be small plants as there is already soil there.
- 00:34:24Secondary succession can then follow a similar sequence to primary succession after that
- 00:34:28point.
- 00:34:29See our video for more details and an understanding of why this succession sequence tends to happen.
- 00:34:36Communities make up ecosystems, and in order for these ecosystems to function---we’ve
- 00:34:40got to have cycling.
- 00:34:42You probably learned about the water cycle in elementary school- learning about the carbon
- 00:34:46cycle and the nitrogen cycle tends to be explored later on in junior high or high school.
- 00:34:51So let’s recap that from our Nitrogen and Carbon cycle video.
- 00:34:56Carbon is often known as a building block in life: you will find it in the four big
- 00:35:01biomolecules.
- 00:35:02Can you think of examples where you might find carbon?
- 00:35:05Some examples: Carbon is dissolved in the ocean.
- 00:35:09It is in rocks and fossil fuels.
- 00:35:11It is in living organisms.
- 00:35:13It can be in the atmosphere.
- 00:35:15Consider carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- 00:35:17It is taken in by organisms that perform photosynthesis.
- 00:35:21If the photosynthetic organism is eaten by an animal, it becomes part of that animal
- 00:35:25too.
- 00:35:26And the animal that eat that animal.
- 00:35:28Both the plants and animals do cellular respiration which releases carbon dioxide.
- 00:35:33When the plants and animals die, the carbon can be released and stored in sediment.
- 00:35:38Over a very long time, they can even be converted into fossil fuels.
- 00:35:41The burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, and this has also led to the concern
- 00:35:47of excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- 00:35:50Now for nitrogen.
- 00:35:52Nitrogen is important in building proteins and nucleic acids.
- 00:35:55Let’s look at how it can cycle.
- 00:35:58Nitrogen can be found in the atmosphere, but it needs to be “fixed” before it can be
- 00:36:01used well.
- 00:36:03Some plants have nitrogen fixing bacteria living in their roots---the nitrogen is fixed
- 00:36:07by these bacteria into a form of nitrogen known as ammonia and ammonium.
- 00:36:12Nitrifying bacteria in the soil can convert the ammonium to nitrates and nitrites, forms
- 00:36:17of nitrogen that plants can also easily use and assimilate.
- 00:36:21Animals can eat those plants and obtain nitrogen.
- 00:36:25When both plants and animals decompose, decomposers help return ammonia and ammonium to the soil
- 00:36:30in a process known as ammonification where it can be reused again.
- 00:36:34There are also denitrifying bacteria!
- 00:36:36In denitrification, they can convert nitrates and nitrites back into nitrogen gas.
- 00:36:43This is just one example of cycling, but keep in mind that this happens in both aquatic
- 00:36:47and terrestrial environments.
- 00:36:50So you can see there’s a balance with these elements and living organisms in an ecosystem.
- 00:36:55Let’s talk about some of the ecological relationships among living organisms.
- 00:37:00In the ecological relationships video, I mention my fascination with antlions.
- 00:37:04Antlions are predators of ants.
- 00:37:06Ants are their prey.
- 00:37:08This is known as predation.
- 00:37:10Antlions have to compete with other predators- like this jumping spider for example.
- 00:37:16Competing for a food resource is an example of competition.
- 00:37:19We also mentioned three symbiotic relationships: symbiotic relationships are specific types
- 00:37:25of relationships where different species live together.
- 00:37:28Can you recall what occurs in the three symbiotic relationships that we mention: commensalism,
- 00:37:32parasitism, and mutualism?
- 00:37:34In commensalism, one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed:
- 00:37:39it’s neutral.
- 00:37:40Many barnacle species can attach themselves to moving things.
- 00:37:43On a free whale ride, this barnacle can get access to food since it’s a filter feeder
- 00:37:48and the whale may travel to nutrient rich waters.
- 00:37:51However, in this example with this particular whale and these barnacles, the whale was neither
- 00:37:57helped nor harmed.
- 00:37:59In parasitism, one organism benefits and the other one is harmed by a parasite.
- 00:38:03Parasites can live inside or on their host.
- 00:38:08Mutualism is an example of a symbiotic relationship where both organisms involved benefit.
- 00:38:14Our example had been an acacia tree being protected by acacia ants.
- 00:38:18The acacia tree provides a home- and possibly nutrients.
- 00:38:21But you know, one of my favorite examples of mutualism is the good bacteria.
- 00:38:26They can live in our digestive system and help us digest our food.
- 00:38:30So speaking of systems in the human body- our short video on that topic only goes into
- 00:38:36basic functions of eleven body systems.
- 00:38:39Here they are up here for you in alphabetical order---can you give a general function for
- 00:38:44each of these?
- 00:38:45The circulatory system helps transport gases and nutrients.
- 00:38:50The digestive system is involved with both the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food.
- 00:38:55The endocrine system is involved with producing important signals known as hormones.
- 00:38:59The excretory system is involved with excreting waste material as done by the kidneys or skin.
- 00:39:05The immune/lymphatic system helps defend our body against pathogens such as viruses and
- 00:39:09harmful bacteria.
- 00:39:11The integumentary system---long, fancy word for a large organ- your skin---can protect
- 00:39:16against water loss and serve as a barrier.
- 00:39:19The muscular system is involved with allowing for movement.
- 00:39:22The nervous system coordinates both voluntary and involuntary responses.
- 00:39:27The reproductive system allows for the ability to reproduce.
- 00:39:30The respiratory system is involved with gas exchange.
- 00:39:33And the skeletal system is critical for structure and support.
- 00:39:37Those are very basic functions mentioned and, of course, this doesn’t include structures.
- 00:39:41But the big takeaway we hope you have from our body systems video is that these systems
- 00:39:46don’t work in isolation!
- 00:39:48They work together.
- 00:39:49If you’re nervous about a test---which we hope you’re not because we have confidence
- 00:39:53that you’re going to do great---but if you were nervous, you can get an adrenaline rush.
- 00:39:57Your endocrine system secretes adrenaline, a hormone, that can cause your heart---involved
- 00:40:02in the circulatory system—to speed up its beating.
- 00:40:06Your breathing rate, which is involved with your respiratory system, can increase.
- 00:40:10These are all systems working together.
- 00:40:13And that’s relevant for the end.
- 00:40:14Because in this stroll through our playlist, you’ve seen how we’ve been connecting
- 00:40:18these concepts together.
- 00:40:21Because that’s the thing that is so cool about biology: it’s all connected.
- 00:40:25We hope this video helps you to identify your strengths and areas that you might want to
- 00:40:29go back and explore.
- 00:40:30We also hope that you recognize that beyond any test you’re studying: it is so important
- 00:40:35to be able to answer, “Why does this content matter?”
- 00:40:38If there is a topic in this video that still doesn’t seem to matter beyond just studying
- 00:40:42for a test---please check out our full video on that topic---because that’s something
- 00:40:46that we really try to address in each and every video.
- 00:40:50Don’t forget we also have a video with study strategies that you may want to check out,
- 00:40:54and we have helpful GIF animations and comics on our website that you might find useful.
- 00:40:59And…if you are studying for something big… it is our sincere amoebic wish that you will
- 00:41:05feel confident about your learning.
- 00:41:07Well, that’s it for the Amoeba Sisters, and we remind you to stay curious.
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