describe and discuss”levels of organization in biology

describe and discuss”levels of organization in biology

Subject: General Questions    / College life   
Question

1. In this discussion you are to describe and discuss"levels of organization in biology." Higher biological organisms are organized from different organ systems, and these are made up of specific organs, which in turn are made up of specific cells, etc. How many levels can you identify (hint, start at the level of atoms, and work up from there). Do the levels stop at the level of an "organism?" The deadline for conference participation is 28 June. Remember to cite a reference for the authoritative source you use to provide the information in your posts.

2. In this discussion you are to describe the theory of endosymbiosis as proposed by Lynn Margulis; (1) describe the theory in general terms; (2) describe what chloroplasts and mitochondria produce in eukaryotic cells (the specific chemical that is produced by electron transport systems in both cases), (3) provide three details from cell biology that support the theory. You will need to research the work of Margulis and the endosymbiosis theory on the web, as neither are mentioned in your OLI text, but you will have no difficulty finding good sources on these.

3.In this discussion you are to describe and discuss "the role of enzymes in living cells." (1) Of the four fundamental types of molecules important to living organisms (the molecules of life), which type is an enzyme? (2) Give an example of an enzyme found in a living organism, describe the reaction it catalyzes and what's going on molecularly at the active site of that enzyme to allow it to do this. You should find information from a reputable web resource or a biology textbook that explains these issues. For full credit, don't forget to include a references (or references) for the source(s) where you find the information you present.

4.This week you are to discuss the Galapagos Islands and evolutionary biology. (1) What is it about the geography and the geology of the Galapagos Islands that make them an ideal place to stimulate ideas about evolution in someone like Charles Darwin? (2) Describe the preparation (academic studies AND practical experience) of Darwin that allowed him to recognize important characteristics that linked populations of animals he studied in the Galapagos Islands to specific niches in their respective environments. (3) Contrast Darwin's ideas about how populations of organisms can changeover time with the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Important hint regarding the pertinent geology: how did the Galapagos Islands form, and how did this mechanism of formation create conditions that would lead to divergent populations of organisms that appear to have descended from a single species? Learn about the geography of the islands and figure out how their location interacts with how they were formed to cause the few species that could arrive there to adapt and specialize into a number of new species over time.

5.This week you are to discuss the experiments conducted by Gregor Mendel. (1) Provide a general overview of Mendel's experiment that provided the first insight into the law of independent assortment. (2) What was the organism that Mendel studied? (3) Why was this organism ideal to study the law of independent assortment? (4) List one dominant and one recessive phenotype example for a trait that Mendel found, and describe the phenotypic ratio expected to result from crossing two heterozygous parents.