FAU BROOKS BIODIVERSITY UNIT 1 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

FAU BROOKS BIODIVERSITY UNIT 1 EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS T or F: We have proven how life arose? - Answer- FALSE ! Haldon-Oparin Hypothesis - Answer- life arose spontaneously from methane, ammonia, water & energy sources Milley-Urey experiment - Answer- Tested Haldane-Oparin hypothesis Contemporary scientist think that methane & ammonia were likely ABSENT in early atmosphere Organic molecules: CO, CO2, H2 (not much), N2 and H2O Panspermia - Answer- idea that organic molecules were brought to earth by meteorites/asteroids. Organic material would have come from outer space. CHOOSE: Earliest life forms were anaerobic/aerobic and autotrophic/heterotrophic - Answer- Earliest life forms were anaerobic and heterotrophic Primordial Soup Theory - Answer- suggests that 3.8 billion to 3.55 billion years ago life began in a pond or ocean because of the combination of chemicals from the atmosphere and some form of energy to make amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, which would then evolve into the first species on Earth RNA - Answer- earliest cells contained RNA through discovery of RETROVIRUSES (home could perform REVERSE TRANSCIPTION meaning RNA - DNA) RNA makes copies of DNA & can act as enzymes Unresolved problems regarding how life came about - Answer- The concept of large, complex, organic molecules via dehydration of condensation bonds in an aquatic environment is questionable because the presence of water favors hydrolysis (break down) or large molecules rather than assembly of small molecules to large ones. ALSO The concept of "self-replicating" systems, meaning asexual reproduction AKA how the first organism could have reproduced is also questionable because little evidence that abiotic systems can spontaneously reproduce exists. THE EARLIEST CELLS - Answer- THE EARLIEST CELLS (this is just a divider y'all don't trip) T or F: Heterotrophic anaerobes were the "first" living cells? - Answer- TRUE ! Types of Anaerobes - Answer- Obligate Anaerobes: exposure to oxygen resulted in death; probably what anaerobes initially were