Topic 10 - Eukaryotes

Question 1

Cellular characteristics of a eukaryotic cell and the functions

Answer 1

Learned in the past
- Smooth / Rough ER
- Golgi apparatus
- Nucleus (nucleolus, nuclear envelope, chromatin)
- Ribosomes
- Mitochondrion

Recently learned
- Lysosome (digestive organelle, hydrolysis of macromolecules)
- Peroxisome (oxidative organelle, makes H2O2 and breaks it down)
- Flagellum (propels the cell)
- Centrosome (organizes the microtubules)
- Cytoskeleton (microfilaments, intermediate filaments, microtubules, keep the structure)
- Microvilli (Increase surface area for enhances absorption)

Question 2

Benefits of sexual reproduction (and why its important) vs. asexual reproduction

Answer 2

Sexual
- Gene variation
- Elimination of deleterious alleles

Why is it important?
- Genes together contribute to an individual’s fitness
- Break apart gene contributions built by past selection
- Deletes deleterious alleles

Asexual
- More offsprings
- No need for mate therefore less energy required
- Less diluted genes

Question 3

Heterozygote advantage against malaria with the sickle cell anemia mutation

Answer 3

Sickle cell anemia
- Mutation provides an advantage against malaria by inhibiting parasite infections of the host

Heterozygote advantage
- Heterozygosity provides balance and prevents sickle cell disease

Question 4

What are some examples of protists?

Answer 4

• Plasmodium
• Diatoms

Question 5

Explain the different life cycles on a ploidy level and how they are unique

Answer 5

Diplontic
- Single haploid becomes a diploid through fertilization
- Through mitosis it becomes a multicellular organism
- With meiosis it releases a haploid gamete

Diplontic unique properties
- Multicellular diploid
- Animals

Haplodiplontic
- Spores form multicellular haploid organism
- Through fertilization it becomes diploid zygote and picks up gametes
- Grows via mitosis into diploid multicellular organism
- Releases haploid gamete through spores

Haplodiplontic unique properties
- Multicellular diploid and haploid
- Plants and some algae

Haplontic
- Haploid unicellular organism becomes diploid zygote through fertilization with gametes
- Releases haploid gamete through meiosis with spores

Haplontic unique properties
- Unicellular diploid
- Most fungi and some protists