This document provides a summary of topics covered in a biology midterm review, including: 1) The levels of biological organization from biosphere to molecules. 2) The scientific method and types of biological molecules and macromolecules. 3) Key concepts such as the central dogma of biology, ecological relationships, and biogeochemical cycles. 4) Additional topics like cellular respiration, photosynthesis, genetics, and human impacts on biodiversity.

1. Biology Midterm Review
• levels of biology: biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community, population, organism/species, groups of tissues, cellular, molecular/genetic
• levels of organisms: cellstissuesorgansorgan systemsorganism
• binomial nomenclature
• domains of life and kingdoms
• 8 main characteristics of living things and examples
• scientific method: observation vs. inference, hypothesis, conclusion, theory, law, independent vs dependent variables; constant variables
and the control of the experiment
• controlled experiments
• what is biology and the various branches of biology
• most important elements in living things
• trace elements
• differentiate between atom, molecules, compound
• chemical reactions: products and reactants
• law of conservation of matter
• subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, electrons; valence elctrons ; nucleus ; electron cloud
• atomic mass number vs atomic number
• isotopes and their importance in biology (radioactive isotopes)
• ionic vs. covalent compounds
• cations vs. anions
• types of bonds: ionic, covalent, hydrogen bonds, van der waals forces
• polar molecules vs. non-polar molecules
• properties of water: density, temperature moderation, high specific heat, adhesion, cohesion
• acids, bases, pH scale, buffers
• pH of in biological systems and their significance: acid rain, stomach, lakes and streams, etc
• properties of carbon: valance electrons, carbon skeletons, hydrocarbons, chains, rings
• differentiate between types of macromolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids/fats/steroids
• monomers and polymers of each of the above macromolecules (specific names)
• differentiate between: glucose, glycogen, starch, cellulose
• cholesterol and its importance in living things
• steroids: structure and importance
• hydrolysis vs dehydration reactions
• proteins: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure; various functions; how they are made
• amino acids: basic structure and importance; differences between the 20 diff. aa in living things
• structure of fats: glycerol and fatty acid chains
• saturated vs unsaturated fats and the importance of this difference
• denaturation and effects denaturation can have
• enzymes: structure, function, lock and key model, diagram how they work, how do they effect rate of reaction
• endothermic vs exothermic reaction; activation energy
• catalysts and how they effect the rate of reactions
• cellular respiration and photosynthesis: equations, molecules, types of reactions, organisms that use it
• nucleic acids: structure, function,
• RNA vs DNA: similarities and differences
• Central dogma of biology: DNAmRNAproteins
• Climate vs weather; climate zones and biomes
• Types of biomes and characteristics of each
• Abiotic vs. biotic factors…give exam-ples of each
• Aquatic ecosystems
• Marine ecosystems: various ways to classify
• Population ecology: 3 characteristics of populations and 3 things that affect population growth
• Population density (how to calculate)
• Population growth; logistic vs exponential growth, carrying capacity
• Density dependent vs density independent factors
• Niche and the competitive exclusion principle
• Community relationships: competition, predation, symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism)
• Conservation biology, biodiversity: pollution, acid rain, ozone depletion, biological magnification, global warming and greenhouse effect,
Eutrophication
• Habitat destruction threatening biodiversity; hotspots, sustainable development
• Biogeochemical cycles: Nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and water cycles
• Succession: primary, secondary, and whale fall communities
• Human population ( 6 billion in year 2000)
• Food chain vs food web (trophic levels, primary, secondary, tertiary)
• Pyramids of energy, biomass pyramid, pyramid of numbers
• Types of consumers

2. • Heterotrophs vs. autotrophs
• Chemosynthesis and photosynthesis in aquatic ecosystems