Nitrogen Cycle-Tyler Parris

Nitrogen Cycle Picture

Nitrogen Cycle: a continuous series of natural processes by which nitrogen passes successively from air to soil to organisms and back to air or soil involving principally nitrogen fixation, nitrification, decay, and denitrification.


Step 1 (Nitrogen Fixation):Conversion of atmospheric NO2 into forms useful to plants by lighting, bacteria, and cyanobacteria.

Step 2 (Nitrification): Process of converting ammonia to nitrite or nitrate.

Step 3 (Assimilation): Plant roots absorb new form of nitrogen

Step 4 (Ammonifcation):Conversion of organic nitrogen to ammonia by bacteria involved in decomposition.

Step 5 (Denitrification): Bacteria turns the decomposed matter back into N2O, which is released into  atmosphere; repeat cycle.

Reflection

-I learned that Animals get their nitrogen needs by eating plants or eating animals that eat plants.

-This can be used outside of biology to see one of the cycle's that keeps the earth going.

Nitrogen Cycle Video

Carbon Cycle

Visual:

Main Ideas:

- Carbon is attached to oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide

- Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make food for themselves using photosynthesis

- Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere

- The carbon cycle is the circulation of carbon between the atmosphere and all living organisms

- Carbon cannot be broken down into something simpler since it is an element  

- The amount of carbon in the atmosphere is a fixed amount

Reflection:

During this unit, I learned that the carbon cycle is what circulates all of the carbon through the atmosphere and back to living organisms such as plants, animals, and people. I've realized now that there is a fixed amount of carbon in the atmosphere which I didn't know before. You can apply this topic outside of school by just realizing how the carbon moves while outside. 

2.Cell Organelles: Plasma Membrane

The Plasma Membrane

- The plasma membrane, or cell membrane, is an organelle made up of lipids and proteins and forms     a boundary around the cytoplasm

- Can surround/enclose a vacuole

- Regulates the passage of molecules in and out of the cytoplasm

- Found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

- In animal cells, the plasma membrane is in the outer most layer of the cell 

- In plant cells, it is located just beneath the cell wall

Phospholipid bilayer

Structure and Function:

- Composed of a phospholipid bilayer 

           -A phospholipid bilayer is a double lipid membrane, the                 head of the phospholipid keeps the tail of it from getting                 wet, the tail is a fatty acid

- Contains proteins throughout 

- Some proteins serve as channels to let molecules enter and leave   the cell, these are known as integral proteins

- The plasma membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules

- Boundary that separates the living cell from non-living surroundings

-Marks the boundary between the inside and outside of the cell

Prokaryotic cell

Reflection:
For this blog, I learned a lot about how proteins are involved in the membrane. I already knew a lot about the plasma membrane because we learned about it during class. I was surprised to see what it actually looked like up close. I learned more about where it's located in both plant and animal cells. The plasma membrane can't really be used outside of biology, since it is involved in cells.

Citations:

Study.com. Study.com, n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

"Plasma Membrane." Plasma Membrane | Structure, Function of Plasma Membrane | Biology@TutorVista.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.

"What biomolecules are found in the cell membrane? | Socratic." Socratic.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017. 

DNA Transcription

DNA Transcription

The process of transcription isn't so complicated as it may seem. The key components are the base DNA of a cell's nucleus and the mRNA required for the transport. This process is meant to transcribe or make a part of DNA available to send around the cell.

Materials:
DNA strand(split)
mRNA(messenger RNA)

Process:
1. Take split DNA and find section to be transcribed. Ex: ACTGACTGA
2. Find complementary strand of previously selected strand. Ex: TGACTGACT
3. Replace the DNA base Thymine with the RNA base Uracil. Ex: UGACUGACU
4. Send mRNA strand of to ribosome for Protein Synthesis.

Reflection:
Going into this topic, I learned a lot about DNA. I always just saw it as half of what DNA is. Now I know that RNA in fact is the transportation gradient of the genetic information in all cells. Also what caught me off guard was the Uracil base, that was pretty interesting. I could see little assistance coming from this outside of Biology, mainly using a strategy like it to organize things perhaps.

Sources:
http://archive.cnx.org/contents/d905928c-7b6f-400f-8d6b-7934d5505ab0@1/bis2a-8-3-transcription

Blood Types

Blood Types
By: Jay Patel

Blood Types are an example of genes with multiple alleles. There are four blood types, A, B, AB, and O. Your blood type is determined by what your blood contains, and certain antigens it has, like the A or B antigen. Also, there is a third antigen, the Rh factor, that is either present (+) or not (-)

• Blood Type A: has only the A antigen. Allele is IA.
• Blood Type B: has only the B antigen. Allele is IB
• Blood Type AB: has both the A and B antigen. Allele is IA IB
• Blood Type O: has no antigens at all. Allele is i.

Depending on what type of blood you have, you can donate blood. 

• O is the universal donor, and can donate blood to anyone. O can only receive from O.
• AB is the universal receiver, and can receive blood from everyone. AB can only donate to AB.

What I learned was the different blood types and how donating and receiving blood works. I learned that there are specific blood types that can donate. What surprised me was how unlucky the O blood is. This can be applied outside biology through genetics and forensics, and blood types can be used to determine parentage in a mix-up, and can be used to determine genetics of a person.

Citations:

American Red Cross. "Blood Types." Recrossblood.org, www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types.

Notes from Mr. Black's class

Passive Membrane Transport

Passive membrane transport is a movement of ions and other atomic or molecular substances across cell membranes without need of energy input. Unlike active transport, it does not require an input of cellular energy because it is instead driven by the tendency of the system to grow in entropy.

• Diffusion: The movement of particles along a concentration gradient from high concentration to low concentration.
• The particles spread until they fill all available space evenly.
• Diffusion does not require energy
• Particles move due to kinetic energy
• Molecules will always move down the concentration gradient, toward areas of lesser concentration.
• Particles move in an attempt to reach equilibrium making the distribution of particles the same through all available space.
• If permeable membrane separates the concentrations, the particles will attempt-?
• Diffusion across a membrane is called Passive Transport because it does not require energy
• Some particles pass freely through the semipermeable plasma membrane composed of a bi-lipid layer and proteins
• Molecules move through the membrane from high to low concentration.
• Larger molecules may move through the protein channels

• Osmosis: Is the type of passive transport that involves only the movement of water
• Water will always move from high to low concentration or toward the higher solute concentration.
• It is assumed that during osmosis only water can move and not other types of molecules
• The simple rule is is that salt sucks
• Hypotonic Solution- Water is going to move in
• Isotonic Solution- Balanced
• Hypertonic Solution- Out
• Hypertonic Solutions:
• Water moves into the cell
• As the water enters the cell will swell
• An animal cell may continue to swell until it bursts aka Cytolysis
• A plant cell can only swell until it reaches the cell wall resulting in tightening of the cell wall and outward pressure called turgor pressure.
• As water exits the cell the cell will shrink, this is called Plasmolysis
• Plasmolysis causes an animal cell to dehydrate
• Isotonic Solution:
• Water enters and exits the cell at equal rates

What I learned about this subject was that there is a scientific explanation to why anything moves. Osmosis is for the movement of water and Diffusion is everything else (as long as you're not using energy.). It surprised me that a cell is able to burst when put into distilled water. I did not know about this subject until this year. I enjoyed learning about this because it is a quick and easy objective to learn and understand. This can be applied outside biology when I'm trying to move something, and I can determine if it needs energy to move or not.

By: Corban Mills

Mr. Black's class notes

Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic

Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic
Eukaryotic Main Ideas:

- DNA is housed in the nucleus

- Larger in size 

- Known as animal and plant cells 

- Membrane bound organelles 

- No plasmids 

- Outer layer to membrane organelles (allows what goes in and out)

Prokaryotic Main Ideas:

- Less complex

- No membrane bound organelles 

- DNA not housed in nucleus 

- Smaller in size 

- Better known as bacteria 

Summary:

I learned many things about Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cells. There are many differences that I didn't expect. I didn't know that the sizes were different and I learned what they're better know as. I expected them to be more similar than different. Although there are many differences, there are also similarities. Some things similar are that they both have a cell / plasma membrane, DNA, ribosomes, and cytoplasm. I didn't know anything about these two cells before going over them in class. I like learning about these cells and learning all of the differences and what they do. Eukaryotic cells aid in muscle fibres, leucocytes and neuroglia which are animal cells, and parenchyma cells, collenchyma cells and sclerenchyma cells, which are plant cells. Prokaryotic cells aid in  bacteria, e.g. vibrio cholerae, the cholera bacterium.

Citations: 
MCAT, About The. "Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells." MCAT Biology | Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. 

"What Is a Eukaryotic Cell ?" IvyRose Holistic Health and Well-being. IvyRose Holistic Health, 2003. Web. 01 May 2017.

"Prokaryotic Cell Structure." AS Biology. IvyRose Holistic Health, 2003. Web. 01 May 2017. 

Black, Jordan. "Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic." Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic. Jordan Black, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Apr. 2017./.latest_citation_text