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Theme A — Unity and diversity

Theme A — Unity and diversity — IB Biology SL Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 13 parts Lesson 1 of 11 Unit quiz

📚 IB Biology SL Hub / Topical Revision
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Curriculum Equation Key قوانين الرقم الهيدروجيني والاتزان الأيوني - pH & Acid-Base Equilibrium FormulasFast Exam Solution
pH = -log[H⁺] | pOH = -log[OH⁻] | pH + pOH = 14 | [H⁺][OH⁻] = 10⁻¹⁴
Word Equation & Conditions: الرقم الهيدروجيني = -لوغاريتم تركيز أيون الهيدروجين | pH + pOH = 14
Location & Specifications: الاتزان الأيوني، كيمياء 3 ثانوي، التحصيلي، و AP Chemistry.
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Lesson summary

Theme A — Unity and diversity — IB BIOLOGY SL notes: Summarise how life could have arisen, how cells are studied, how evolution and speciation produce diversity, and how biodiversity is lost.Cell = the smallest unit of self-sustaining life, enclosed by a plasma membrane and stori…

  • Viruses are not cells
  • Concentration of reactants
  • Hydrothermal vents
  • Meteorites
  • Primordial soup
  • Significance

Section 1 of 13Cells and the functions of life

Cells and the functions of life
Cell
Cell the smallest unit of self-sustaining life, enclosed by a plasma membrane and storing genetic information in DNA
  • The functions of life are metabolism, growth, response to stimuli, homeostasis, reproduction, excretion and nutrition.
Viruses are not cells
  • Viruses are not cells they lack metabolism, need no nutrition and replicate only by using host-cell components

Section 2 of 13Conditions on early Earth

ConditionEarly EarthModern EarthRelevance
Free oxygenAlmost noneAbout 21%Organic molecules were not oxidised
Main gasesCO2, N2, H2O, and proposed CH4 and NH3N2 and O2Supplied C, H and N
Ozone layerAbsentPresentHigh UV energy reached the surface
EnergyLightning, UV, volcanic heatMainly sunlightDrove synthesis reactions
TemperatureHot and variableMildFaster reactions
Conditions on early Earth
Concentration of reactants
  • Concentration of reactants oceans and tidal pools concentrated the reactants
Hydrothermal vents
  • Hydrothermal vents deep-sea alkaline vents offered heat, minerals and chemical gradients
Meteorites
  • Meteorites carried amino acids to the Earth

Section 3 of 13The Miller-Urey experiment

Primordial soup
Primordial soup the idea that early oceans held a rich mix of simple organic compounds
Apparatus
  • Apparatus a sealed apparatus with water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen
  • Electric sparks simulated lightning.
  • Boiling water provided vapour, which was then cooled and condensed.
Result
  • Result after about a week amino acids and other organic molecules had collected
Significance
  • Significance it showed that organic molecules can form without living things
Limitations
  • Limitations the early atmosphere may have been less reducing than assumed
  • Later re-analysis of stored samples found over 20 amino acids.

Section 4 of 13Steps to the first cell

  • Four steps were needed
    • organic molecules, polymers, replication and a compartment
StageProblem solvedModelLimitation
Simple organicsRaw materialsMiller-Urey; meteoritesAtmosphere uncertain
PolymersComplex moleculesClay surfaces, vent mineralsPolymers tend to hydrolyse
Self-replicating moleculeInheritanceRibozymes, RNA worldRNA is fragile
MembraneCompartmentFatty acid vesiclesGetting molecules inside
1Vesicles
  • Vesicles fatty acids self-assemble into vesicles with hydrophobic tails inwards
  • The membrane lets the internal chemistry differ from the surroundings.
2RNA
  • RNA stores a base sequence and folds into ribozymes that catalyse reactions
  • It could replicate and catalyse before DNA or proteins existed.
  • DNA later took over storage because it is chemically more stable.

Section 5 of 13LUCA and endosymbiosis

LUCA
LUCA the last universal common ancestor, a single-celled organism that lived about 4 billion years ago
  • Evidencethe universal genetic code, shared genes and the same ribosome structure.
  • Gene studies suggest it lived near hydrothermal vents.
  • Stromatolites and microfossils show early prokaryotes.
  • Other early life forms probably existed but left no descendants.
Endosymbiosis
  • Endosymbiosis a large cell engulfed an aerobic bacterium that became the mitochondrion
  • A later engulfed photosynthetic bacterium became the chloroplast.
  • These organelles have a double membrane, their own circular DNA, 70S ribosomes and divide by binary fission.

Section 6 of 13Studying cells

Electron microscope
  • Electron microscope uses electron beams and has far higher resolution than a light microscope
Artefact
Artefact a feature in a prepared specimen caused by processing and not by the living cell
Measuring a cell with a graticule
  • Place a stage micrometer on the stage and align the scales.
  • Calculate the value of one graticule division.
  • Replace the micrometer with the specimen and count the divisions across the cell.
  • Multiply the divisions by the value of one division.
Making a temporary slide
  • Making a temporary slide cut a thin layer and place it flat, add a drop of stain, and lower the coverslip at an angle
  • Begin with the lowest-power objective and focus before switching to higher power.
Karyogram
Karyogram an image of an individual's chromosomes arranged in pairs by size and centromere position

Section 7 of 13Key chemistry terms

1Solvent
Solvent a liquid in which solutes dissolve, and water dissolves polar and ionic substances
2Purine
Purine a double-ring base, such as adenine or guanine
3Coding sequence
Coding sequence the part of a gene that carries the instructions for a protein

Section 8 of 13Evidence for evolution

EvidenceWhat is comparedExampleShowsLimitation
Molecular sequencesDNA, RNA or amino acid sequencesHumans and chimpanzees share almost identical cytochrome cCommon ancestry, and relatedness can be measuredMutation rates vary
Selective breedingDomesticated varieties and wild ancestorsWild cabbage gave kale, broccoli and cauliflowerSelection can change species quicklyHumans choose the trait
Homologous structuresBone plans of limbsBat wing, whale flipper and human armDivergence from a shared ancestorSimilarity may be convergent
Evidence for evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution unrelated lineages independently evolve similar features under similar selection pressures
Homologous structures
  • Homologous structures share structure from a common ancestor, such as the pentadactyl limb in a bat and a whale
Analogous structures
  • Analogous structures share function but differ in origin, such as bird and insect wings

Section 9 of 13Speciation

  • Geographical isolation
    • the Congo River may have separated the ancestors of bonobos and chimpanzees
    • The river stopped gene flow.
    • Different selection pressures acted on the two populations.
    • They eventually became reproductively isolated.
BarrierGeographicalBehaviouralSeasonal
ExampleSnapping shrimps either side of PanamaLacewings with different mating songsPlants flowering in different months
Permanent?Not necessarily, as populations could rejoinYes, once the signals differYes, once the timings no longer overlap
Lamarck
  • Lamarck early 1800s, proposed inheritance of characteristics acquired by use and disuse, such as the giraffe's stretched neck
  • His idea is now rejected apart from minor epigenetic effects.
Darwin
  • Darwin mid 1800s, explained change by random variation
  • Longer-necked variants fed and bred more.

Section 10 of 13Biodiversity loss

Species richness
Species richness the number of different species in an area
Agricultural runoff reduces aquatic biodiversity
1
Excess fertiliser washes into a lake.
2
Nitrate and phosphate boost algal growth.
3
Algae block light and plants die.
4
Decomposers use oxygen.
5
Dissolved oxygen falls.
6
Fish and invertebrates die.
  • Captive breeding and reintroduction
1
Identify a species with a critically low wild population.
2
Capture the remaining individuals.
3
Breed them using studbooks to limit inbreeding.
4
Restore and protect the habitat.
5
Release the animals gradually with monitoring.
6
Track survival and breeding in the wild.

Section 11 of 13More from the specification

Carbon
  • Element with four valence electrons that forms the backbone of organic molecules.
Radiation
  • Transfer of heat as infrared energy from a warm object.
Theory
  • A well-tested explanation supported by a large body of evidence.
Miller-Urey experiment
  • A 1950s laboratory simulation showing amino acids can form from simple gases with an energy input.
Molecular clock
  • Use of sequence differences, assuming a constant mutation rate, to date divergence.

Section 12 of 13Key terms

TermMeaning
Primordial soupEarly oceans rich in simple organic compounds.
LUCAThe last universal common ancestor, a single-celled organism that lived about 4 billion years ago.
ArtefactA feature in a prepared specimen caused by processing and not by the living cell.
Convergent evolutionIndependent evolution of similar features in unrelated lineages under similar selection pressures.
Species richnessThe number of different species in an area.
KaryogramAn image of chromosomes arranged in pairs by size and centromere position.
EndosymbiosisThe origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts from engulfed bacteria living inside a larger cell.

Section 13 of 13Exam technique

1
Saying that the Miller-Urey experiment created life — it only made simple organic molecules
2
Thinking convergent species are closely related — they evolved similar features independently
3
Saying that reproductive isolation always needs a physical barrier — it can also be behavioural or seasonal
4
Thinking Lamarck's acquired characteristics are inherited — they are not, so variation must arise by mutation and be selected

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