It's been quite a year and I'm surprised by feeling slightly sentimental about this final blog post, especially since I was quite literally ripping up my final test study notes just a few hours earlier.
What's done is done. I can't say I've enjoyed every minute of my year in biology, but I have enjoyed it, for the most part. I won't miss the Practice Standards or the tests though.
So yeah, that's it. Thanks for sticking around and reading through the woes of my junior year.
Have a nice life.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
To Teacher, Professor, Sir, Authority Figure in Charge of My Grade
Friday, May 23, 2014
Carbon Cycle Recap
The Carbon cycle is basically the combination between photosynthesis and cell respiration.
Cell respiration takes in oxygen and gives out carbon dioxide while photosynthesis takes in carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen.
So basically, it's a never ending cycle that maintains the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere.
Cell respiration takes in oxygen and gives out carbon dioxide while photosynthesis takes in carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen.
So basically, it's a never ending cycle that maintains the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere.
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| Photosynthesis formula |
An important thing that the carbon cycle contributes to is the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is incredibly important since us humans burn tons of fossil fuels on a daily basis that just adds to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
So thank you plants for cleaning our air!
Plant anatomy recap
Some notes
xylem carries water up
phloem carries water down
Flower anatomy
Some notes
Stamen is the male part
Carpel is the female part (also called pistil)
Photosynthesis Recap
Photosynthesis is basically the opposite of cell respiration. Instead of taking in oxygen and creating carbon dioxide, along with ATP, photosynthesis takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.
Plant photosynthesis has two parts to it, light reaction and dark reaction.
Light reaction takes place in the grana on the chloroplast. The first part of the light reaction is Photosystem II (PS2). In this part, water molecules get split into oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The electrons from the hydrogens are carried to the electron transport chain to provide energy to produce ATP by chemiosmosis. This step is called photophosphorylation because it uses light to provide energy.
The next step is Photosystem I (PS1). Light energy is absorbed once again. PS 1 is smilier to PS 2 except the end product is not ATP but NADPH.
So basically for light reactions,
PS2
Dark Reactions are called dark reactions because there is no need for light absorption during this phase. It's also known as the Calvin Cycle.
This process is called carbon fixation. Basically, CO2 enters the Calvin cycle and becomes attached to a 5-C sugar to form a 6-C molecule. This molecule is unstable and immediately breaks down into 2 3-C molecules by the enzyme rubisco. The end product made is ADP and NADP, which go back into the cycle, and G3P, a 3-C sugar.
And that, in a large nutshell, is how we are able to live and breathe. Thank you plants!!
Plant photosynthesis has two parts to it, light reaction and dark reaction.
Light reaction takes place in the grana on the chloroplast. The first part of the light reaction is Photosystem II (PS2). In this part, water molecules get split into oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The electrons from the hydrogens are carried to the electron transport chain to provide energy to produce ATP by chemiosmosis. This step is called photophosphorylation because it uses light to provide energy.
The next step is Photosystem I (PS1). Light energy is absorbed once again. PS 1 is smilier to PS 2 except the end product is not ATP but NADPH.
So basically for light reactions,
PS2
- Light is absorbed (680)
- oxygen released; hydrogen ions move to ATP synthase
- ATP produced
PS1
- Light absorbed (700)
- NADPH produced (carries H+ to Calvin cycle)
Dark Reactions are called dark reactions because there is no need for light absorption during this phase. It's also known as the Calvin Cycle.
This process is called carbon fixation. Basically, CO2 enters the Calvin cycle and becomes attached to a 5-C sugar to form a 6-C molecule. This molecule is unstable and immediately breaks down into 2 3-C molecules by the enzyme rubisco. The end product made is ADP and NADP, which go back into the cycle, and G3P, a 3-C sugar.
And that, in a large nutshell, is how we are able to live and breathe. Thank you plants!!
Cell Respiration Recap
Cell respiration takes place in the mitochondria of a cell.
The first step to cell respiration, as we see in the picture above, is glycolysis. Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm of the cel and produces 2 ATP. In glycolysis, glucose is broken down into pyruvate and an electron is carried over to the electron transport chain by NADH.
In between glycolysis and the Krebs Cycle, 2 Acetyl CoA are formed and 2 carbon dioxide molecules are formed as a byproduct. the Acetyl CoA then enters the mitochondria and undergoes the Krebs cycle, where NADH, carbon dioxide, FADH2 and ATP is formed.
The electron transport chain is where most of the ATP is formed. This step takes place in the mitochondrial membrane, or christae. The ETC carries electrons that were given by the NADH and FADH2 from glycolysis and the Krebs Cycle through redox reactions. ATP is formed through oxidative phosporolation and chemiosmosis and six water molecules are biproducts.
The chemical formula for cell respiration is written above in the image. Basically, oxygen molecules and glucose molecules undergo cell respiration to form carbon dioxide, water, and ATP.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Day before the last: Labs throughout the Year
I've lost count of the days. This blog post is a little sentimental.
Here's a video of all the labs that I managed to record throughout the year. It's been one heck of a year.
Here's a video of all the labs that I managed to record throughout the year. It's been one heck of a year.
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