Biology Week 2015 Quiz Answers Ages Points shown in ( )

Who discovered the structure of DNA? Contributed by the Biochemical Society (2) Question 1 Watson and Crick In 1953, Watson and Crick were the first to reveal DNA exists in a three- dimensional double helix structure and they received a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for their discovery in Rosalind Franklin was responsible for the X-ray crystallography discovery that gave them the shape.

Which of the following vitamins can be made in the skin? a)Vitamin C b)Vitamin D c)Vitamin K d)Vitamin E e)Vitamin B (1) Question 2 Answer: b) Vitamin D Vitamin D is created via dermal synthesis from sunlight. Vitamin D is crucial in the development of our bones, and if a deficiency occurs, individuals can suffer from rickets (in childhood) and osteomalacia (in adults), both characterised by the softening and sometimes deformity of the skeleton.

Why is the sea blue? Contributed by the Marine Biological Association (1) Question 3 The red, orange, yellow, and green wavelengths of light are absorbed so that the remaining light we see is composed of the shorter wavelength of blues and violets. This is the main reason why the sea appears to be the colour blue.

Which mollusc species holds the record for containing the strongest natural substance known to man? a) Limpet b) Octopus c) Mussel Contributed by the Marine Biological Association (1) Question 4 Answer: a) Limpet Limpet’s teeth are considered to be the strongest biological material.

A shoal of fish… a gaggle of geese… a colony of ants… Name the following animal groups: a) A … of rhinoceroses b) A … of owls c) A … of porcupines d) A … of mice e) A … of bears (5) Question 5 A CRASH of rhinoceroses A PARLIAMENT of owls A PRICKLE of porcupines A MISCHIEF of mice A SLEUTH of bears

Neurones transmit electrical signals all over our bodies in order to help us react to our environment. Label the diagram of the motor neurone below: (6) Question 6 Dendrite Cell body Node of Ranvier Nucleus Axon Myelin sheath

Gel electrophoresis is used to separate and purify strands of DNA. The rate at which DNA migrates through the agarose gel is determined by which of the following two factors: a) The molecular size of the DNA b) The agarose gel concentration c) The negativity charge of the DNA d) The length of the agarose gel (2) Question 7 Answer: a) and b) The molecular size of the DNA and the agarose gel concentration.

Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. Name the two types of speciation and how they occur. (2) Question 8 Allopatric and Sympatric Sympatric speciation occurs when populations of a species that share the same habitat become reproductively isolated from each other (different number of chromosomes). Sympatric speciation is rare and it occurs most often in plant species. Allopatric speciation occurs when populations of a species become geographically isolated, and gene flow ceases. Barriers could include a body of water or mountain range that prevent the organisms from mixing.

The wolf, water, zebra and swamp are species of which animal? a) Beetle b) Fish c) Spider d) Orchid (1) Biology Challenge Question 9 Answer: c) Spider There are about 40,000 known species of spiders in the world.

Name the two processes through which cells divide. Contributed by the Biochemical Society Question 10(2) Mitosis & Meiosis In normal cells, division occurs by mitosis, where a cell duplicates all of its contents and splits to form two identical daughter cells. Mitosis is fundamental to life and is how our body cells replicate. Meiosis occurs in order to form sperm or egg cells. It is a two-step process that halves the chromosome number, so that when the sperm and egg cells unite at conception, each contributes 23 chromosomes so the resulting embryo will have the usual 46. Meiosis also allows for genetic variation as the DNA is shuffled during the replication.

Which bird makes this call? a) European Robin b) Eurasian Magpie c) Superb Fairy-Wren d) Red-bellied Woodpecker European Robin Question 11 (1) Answer: a) European Robin

Question 12 What does ATP stand for? What kind of cellular transport is ATP involved in? (2) ATP stands for Adenosine Tri Phosphate, and is the major energy currency molecule of the cell. ATP is involved with active transport as the energy helps to actively pump substances into or out of the cell. ATP can help set up concentration gradients in order to, for example, to keep unwanted ions or other molecules out of the cell that are normally able to diffuse through the cell membrane passively.

TRUE/FALSE: When penetrating a rice leaf, rice blast fungus generates greater air pressure than inside a car tyre. Contributed by the British Society for Plant Pathology (1) Question 13 TRUE The rice blast fungus forms a structure called an appresorium, which uses extremely high turgor pressure to penetrate rice leaves.

What type of animal are the following famous on-screen characters? a)Beethoven b)Sven c)Nermal d)Sonic e)Charlotte (5) Question 14 – St Bernard dog, Beethoven – Reindeer, Frozen – Tabby cat, Garfield – Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog – Spider, Charlotte’s Web

Match the following terms. (1) Succession Climax community Pioneer species Abiotic environment Process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time The first species to colonise an area A stable, mature ecosystem at the end stage of succession Non-living chemical and physical parts of an ecosystem Question 15

Actin and myosin interactions are responsible for cell movement, including muscle contraction. Briefly describe the basic structure of both actin and myosin. Question 16 (2) Myosin is a motor protein, responsible for generating the force in a muscle contraction. It consists of a head and a tail region, and hundreds of these come together to create a thick filament. Actin is composed of two long chains of proteins that form a thin filament in muscle cells. Actin and myosin bind to one another as part of the ‘sliding filament’ model in order to allow for muscle movement.

Identify this species of animal: Even-toed ungulate Characteristic coat pattern Heart can be 2ft long and up to 11kg heavy Communicate over long distances by infrasound Not confident swimmers Blue tongue Question 17 (1) Giraffe

What are the six proposed basic tastes that our tongue can detect? Question 18 (1) Contributed by Oxford University Press Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami and oleogustus The latter is the most recently discovered and is thought to arise from fat.

Question 19 Phagocytes are involved in the immune response; what are phagocytes and what do they do? (2) Phagocytes are a type of white blood cell, known as a neutrophil. They are released during the immune response and engulf pathogens and bacteria, rendering them harmless. Phagocytes will alter its cell membrane to encapsulate a pathogen and once it has it inside the phagosome, will fuse its lysosomes (vesicles containing digestive enzymes) to the phagosome in order to digest and ultimately kill the pathogen.

Which animal would Sir David Attenborough most like to be? a)Seahorse b)Sloth c)Slow worm d)Siberian tiger e)Salamander Question 20(1) Answer: b) Sloth In a Royal Society of Biology interview, when asked this question, Attenborough replied a sloth, so he could enjoy “hanging around upside down, wanting nothing but another chew on a leaf”. Video:

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