BIO 130 LATEST 2026 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔What is an element cycle - ✔✔natural pathway by which a chemical element moves
through different parts of the earths systems
✔✔Describe the pathway of a molecule as it moves through a typical biogeochemical
cycle - ✔✔it goes from atmosphere to plant to animal to soil to fossil fuels back to the
atmosphere its a continuous loop
✔✔What domains contain prokaryotes - ✔✔Bacteria and Archaea
✔✔Why are archaeans in their own domain - ✔✔not strictly prokaryotes some are
bacterial, some eukaryotic, and some have unique features separating them from
bacteria
✔✔What are extremophiles - ✔✔Organisms that can live in extreme conditions such as
high pressure, high salt concentration, or high temperatures
✔✔What are pathogenic bacteria - ✔✔bacteria that cause disease
✔✔What are the 3 common shapes of prokaryotes - ✔✔1. Cocci/Spheres 2.
Bacilli/Rods 3. Spirilla/Spirals
✔✔How is DNA arranged in a prokaryote cell? - ✔✔it is one circular chromosomes
packed into the nucleoid
✔✔What are plasmids - ✔✔extra loops of DNA
✔✔What do plasmids do? - ✔✔Allow bacterial cells to move genes from one cell to
another
✔✔What is the cell wall - ✔✔surrounds the cell membrane of the plant cell; provides
support and shape
✔✔How are Gram positive and Gram negative prokaryotes different - ✔✔Gram negative
have a thinner cell wall and extra memebranes and gram positive has a thicker cell wall
✔✔What is the capsule (slime layer) and its function - ✔✔layer outside of the well wall
and it sticks to surfaces, resist drying and protection from immune system
✔✔What are fimbriae function? - ✔✔short hairlike projections that adhere to objects
, ✔✔What are flagella function - ✔✔whiplike extension to move cells they are not the
same as flagella in eukaryotes
✔✔How are prokaryotes metabolically diverse - ✔✔through evolutionary time and all the
cells need is an energy and carbon source
✔✔What are aerobes - ✔✔Organisms that require oxygen to grow
✔✔What are Anaerobes - ✔✔they do not require oxygen
✔✔What are facultative anaerobes/aerobes - ✔✔can survive and grow in both the
presence of oxygen and absence of oxygen, switching their metabolic pathways
depending on environment conditions
✔✔What are obligate aerobes/anaerobes - ✔✔are organims defined by their strict
requirments for oxygen in metabolism
✔✔How are bacteria important in the nitrogen cycle - ✔✔Bacteria are decomposers and
they help return nitrogen into the atmosphere.
✔✔What is the connection between cyanobacteria and oxygen in the atmosphere? -
✔✔they were the first organisms to perform oxygen-producing photosynthesis
✔✔How do prokaryotes reproduce - ✔✔binary fission which is the splitting of the cell
into two daughter cells
✔✔Do prokaryotes engage in sexual reproduction - ✔✔no but horizontal gene transfer
✔✔What is horizontal gene transfer - ✔✔transfer of genes between cells of the same
generation
✔✔What is conjugation? - ✔✔when bacteria cells transfer copies of plasmids via a
conjugation tube
✔✔What is Transformation - ✔✔cells take up naked DNA from cells that disintegrate
✔✔What is Transduction - ✔✔viruses transfer bits of host DNA from one bacterium to
another
✔✔What is an endospore and its function - ✔✔protect the bacterial genome in a
dormant state when environmental conditions are unfavorable. Endospores allow some
bacterial cells to survive long periods without food or water, as well as exposure to
chemicals, extreme temperatures, and even radiation.
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔What is an element cycle - ✔✔natural pathway by which a chemical element moves
through different parts of the earths systems
✔✔Describe the pathway of a molecule as it moves through a typical biogeochemical
cycle - ✔✔it goes from atmosphere to plant to animal to soil to fossil fuels back to the
atmosphere its a continuous loop
✔✔What domains contain prokaryotes - ✔✔Bacteria and Archaea
✔✔Why are archaeans in their own domain - ✔✔not strictly prokaryotes some are
bacterial, some eukaryotic, and some have unique features separating them from
bacteria
✔✔What are extremophiles - ✔✔Organisms that can live in extreme conditions such as
high pressure, high salt concentration, or high temperatures
✔✔What are pathogenic bacteria - ✔✔bacteria that cause disease
✔✔What are the 3 common shapes of prokaryotes - ✔✔1. Cocci/Spheres 2.
Bacilli/Rods 3. Spirilla/Spirals
✔✔How is DNA arranged in a prokaryote cell? - ✔✔it is one circular chromosomes
packed into the nucleoid
✔✔What are plasmids - ✔✔extra loops of DNA
✔✔What do plasmids do? - ✔✔Allow bacterial cells to move genes from one cell to
another
✔✔What is the cell wall - ✔✔surrounds the cell membrane of the plant cell; provides
support and shape
✔✔How are Gram positive and Gram negative prokaryotes different - ✔✔Gram negative
have a thinner cell wall and extra memebranes and gram positive has a thicker cell wall
✔✔What is the capsule (slime layer) and its function - ✔✔layer outside of the well wall
and it sticks to surfaces, resist drying and protection from immune system
✔✔What are fimbriae function? - ✔✔short hairlike projections that adhere to objects
, ✔✔What are flagella function - ✔✔whiplike extension to move cells they are not the
same as flagella in eukaryotes
✔✔How are prokaryotes metabolically diverse - ✔✔through evolutionary time and all the
cells need is an energy and carbon source
✔✔What are aerobes - ✔✔Organisms that require oxygen to grow
✔✔What are Anaerobes - ✔✔they do not require oxygen
✔✔What are facultative anaerobes/aerobes - ✔✔can survive and grow in both the
presence of oxygen and absence of oxygen, switching their metabolic pathways
depending on environment conditions
✔✔What are obligate aerobes/anaerobes - ✔✔are organims defined by their strict
requirments for oxygen in metabolism
✔✔How are bacteria important in the nitrogen cycle - ✔✔Bacteria are decomposers and
they help return nitrogen into the atmosphere.
✔✔What is the connection between cyanobacteria and oxygen in the atmosphere? -
✔✔they were the first organisms to perform oxygen-producing photosynthesis
✔✔How do prokaryotes reproduce - ✔✔binary fission which is the splitting of the cell
into two daughter cells
✔✔Do prokaryotes engage in sexual reproduction - ✔✔no but horizontal gene transfer
✔✔What is horizontal gene transfer - ✔✔transfer of genes between cells of the same
generation
✔✔What is conjugation? - ✔✔when bacteria cells transfer copies of plasmids via a
conjugation tube
✔✔What is Transformation - ✔✔cells take up naked DNA from cells that disintegrate
✔✔What is Transduction - ✔✔viruses transfer bits of host DNA from one bacterium to
another
✔✔What is an endospore and its function - ✔✔protect the bacterial genome in a
dormant state when environmental conditions are unfavorable. Endospores allow some
bacterial cells to survive long periods without food or water, as well as exposure to
chemicals, extreme temperatures, and even radiation.
