UMD General Biology Final Exam Questions with
Answer Graded A+ 2025/2026
what is the difference between the common ancestor of eukarya and
archaea on the eukarya side? - linear chromosomes, nuclear membranes,
multicellularity
horizontal gene transfer - movement of DNA from different strains and
species, major source of genetic diversity in bacteria
conjugation - DNA directly transferred between bacteria
transformation - DNA taken up from growth media
transfection - DNA transferred by a virus
what does horizontal gene transfer do to the phylogenetic tree? - it causes
blending
metagenomic analysis - collect samples, generate small DNA fragments,
assemble overlapping DNA sequences
what does metagenomic analysis allow it? - quantitative analysis,
"molecular clock", phylogeny of hard-to-culture organisms
what is a possible new phylum? - candidate phyla radiation
important features of archaea - branched fatty acids in plasma membranes,
small picoplankton, resistant to antibiotics
extremophiles - high salt(halophiles), high temp(thermophiles), low temp,
high pressure, high acidity
missing link in eukaryotic evolution - archaea with eukaryotic biochemical
pathways
4 criteria to link a disease with a microbe - microbe must be present in
affected/absent in unaffected, microbe must be oscillated and grown in
pure culture, if inject pure culture into healthy individual, disease will result,
must be able to culture microbe from newly infected individual
, germ theory of disease - made up of four criteria to link diseases with
microbes
important traits of eukaryotic cells - nuclear membrane and membrane
bound organelles, cytoskeletons
endocytosis: phagocytosis - eukaryotes only, can utilize complex materials
for food
endosymbiosis theory - archaea surrounds bacteria and both survive
evidence for endosymbiosis theory - nuclear genes resemble archaea,
mitochondrial genes resemble protobacteria
hypothesis 1 for endosymbiosis - evolution from archaeon and later
engulfed protobacteria lead to mitochondrion
hypothesis 2 endosymbiosis - symbiosis between on archaeon and
protobactera lead to mitochondria
main difference between hypothesis for endosymbiosis - whether or not
engulfment of protobacteria occurred before or after membrane infolding
eukaryotic signatures in asgard archara - shows evidence of membrane
infolding a cytoskeleton and eukaryotic biochemical pathways
protist characteristics - paraphyletic, evolutionarily meaningless,
presence/absence/form of mitochondria and chloroplasts, cell structure,
flagella characteristics
types of protists - protozoans, slime molds, unicellular algae, multicellular
algae
protozoans - protists that ingest their food, some switch between
autotrophic and heterotrophic
slime molds - decomposers, plasmodia: large cells with multiple nuclei
unicellular algae - diatoms: 50% of ocean photosynthesis, silica tests
Answer Graded A+ 2025/2026
what is the difference between the common ancestor of eukarya and
archaea on the eukarya side? - linear chromosomes, nuclear membranes,
multicellularity
horizontal gene transfer - movement of DNA from different strains and
species, major source of genetic diversity in bacteria
conjugation - DNA directly transferred between bacteria
transformation - DNA taken up from growth media
transfection - DNA transferred by a virus
what does horizontal gene transfer do to the phylogenetic tree? - it causes
blending
metagenomic analysis - collect samples, generate small DNA fragments,
assemble overlapping DNA sequences
what does metagenomic analysis allow it? - quantitative analysis,
"molecular clock", phylogeny of hard-to-culture organisms
what is a possible new phylum? - candidate phyla radiation
important features of archaea - branched fatty acids in plasma membranes,
small picoplankton, resistant to antibiotics
extremophiles - high salt(halophiles), high temp(thermophiles), low temp,
high pressure, high acidity
missing link in eukaryotic evolution - archaea with eukaryotic biochemical
pathways
4 criteria to link a disease with a microbe - microbe must be present in
affected/absent in unaffected, microbe must be oscillated and grown in
pure culture, if inject pure culture into healthy individual, disease will result,
must be able to culture microbe from newly infected individual
, germ theory of disease - made up of four criteria to link diseases with
microbes
important traits of eukaryotic cells - nuclear membrane and membrane
bound organelles, cytoskeletons
endocytosis: phagocytosis - eukaryotes only, can utilize complex materials
for food
endosymbiosis theory - archaea surrounds bacteria and both survive
evidence for endosymbiosis theory - nuclear genes resemble archaea,
mitochondrial genes resemble protobacteria
hypothesis 1 for endosymbiosis - evolution from archaeon and later
engulfed protobacteria lead to mitochondrion
hypothesis 2 endosymbiosis - symbiosis between on archaeon and
protobactera lead to mitochondria
main difference between hypothesis for endosymbiosis - whether or not
engulfment of protobacteria occurred before or after membrane infolding
eukaryotic signatures in asgard archara - shows evidence of membrane
infolding a cytoskeleton and eukaryotic biochemical pathways
protist characteristics - paraphyletic, evolutionarily meaningless,
presence/absence/form of mitochondria and chloroplasts, cell structure,
flagella characteristics
types of protists - protozoans, slime molds, unicellular algae, multicellular
algae
protozoans - protists that ingest their food, some switch between
autotrophic and heterotrophic
slime molds - decomposers, plasmodia: large cells with multiple nuclei
unicellular algae - diatoms: 50% of ocean photosynthesis, silica tests
