Question

1.Both plants and animals have a complex molecule (Rubisco and hemoglobin, respectively) that attaches to and moves both carbon dioxide and oxygen throughout their bodies. Explain how they do it differently and how that affects the functionality of the molecule.

2. Explain why and how the inflammatory response creates its hallmark signs.

3.Explain why we were able to eliminate smallpox virus with a vaccine but cannot eliminate influenza. Be as specific as possible.

4.Using what you know about the immune system, explain why all people are not universal blood donors.

8. Diagram the carbon cycle, illustrating how carbon flows through the system, and explain how humans are influencing it.

9.Using what you know about how energy is transferred through an ecosystem, explain why a plant-based diet is more sustainable than meat-based diet. Be specific as possible.

10.Explain how solar radiation creates deserts at 30⁰ N & S latitude.

11.Describe the greenhouse effect and explain how humans are influencing it. Be specific as possible.

12.Describe four ways in which recent climate change has impacted the Earth’s environment.

Answer 1

1. Rubisco is ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase.It is an enzyme that is involved in the TCA or calvin cycle and protein in nature.

In calvin cycle the plants absorb water and carbon dioxide and produce oxygen and glucose. Rubisco has a very important role in the pathway of Calvin cycle. It acts as CO₂ acceptor, in the first step of the pathway, where it helps CO₂ to combine with the 5-C molecule called RUBP( ribulose bisphosphate). So, the function of Rubisco is to fix atmospheric CO2 into a chemically reactive form for synthesizing glucose molecules.

Like Rubisco, haemoglobin is another very important protein molecule for animal metabolism. It plays an essential role in carrying oxygen to the different parts of the body as oxyhaemoglobin from the respiratory organs(lungs).

Haemoglobin is a quarternary structure and consists of two parts- the globular protein and the haem- an iron atom at the center which is the main binding site of oxygen. The greater oxygen concentration, more is the affinity of haemoglobin to bind with oxygen. The affinity increases as successive oxygen molecules bind, the binding capacity is also related to the partial pressure of oxygen to which haemoglobin is exposed. As in the lungs, the partial pressure of oxygen is typically high, it readily binds to oxygen. But in the tissues, due to lower partial pressure oxygen is released from haemoglobin as it cannot hold oxygen to its full binding capacity.