What advantage does high specific heat capacity provide for living organisms?
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It provides suitable, stable aquatic habitats with slower temperature changes compared to air.
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What advantage does high specific heat capacity provide for living organisms?
It provides suitable, stable aquatic habitats with slower temperature changes compared to air.
Why is maintaining a constant temperature in water vital for enzyme activity?
Because it allows for optimal temperatures necessary for enzyme function.
What is the charge of the slightly negative side of a water molecule represented by?
δ - (delta negative).
What is thermal conductivity?
The ability of a substance to conduct heat.
How does the viscosity of water compare to that of air?
The viscosity of water is much higher than that of air.
How do the feathers of the black-throated loon assist in temperature regulation?
They trap an insulating layer of air.
Why does water have a high specific heat capacity?
Due to the many hydrogen bonds present in water.
Why do most enzymes require water?
To hold their shape and improve stability for catalyzing reactions.
What happens to hydrogen bonds when there are few present?
They are constantly breaking and reforming.
What is the charge of the slightly positive side of a water molecule represented by?
δ + (delta positive).
What is viscosity?
The resistance of a fluid to flow.
What happens when water and solutes get trapped within a membrane?
Chemical reactions begin occurring within the membrane-bound structure, leading to cell evolution.
How does the lateral location of the loon's feet benefit its movement?
It reduces drag as it moves through water.
What gives cellulose and collagen their tensile strength?
Hydrogen bonds between their strands.
What does hydrophilic mean?
Water-loving.
What adaptation helps the ringed seal improve its buoyancy?
A layer of blubber under its skin.
How do different solutes behave with water?
They have different solubilities and hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties.
What adaptations do the seal and loon have for movement through water?
The seal has flippers, and the loon uses webbed feet.
What phenomenon occurs at the interface of water and air due to hydrogen bonds?
Surface tension.
What type of bonds make water a polar molecule?
Covalent bonds.
What do hydrogen bonds cause in water molecules?
Many properties that are important to living organisms.
What role does water play in the evolution of cells?
Water allowed dissolved molecules to move around, facilitating collisions and reactions.
What is specific heat capacity?
A measure of the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C.
What is mass transport in plants?
The movement of columns of water under tension through the xylem.
How does ice contribute to temperature regulation in aquatic environments?
Ice forms an insulating layer above the water, trapping thermal energy and increasing sea temperature below.
How does the density of ice compare to that of liquid water?
The density of ice is lower than that of liquid water, causing ice to float.
Why is water considered a fundamental property for life?
It is the medium in which all metabolic reactions take place in cells.
What property of water molecules allows hydrogen bonds to form?
The polarity of water molecules.
How does the black-throated loon overcome buoyancy issues?
By having solid bones instead of hollow bones.
Why are non-polar molecules generally hydrophobic?
They cannot form hydrogen bonds with water.
What allows for strong cohesion between water molecules?
Hydrogen bonds within water molecules.
What is the significance of highly soluble molecules in organisms?
They can be easily transported in solution.
What role does haemoglobin play in oxygen transport?
It binds oxygen to allow more to be carried than directly in blood plasma.
What is formed when an enzyme binds to its substrate?
An enzyme-substrate complex.
What percentage of a cell's mass is typically water?
Between 70% to 95%.
What occurs when there are large numbers of hydrogen bonds present?
They form a strong structure.
Which type of molecules can form hydrogen bonds with water?
Polar molecules and molecules with positive or negative charges.
Why do scientists look for water when searching for life on other planets?
Because the link between water and life is strong, suggesting that life could have occurred there.
Why is water regarded as the universal solvent?
Because most biological molecules are hydrophilic and can be dissolved in it.
What insulating layer does a seal rely on?
A layer of fat called blubber.
How does temperature affect the solubility of oxygen in water?
Oxygen is less soluble at body temperature (37ºC) than at 20ºC.
What structural levels in proteins are influenced by hydrogen bonds?
They help form part of the secondary and tertiary levels of structure.
What is the molecular composition of water?
One atom of oxygen combines with two atoms of hydrogen.
What does the delta symbol (δ) indicate in the context of water molecules?
It indicates that the charge is very small.
Where did the first cells evolve?
In a watery environment, believed to be in the deep oceans near hydrothermal vents.
How does the thermal conductivity of water compare to that of air?
The thermal conductivity of water is almost 30 times higher than that of air.
What are examples of highly soluble molecules in water?
Sodium chloride and urea.
How does the specific heat capacity of water compare to that of air?
Water has a higher specific heat capacity (4200 J/kg/°C) compared to air (1000 J/kg/°C).
Which insects can move across the surface of water due to surface tension?
Pond skaters.
What habitat does floating ice provide for Arctic species like the ringed seal?
It forms a habitat both on the floating ice sheets and below the ice.
What causes water to be a polar molecule?
The uneven sharing of electrons between oxygen and hydrogen atoms creates a dipole.
What forms between the positive and negatively charged regions of adjacent water molecules?
Hydrogen bonds.
What does hydrophobic mean?
Water-hating.
Why is water considered a universal solvent?
Due to its polarity.
Why is air considered a good insulator for organisms in colder climates?
Because it has low thermal conductivity compared to water.
In what state does water allow most life processes to occur?
In its liquid state.
What creates a film on the surface of a body of water?
Hydrogen bonds between the top layer of water molecules.
How do hydrogen bonds affect water movement in trees?
They allow water to move up the trunks of tall trees through cohesion and adhesion.
What is the significance of hydrogen bonding in protein synthesis?
It facilitates interactions between mRNA and tRNA.
What does buoyancy refer to?
The ability of an object to float in water.
How do hydrogen bonds form between water molecules?
The slightly negative side of one water molecule is attracted to the slightly positive side of another.
What phenomenon causes non-polar molecules to group together in water?
Hydrophobic interactions.
What is the specific heat capacity of water?
4200 J/kg/°C.
Why are non-polar, hydrophobic molecules insoluble in water?
Because they cannot interact with water molecules.
What role do hydrogen bonds play in biological molecules?
They are crucial for dissolving solutes in water, cohesion and adhesion of water molecules, and base-pairing in DNA.
Why do astronomers look for water on other planets?
As an indicator of possible extra-terrestrial life.
