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DAT Prep/Biology/Diversity of Life

Browse course topics

Classification and evolutionary relationships

Taxonomy, binomial nomenclature, and hierarchical classification Three-domain system: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya Homology, analogy, and convergent evolution Cladograms, phylogenetic trees, clades, and shared derived traits Reading and interpreting evolutionary trees

Viruses and noncellular agents

Viral structure, capsids, envelopes, and genome types Viral entry, replication, assembly, and release Lytic and lysogenic cycles Retroviruses and reverse transcription Bacteriophages Viroids and prions Host defenses, vaccines, and viral evolution

Bacteria and Archaea

Prokaryotic cell structure Bacterial shapes, arrangements, flagella, pili, and capsules Gram-positive versus Gram-negative bacteria Endospores and bacterial survival Binary fission and bacterial growth Aerobic, anaerobic, autotrophic, and heterotrophic prokaryotes Transformation, transduction, and conjugation Plasmids and antibiotic resistance Pathogenic bacteria, toxins, and normal microbiota Decomposers, nitrogen fixation, and ecological bacterial roles Archaea and their distinctions from bacteria

Protists

Protist characteristics and major evolutionary groups Protozoan locomotion: cilia, flagella, and pseudopodia Amoebas and slime molds Euglenoids, kinetoplastids, and diplomonads Ciliates, dinoflagellates, and apicomplexans Diatoms, brown algae, red algae, and green algae Water molds and important protist diseases Protist life cycles and ecological roles

Fungi

Fungal structure, hyphae, mycelium, and absorptive nutrition Fungal asexual and sexual reproduction Chytrids, zygomycetes, sac fungi, club fungi, and imperfect fungi Yeasts and molds Mycorrhizae and lichens Fungal decomposers, pathogens, and ecological importance

Plants

Evolution of plants and adaptations to land Alternation of generations Bryophytes and nonvascular plants Ferns and seedless vascular plants Gymnosperms Angiosperms and flowering-plant diversity Flower anatomy, pollination, and double fertilization Seeds, fruits, germination, and dispersal Plant tissue systems and meristems Roots, stems, and leaves Primary versus secondary plant growth Xylem, water transport, cohesion-tension, and root pressure Phloem and pressure-flow translocation Transpiration, stomata, and guard cells Mineral nutrition, soils, and nitrogen fixation Auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ethylene, and abscisic acid Tropisms, photoperiodism, dormancy, and plant defenses

Animals

Animal characteristics and embryonic tissue layers Symmetry, cephalization, body cavities, segmentation, and body plans Porifera Cnidaria Platyhelminthes Nematoda Annelida Mollusca Arthropoda Echinodermata Chordate characteristics Jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals Comparative animal life cycles and organ-system evolution Integrated diversity and phylogeny problems

Topics

Evolution of plants and adaptations to land Alternation of generations Bryophytes and nonvascular plants Ferns and seedless vascular plants Gymnosperms Angiosperms and flowering-plant diversity Flower anatomy, pollination, and double fertilization Seeds, fruits, germination, and dispersal Plant tissue systems and meristems Roots, stems, and leaves Primary versus secondary plant growth Xylem, water transport, cohesion-tension, and root pressure Phloem and pressure-flow translocation Transpiration, stomata, and guard cells Mineral nutrition, soils, and nitrogen fixation Auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ethylene, and abscisic acid Tropisms, photoperiodism, dormancy, and plant defenses

Plants

Xylem, water transport, cohesion-tension, and root pressure

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