A2 OCR Biology - Unit 2, Module 2 - Biotechnology

?
  • Created by: Jess
  • Created on: 11-04-14 11:10
Name 4 foods that are produced with the help of microorganisms
Cheese, yoghurt, mycoprotein, soya sauce
1 of 49
Definition of biotechnology
Industrial use of living organisms to produce food, drugs and other products
2 of 49
What is the Latin name of the fungus that produces Penicillin?
Penicillium
3 of 49
Why is the treatment of water a biotechnological process?
Bacteria and fungi use the organic waste and nutrients in the water to make the waste harmless
4 of 49
What are the advantages of using microorganisms?
1. Grow rapidly in favourable conditions/ 2. Can be genetically engineered/ 3. Often produce chemicals that can be harvested from the surrounding medium/ 4. Grow well at lower temperatures/ 5. Can be grown using useless/toxic materials
5 of 49
Definition of cloning
The process of producing genetically identical cells or organisms from the cells of an existing organism
6 of 49
What do scientists use clones for?
Research - testing new drugs, saving endangered animals from extinction, farmers increasing desired characteristics
7 of 49
What is non-reproductive cloning also known as?
Therapeutic cloning
8 of 49
Why are embryonic stem cells (harvested from young embryos) used for cloning?
They have the potential to become any cell type in an organism so could replace any tissues
9 of 49
Describe the process of nuclear transfer
Body cell taken with nucleus extracted and kept/ Egg cell taken from another animal with its nucleus removed to make an enucleated cell/ insert nucleus into enucleated cell/ divides/ embryo formed/ implanted in surrogate mother
10 of 49
What are the advantages of cloning animals?
Desirable genetic characteristics always passed on to clones, reproduce infertile animals, don't need to have a breeding season - can be done at any time
11 of 49
What are the disadvantages of cloning animals?
Undesirable genetic characteristics always passed on to clones, difficult, time-consuming, expensive, clones may not live as long
12 of 49
What are the ethical issues to do with human cloning?
Embryos destroyed after harvesting embryonic stem cells - destroying life/ lower quality of life - social exclusion maybe/ undermines natural sexual reproduction and traditional family structures
13 of 49
How can you clone plants from existing plants?
Tissue culture
14 of 49
How is tissue culture done?
Cells taken from original plant from stem and root tips (undifferentiated stem cells)/ Sterilisation kills any microorganisms/ Placed on culture medium with nutrients and growth factors/ Divide and grow/ Planted into soil
15 of 49
What is the term that describes how some plants produce natural clones?
Vegetative propagation
16 of 49
What are the structures on elm trees that produce clones?
Suckers
17 of 49
What is a sucker?
A shoot that grows from the shallow roots of an elm tree
18 of 49
When are suckers activated?
During times of stress - drought, damage, disease - or when a tree is dying
19 of 49
Do suckers grow close or far away from the original tree?
Normally would grow close, but they can pop up many metres away from the parent tree to help avoid any stress that triggered their growth
20 of 49
What are the advantages of cloning plants?
Desirable genetic characteristics always passed on, can be produced in any season (indoors), quick, sterile plants can be reproduced
21 of 49
What are the disadvantages of cloning plants?
Undesirable genetic characteristics always passed on, no genetic variability - single disease could kill them all, high production costs - high energy use and training skilled workers
22 of 49
Why are bacteria and fungi mostly used in biotechnology?
Can easily create their ideal growth conditions, grow rapidly, grown any time of the year, grow on toxic/waste materials
23 of 49
What are intracellular enzymes?
Enzymes contained within the cells of organisms
24 of 49
What are the main ways to immobilise enzymes?
Encapsulated in alginate beads, covalently bonded to a support (clay), adsorption to clays, resins, porous carbon or glass beads, trapping in a network of cellulose fibres, separation from substrate mixture by a partially permeable membrane
25 of 49
What are the advantages of immobilising enzymes?
Can be washed and reused, no time or money spent separating the product from the enzymes, more stable than free enzymes
26 of 49
Definition of a culture
A population of one type of microorganism that's been under controlled conditions
27 of 49
Under what conditions do a population of microorganisms follow a standard growth curve?
In a closed culture of a population of microorganisms - isolated fromt he external environment where extra nutrients aren't added and waste products aren't removed
28 of 49
What are the 4 phases of the standard growth curve (in order)?
Lag, exponential, stationary, decline
29 of 49
What happens during the lag phase?
Population size increases slowly - mircroorganisms have to make enzymes and other molecules before they can reproduce
30 of 49
What happens during the exponential phase?
Population size increases quickly - favourable conditions for reproduction (lots of food and little competition) - number of microorganisms doubles at regular intervals
31 of 49
What happens during the stationary phase?
Population size stays level - death rate is equal to the reproduction rate - not enough food and poisonous wastes build up
32 of 49
What happens during the decline phase?
Population size falls - death rate is greater than reproduction rate - food is scarce and waste products have build up at toxic levels
33 of 49
What are primary metabolites?
Small molecules that are essential fro the growth of microorganisms - produced when conditions are favourable
34 of 49
What are secondary metabolites?
Molecules that aren't essential for growth but are useful in other ways
35 of 49
Give an example of a secondary metabolite
Penicillin
36 of 49
Name 2 things that are monitored in fermentation vessels
pH and temperature
37 of 49
How is temperature kept at the optimum level?
With a water jacket that surrounds the vessel
38 of 49
Why are there paddles in a fermentor?
Microorganisms can be kept in contact with fresh medium by paddles that circulate the medium around the vessel - microorganisms can always access the nutrients needed for growth
39 of 49
Why is the volume of oxygen kept at optimum level?
For respiration
40 of 49
What happens to the vessels between uses?
They are sterilised with superheated steam to kill unwanted microorganisms - reduces competition
41 of 49
What are the two main culture methods?
Batch and continuous
42 of 49
Which culture (batch or continuous) is kept in an open system?
Continuous culture
43 of 49
Which culture (batch or continuous) goes only through the lag phase and is then kept at the exponential phase?
Continuous culture
44 of 49
Why is the product yield in a batch culture quite low?
Stopping the reaction and sterilising the vessel between fermentations means there's a period when no product is being harvested
45 of 49
Which culture (batch or continuous) is used to produce primary metabolites?
Continous culture
46 of 49
Why can contamination on an industrial scale be very costly?
Entire cultures may have to be thrown away
47 of 49
Name some aseptic techniques that can be used when working with microorganisms?
Regularily disinfect work surfaces/ Wear gloves/ Long hair is tied back/ Sterilise instruments before and after use to kill microorganisms/ lids held over open containers after they're removed so unwanted microorganisms don't fall onto the culture
48 of 49
Name a way to sterilise the instruments used in the culture of microorganisms
Inoculation loops are heated using a Bunsen burner to kill any microrganisms on them
49 of 49

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Definition of biotechnology

Back

Industrial use of living organisms to produce food, drugs and other products

Card 3

Front

What is the Latin name of the fungus that produces Penicillin?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Why is the treatment of water a biotechnological process?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are the advantages of using microorganisms?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Biology resources:

See all Biology resources »See all Biological molecules, organic chemistry and biochemistry resources »