Study Guide: Cell Respiration and Cell Membranes

To-Do Date: Feb 1 at 9:30am

We will continue our work to understand diabetes. In order to do that, we have to think about many different scales at the same time( cells, molecules, organs, etc)  Here is a flowchart that helps me to organize my thinking on the subject. This week we are going to focus on the part of the flow chart outlined in red: from the digestive system to the cells. 

week 3 diabetes diagram.png

Study Guide :  Here is an outline of what you will be learning this week.

    1. How the  molecules are delivered from your digestive system via your blood to your cells.
    2. What do cells do with the subunits/monomers that they absorb?
      • Can you think of two different options of what a cell could do with : an amino acid? Or with a sugar molecule? 
    3. Why is cell respiration so important?
      • What are the ingredients?
      • What are the products?
      • Why is ATP such an important molecule?
    4. What is the basic structure of a  cell membrane?
      • How are phospholipids arranged in a cell membrane?
      • Why does limit what type of molecules can cross the membrane easily?
      • What type of molecules can just slip across (diffusion)?
      • What are some important types of membrane proteins? 
    5. Can you fill in this chart?
Type of molecule Method of crossing the membrane  Why?
small non-polar molecules (O2, CO2, H2O) 
medium sized non-polar molecules (fatty acids)
medium sized polar molecules ( sugar, amino acids, ions like Calcium)
very large molecules (proteins, carbohydrates) 

 

Unit Assessment Question for cell respiration and cell  membranes

 

Unit Assessment Questions: 

At the end of the Diabetes Unit, you will need to turn in answers to the Unit Assessment Questions. There will be 2-3 of these questions per week, for a total of ~ 7-10 questions on Diabetes. As mentioned before, you are welcome to use your book, notes AND you may work on it with anyone you would like - myself, fellow student, tutor, etc. BUT, your answers MUST be in your own words. 

 

D2. You haven't eaten all day and you are starting to feel tired and low energy.  Explain why this is the case,

A. Explaining  how glucose and other monomers get to your cells; how those monomers are absorbed across the cell membrane and

B. What your cells do with those monomers; the relationship between cell respiration, ATP and energy,  where the monomers come from originally before they are absorbed into your blood and why you are tire.