Biology HL

Chapters

553

Notes

Theme A - Unity & diversity

Theme B - Form & Function

Theme C - Interaction & Interdependence

Theme D - Continuity & Change

Biology HL

Theme C - Interaction & Interdependence

Unlocking Heterotrophs: The Carbon Compound Synthesizers!

395 words

2 mins read

Last edited on 5th Nov 2024

Heterotrophs are the "order take-out" gang of the biological world! 🍔🍟 Instead of making their own food, they get their carbon compounds from other organisms.
Definition: Organisms that use carbon compounds from other life forms to create the carbon compounds they need.

Feeding Time! 🍽️ Heterotrophs eat carbon compounds from other beings.
Digestion: They break down these carbon compounds. Like how you'd munch on a pizza slice to get all its goodness!
Assimilation: This is like shopping for your wardrobe! They use the digested compounds to build the complex carbon compounds they require. Here's how.
- Absorb the digested compounds into their cells.
- These compounds have to be tiny and soluble, just like how we prefer bite-sized candies! 🍬 Big molecules like proteins and nucleic acids need to be digested to fit the bill.

Saprotrophs: The "external digestion" squad.
- They're like chefs that prepare the food outside. They grow on or over their food, oozing out enzymes that digest the food right then and there.
- Real-world Example: Think of fungi like mushrooms. They release enzymes to break down dead plants and animals.
Consumers: They prefer their food "inside".
- Multicellular consumers: Like guanacos (furry creatures from South America 🦙).
  - Eat food by swallowing. Picture it as mixing your cereal with milk and some digestive enzymes in a big bowl (their gut) before it's good to go!
- Unicellular consumers: Tiny beings like Paramecium.
  - They engulf food by endocytosis. Imagine a single-cell creature wrapping around its food like a cozy blanket 🌯, then breaking it down inside special pockets (phagocytic vacuoles).
  - They then soak up the goodness (digestive products) into their insides (cytoplasm).

Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Biology HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟

Biology HL

395 words

2 mins read

Last edited on 5th Nov 2024

Heterotrophs are the "order take-out" gang of the biological world! 🍔🍟 Instead of making their own food, they get their carbon compounds from other organisms.
Definition: Organisms that use carbon compounds from other life forms to create the carbon compounds they need.

Feeding Time! 🍽️ Heterotrophs eat carbon compounds from other beings.
Digestion: They break down these carbon compounds. Like how you'd munch on a pizza slice to get all its goodness!
Assimilation: This is like shopping for your wardrobe! They use the digested compounds to build the complex carbon compounds they require. Here's how.
- Absorb the digested compounds into their cells.
- These compounds have to be tiny and soluble, just like how we prefer bite-sized candies! 🍬 Big molecules like proteins and nucleic acids need to be digested to fit the bill.

Saprotrophs: The "external digestion" squad.
- They're like chefs that prepare the food outside. They grow on or over their food, oozing out enzymes that digest the food right then and there.
- Real-world Example: Think of fungi like mushrooms. They release enzymes to break down dead plants and animals.
Consumers: They prefer their food "inside".
- Multicellular consumers: Like guanacos (furry creatures from South America 🦙).
  - Eat food by swallowing. Picture it as mixing your cereal with milk and some digestive enzymes in a big bowl (their gut) before it's good to go!
- Unicellular consumers: Tiny beings like Paramecium.
  - They engulf food by endocytosis. Imagine a single-cell creature wrapping around its food like a cozy blanket 🌯, then breaking it down inside special pockets (phagocytic vacuoles).
  - They then soak up the goodness (digestive products) into their insides (cytoplasm).

Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Biology HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟