Examples of chemical diversity in the following topics:
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- Genetic diversity, ecosystem diversity, and human-derived diversity are measures of biodiversity that currently define life on earth.
- Genetic diversity is one of those alternate concepts.
- Genetic diversity can be measured as chemical diversity in that different species produce a variety of chemicals in their cells, both the proteins as well as the products and by-products of metabolism.
- This chemical diversity has potential benefit for humans as a source of pharmaceuticals, so it provides one way to measure diversity that is important to human health and welfare.
- Humans have generated diversity in domestic animals, plants, and fungi.
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- Organisms can respond to diverse stimuli.
- In order to function properly, cells need to have appropriate conditions such as proper temperature, pH, and appropriate concentration of diverse chemicals.
- Some organisms capture energy from the sun and convert it into chemical energy in food; others use chemical energy in molecules they take in as food .
- This process, change over time, is called evolution, and it is one of the processes that explain the diverse species seen in biology.
- The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) uses chemical energy derived from food to power flight.
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- Gymnosperms are a diverse group of plants the protect their seeds with cones and do not produce flowers or fruits.
- Because ephedrine is similar to amphetamines, both in chemical structure and neurological effects, its use is restricted to prescription drugs.
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- The process of photosynthesis converts light energy to chemical energy, which can be used by organisms for different metabolic processes.
- It is the only biological process that captures energy from outer space (sunlight) and converts it into chemical energy in the form of G3P (
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate) which in turn can be made into sugars and other molecular compounds.
- A third very interesting group of bacteria synthesize sugars, not by using sunlight's energy, but by extracting energy from inorganic chemical compounds; hence, they are referred to as chemoautotrophs.
- The ecosystem surrounding the vents has a diverse array of animals, such as tubeworms, crustaceans, and octopi that derive energy from the bacteria.
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- Hormones serve as chemical "messengers" that function in cellular and organ activity to maintain the body's homeostasis.
- Cellular recipients of a particular hormonal signal may be one of several cell types that reside within a number of different tissues, as is the case for insulin, which triggers a diverse range of systemic physiological effects.
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- Produced by signaling cells and the subsequent binding to receptors in target cells, ligands act as chemical signals that travel to the target cells to coordinate responses.
- These water soluble ligands are quite diverse and include small molecules, peptides, and proteins.
- Steroid hormones have similar chemical structures to their precursor, cholesterol.
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- In order for nutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins) to be absorbed for energy, food must undergo chemical and mechanical digestion.
- Digestion is the mechanical and chemical break down of food into small organic fragments.
- In chemical digestion, enzymes break down food into the small molecules the body can use.
- Digestive enzymes are diverse and are found in the saliva secreted by the salivary glands, in the stomach secreted by cells lining the stomach, in the pancreatic juice secreted by pancreatic exocrine cells, and in the intestinal (small and large) secretions, or as part of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Mechanical and chemical digestion of food takes place in many steps, beginning in the mouth and ending in the rectum.
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- Textile dyes, such as indigo, were mostly of plant origin until the advent of synthetic chemical dyes.
- From the mid-1900s, synthetic chemicals began to supplant plant-based remedies.
- To learn about and understand the use of plants in a particular culture, an ethnobotanist must bring in knowledge of plant life and an understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and traditions.
- The Amazon forest is home to an incredible diversity of vegetation and is considered an untapped resource of medicinal plants; yet, both the ecosystem and its indigenous cultures are threatened with extinction.
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- Chemicals released at axon terminals allow signals to be communicated to these other cells.
- There is an amazing diversity of neuron shapes and sizes found in different parts of the nervous system (and across species) .
- There is great diversity in the size and shape of neurons throughout the nervous system.