Why is glucose expressed as C₆H₁₂O₆ and not just CH₂O? Wouldn't that be simpler?
VCE Biology Questions Thread
Do we need to know about the electron transport chain for the exam? Or if we do, how much do we need to know?
Okay, I'm not sure if this question makes complete sense but: do plant cells store energy as ATP or starch? What about animals? Do either of them store it as both?
Again, not sure if this completely makes sense but: I thought one gene coded for multiple amino acids but isn't an operon made of multiple genes that code for one amino acid? So what happened there?
Can substances that aren't inhibitors bind to the allosteric site? And does everything that binds to the allosteric site inhibit substrate from binding to the active site? Or are there some things that can bind without inhibiting?
Does all the energy created by photosynthesis need to go through cellular respiration to become ATP or can some of it - being chemical energy (glucose) be used as is?
How can you tell if a reaction is anabolic or catabolic bc e.g. photosynthesis is anabolic but it also involves the destruction of materials which would mean catabolic right?
What is the main difference between C4 and CAM plants?
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Why is glucose expressed as C₆H₁₂O₆ and not just CH₂O? Wouldn't that be simpler?
The second formula that you have listed is an empirical formula, whereas the first is the molecular formula. It is the molecular formula that actually tells us the amount of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a glucose molecule. You need to make sure that you write the molecular formula as it helps us identify that the molecule you are talking about is glucose, and must be used when writing equations for photosynthesis/respiration.
In the future, please post all your questions in the one post as it makes it easier to answer them all 
I'm don't get how C4 and CAM plants lack photorespiration? If someone could explain this simply I would be super grateful! Thank you!!
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chimichurri If a reaction uses small molecules like CO2 and H2O to build larger ones like C6H12O6, then it's anabolic
Vice versa if a reaction uses up big molecules to make smaller ones
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chimichurri
ATP can't be stored, it's generated on demand from oxidation of glucose. Plants store energy as starch (amylose or amylopectin) whereas animals store energy as glycogen
PS to admins, is there a way to reply to multiple comments within the same post?
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No, (Adaptive) Cell-Mediated Responses and Adaptive Humoral Responses can develop simultaneously -- they can be activated at the same time.
You got a trick question (or alternatively a bad question) 
. Because:
Any pathogen able to stimulate an Adaptive Immune Response, can in theory, stimulate both responses. (note the "in theory" bit)
HIV is specifically good at suppressing Adaptive Immune Responses. They do this by targeting cells with the CD4 co-receptor (i.e. Helper T Cells).
Actually, Helper T cells also somewhat assist in Innate Immune Responses once they are activated because they can heighten macrophage aggressiveness etc... so really the Innate Immune System is also affected by HIV, technically, anyways, so I don't think that second bit matters so much for VCE.
If a virus is named the 'Human Immunodeficiency Virus', there is probably a good reason for it 
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chimichurri Do we need to know about the electron transport chain for the exam? Or if we do, how much do we need to know?
Yes, you will need to:
- Know that this is the final step (as far as VCAA is concerned anyways) of Cellular Respiration.
- Memorise it's inputs and outputs.
If a substance can bind to an allosteric site, it automatically makes that substance a non-competitive inhibitor.
It is just more efficient this way, especially in Eukaryotic cells with Mitochondria. In these Eukaryotes, glucose breakdown can be focused in specific areas of the cell.
Can you please group your questions together in one message next time? Or at least into groups with similar topics? It makes life easier for people on this thread that way 
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C4 plants separate the initial carbon fixation stage and the rest of the Calvin cycle over space. In the mesophyll cells, a 4-carbon molecule called oxaloacetate is produced via the help of the enzyme PEP carboxylase. Oxaloacetate is then converted into another 4-carbon molecule called malate. Malate is then transported to the bundle-sheath cells and is broken down to release carbon dioxide, which can then enter the Calvin cycle in a similar manner to C3 photosynthesis light-independent processes. Therefore, C4 plants are more efficient than C3 plants in dry conditions because they can capture more CO2 in less time and the stomata can stay closed for longer to reduce water loss. PEP carboxylase also prevents photorespiration occurring as it has no affinity for binding with oxygen.
CAM plants separate the initial carbon fixation stage and the rest of the Calvin cycle over time. The stomata opens at night to bring in CO2. PEP carboxylase fixes the CO2 to form oxaloacetate, which is then converted into malate or another organic molecule. The molecule is then stored in the vacuoles until daytime. Once it is daytime, the stomata does not open (prevents water loss) but the plant can still photosynthesise by using the malate/organic molecule that has been transported out of the vacuole, which breaks down to release CO2. This CO2 then enter the Calvin cycle in a similar manner to C3 photosynthesis light-independent processes. Therefore, CAM plants are also more efficient than C3 plants in dry conditions because they can capture more CO2 in less time, and allow the stomata to open for effective exchange over night whilst ensuring that water is not lost during the day (due to increased temperatures during the day causing more water loss). PEP carboxylase also prevents photorespiration occurring as it has no affinity for binding with oxygen.
Why is water loss a problem? The stomata closes, meaning CO2 cannot enter and O2 cannot exit, causing photorespiration to increase. This is a problem for C3 plants who have no mechanisms to prevent this. C4 plants prevent this by capturing more CO2 in less time and therefore closing their stomata for longer (of course, stomata will still open to release O2, but since more CO2 is present anyway in comparison to O2, the rate of photorespiration will still decrease). CAM plants open their stomata at night to reduce water loss.
Not sure if this will be helpful because it's quite in depth. In summary, both C4 and CAM plants aim to prevent water loss by either separating carbon fixation and the rest of photosynthesis over space or time. This is to increase the amount of CO2 present, reduce water loss, and reduce the amount of O2 present (to therefore reduce photorespiration).
