CEE 210 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS
Lecture 2: Composition of Living Matter
Instructor: L.R. ChevalierDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringSouthern Illinois University Carbondale
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Objectives Investigate the composition of living matterDescribe the importance of carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins and nucleic acidExplain how DNA and RNA handle biological
information
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Organic Compounds
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acid
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Organic Compounds
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acid
These form the majority of the cell
___________.They are important for structural material, energy metabolism and other metabolic functions
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Organic Compounds
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acid
Nucleic acid is responsible for
______________
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Carbon - The essential element
6p6n
Carbon (Atomic Number 6)
Organic molecules contain carbon backbones. Every carbon atom will form 4 covalent bonds with other atoms, specifically other carbon atoms as well as hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur atoms.
By linking together of many smaller molecules, carbon is able to form very large polymers (macromolecules) many of which are important to human physiology.
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
CarbohydratesThese carbon-based molecules are the major
source of energy for the bodyCarbohydrates are composed of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen in a set proportion◦ ______________________
Carbohydrates are easily soluble in water due to the polar hydroxyl (OH-) groups
Ingested as sugars and starchesCarbohydrat
es
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acid
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Three types of carbohydrates _____saccharides are the simplest sugars
◦ Glucose (C6H12O6) is the most abundant (found in fruit)
◦ Also fructose, galactose, ribose _____saccharides are carbohydrates composed of
two monosaccharides linked together. ◦ Sucrose is composed of glucose and fructose (table sugar)◦ Maltose is composed of glucose and glucose chains (found
in beer and malt liquor)◦ Lactose, milk sugar, is composed of glucose and galactose
_____saccharides are formed when many monosaccharides link together into long chains◦ Generally not sweet◦ Glycogen in animal cells and starch in plant cells are both
composed of thousands of glucose molecules linked together.
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Carbohydrate
Energy from the bonding of C, H, and O
Body uses the carbohydrate to generate glucose
Glucose is broken down to produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the fundamental unity of energy
Glucose can come from amino acids of protein if carbohydrate supply is low
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Proteins Composed of C, O, H and NUses
◦ Source of energy◦ Substrate for tissue growth and maintenance◦ Biological functions◦ Major component of bone and muscle
Formation of Proteins◦ Combination of 20 common amino acids◦ 10 are essential for humans to obtain from food,
since we cannot produce them 8 through life 2 essential during periods of rapid growth (infancy)
◦ Plants can produce all 20 amino acids
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acid
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Amino Acids
http://www.johnkyrk.com/aminoacid.html
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Lipids Lipids are predominantly composed of hydrogen and carbon
atoms linked together by neutral covalent bonds. Lipids have two distinct regions
◦ Long non-polar (hydrophobic) hydrocarbon chain◦ Hydrophilic carboxylic acid group
Types of lipids◦ Fat◦ Steroids◦ Wax
The most important function of lipids is _________________ This membrane facilitates the transport of molecules in and
out of the cell Also known in layman’s term as fat
◦ Valuable food source◦ Each molecule of fatty acid can be converted into twice the number
of ATP molecules as glucose
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acid
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
On-line reference for Lipids
http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AP13204
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
On-line reference for Carbohydrates
http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AP13104
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
On-line reference for Proteins
http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AP13304
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
On-line Interactive: Construction of the Cell Membrane
Be prepared to answer questions in-class.
This on-line resource shows how some proteins are used in the construction of the cell membrane.
http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AP1101
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Nucleic AcidThe molecules that
carry genetic information◦ DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid)◦ RNA (ribonucleic acid)
Travel to the tiny world of DNA beginning with the body and ending with the atoms that make up a single DNA base◦ NOVA: Journey into DNA
by Rick Groleau
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic
acid
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/dna.html
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Biological Information Handling
http://www.biologyforengineers.org/about.php
2005 Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware by the National Engineering Education Delivery System (NEEDS).
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Additional Resource on Replication of DNA
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Codon Wheel TableInner circle signifies first nucleotide in codon, second circle signifies second nucleotide in codon, outer circle signifies third nucleotide in codon.
G U
A C
G
G
G
G
U
U
U
U
C
C
C
C
A
AA
A
CU
U
U
U
U
U
UU
U
U
U
U
U
U
UU
C
C
C
C G
C
C
C
CC
CC
CCC
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
AA
AA
A
A
A
A
A
Leucine
A
A
AA
A
A
AC
Proline
Histidine
Glutam
ine
Arg
inin
e
Isole
uci
ne
Meth
ionin
e
Thre
anin
eAspara
gineLysin
e
Serine
Arginine
Valine
Aspartic acid
Glutam
ic acid
Alanine
Glycin
e
TrypotaphaneStop
Cysteine
Stop
Tyro
sineTy
rosi
neSer
ine
Phenyl-
ala
nin
e
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Objectives Investigate the composition of living matterDescribe the importance of carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins and nucleic acidExplain how DNA and RNA handle biological
information
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
References Environmental Biology for Engineers and Scientists
(Textbook)◦ Chapter 3.6 Composition of Living Things
Visionlearning◦ http://www.visionlearning.com/
Chemical Composition of the Body◦ http://www.biology-online.org/9/1_chemical_composition.
htm
Amino acid demonstration◦ http://www.johnkyrk.com/aminoacid.html
Cell biology animation◦ http://www.johnkyrk.com/aminoacid.html
Biomolecules: The Lipids, Wisconsin On-Line, Barbara Liang◦ http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=
AP13204 Biomolecules: The Carbohydrates, Wisconsin On-Line,
Barbara Liang◦ http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=
AP13104
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
References Biomolecules: The Proteins, Wisconsin On-Line, Barbara
Liang◦ http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=
AP13304 Construction of the Cell Membrane, Wisconsin On-Line,
Barbara Liang◦ http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=
AP1101 NOVA: Journey into DNA by Rick Groleau
◦ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/dna.html Biology for Engineers
◦ http://www.biologyforengineers.org/about.php Codon Wheel Table from DNA 2.0 (adapted from)
◦ https://www.dna20.com/index.php?pageID=251 Cellupedia
◦ http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/introduction.html
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
Sources of photographs and images in sidebar
Human brain ◦ http://www.healthnak.com/mind/
X-rays images◦ http://martingallerycharleston.com/index.html
Cold Virus (altered in Photoshop)◦ http://medphoto.wellcome.ac.uk/
Environmental Biology
for Engineers
Composition of Living Things
About the InstructorProfessor, Civil and Environmental
EngineeringFellow, American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE)Diplomat, Water Resources Engineering,
American Academy of Water Resources Engineering (AAWRE)
Board Certified Environmental Engineer, American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE)
Licensed Professional Engineer, State of Illinois