Consider three spheres with radii of 1 cm, 5 cm, and 10 cm. Calculate the surface area and the volume of each sphere, and plot the results on a graph with radius on the x-axis and surface area and volume on the y-axis. (Surface area of a sphere=4πr2; volume of a sphere=(4/3)πr3.) Explain how the graph shows the relationship between size and surface area to volume ratio.

The outer surface of a virion consists of either a membranous envelope or a protein capsid. How does the outer surface correlate with a virus's mode of exiting a host cell?

You are studying a large tropical reptile that has a high and relatively stable body temperature. How do you determine whether this animal is an endotherm or an ectotherm?a. You know from its high and stable body temperature that it must be an endotherm.b. You subject this reptile to various temperatures in the lab and find that its body temperature and metabolic rate change with the ambient temperature. You conclude that it is an ectotherm.c. You note that its environment has a high and stable temperature. Because its body temperature matches the environmental temperature, you conclude that it is an ectotherm.d. You measure the metabolic rate of the reptile, and because it is higher than that of a related species that lives in temperate forests, you conclude that this reptile is an endotherm and its relative is an ectotherm.

The metabolic rate of a frog in summer (at 35°C) is about eight times higher than in winter (at 5°C). Compare and contrast the frog's ability to move, exchange gases, and digest food at the two temperatures. During which season will the frog require more food energy, and why?

Explain why most endotherms are homeothermic and most ectotherms are poikilothermic.

If you were in charge of the government's budget devoted to stemming the AIDS epidemic, would you devote most of the resources to drug development or preventive medicine? Defend your answer.

Explain why it would be impossible for a gorilla the size of King Kong to have fur. (Your answer should explain how the surface area to volume ratio of a normal-sized gorilla would compare to Kong's; relate this to the role of surface area and volume in heat generation and heat transfer, and consider the function of fur.)

The dinosaur Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) is one of the largest terrestrial animals that ever lived—over 20 m in length and weighing over 20 metric tons. Is it more likely that Apatosaurus was homeothermic or poikilothermic? Explain.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) is one of the most feared viruses for pregnant women. Recent statistics justify this fear: Infants born to mothers infected with ZIKV during pregnancy face a risk of up to 42 percent of developing birth defects, including microcephaly (an abnormally small head and decreased brain volume). What do we know about how ZIKV causes damage to the developing brain?ZIKV is a Baltimore class IV virus. Based on this classification, what do you know about the structure of its genome?