Critical Thinking Activities - Chapter 3

Question 1. So far, for every molecule that life forms can put together, such as cellulose or chitin, there are bacteria that can digest them into sugar and other smaller molecules. What would happen if a tree or insect could build a complex molecule that no organism or natural process could decompose?

Question 2. Many insects feed exclusively on one narrow type of food molecule such as plant sap (sugar) or blood proteins or starch. Yet these organisms are themselves made of a wide range of molecules. Where does this molecular diversity come from?

Answers are available to instructors in the Instructor's Manual.
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