Which of the following types of virus is illustrated in the diagram?
Correct answer: A. Animal virus
- A. Animal virus
- B. Plant virus
- C. Bacteriophage
- D. Viroid
Explanation
The correct option is an animal virus. HIV is a retrovirus that infects human immune cells (CD4+ T cells) and causes AIDS. It has a spherical shape with an RNA genome enclosed in a protein capsid and surrounded by a lipid envelope with glycoprotein spikes, which help it attach to host cells.The options are incorrect: A plant virus, such as Tobacco Mosaic Virus, infects plants and usually has a rod-like or helical shape, not the spherical, enveloped structure seen in HIV. A viroid is even simpler, consisting only of circular RNA without a protein coat, and infects plants, not animals. A bacteriophage has a head-and-tail structure and specifically infects bacteria, which looks very different from HIV. Therefore, the diagram represents an animal virus (HIV).
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About Biodiversity and Variety of Life
Biological classification uses taxonomic ranks, binomial nomenclature and shared characteristics to organize life into kingdoms. The major groups include prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants and animals, with comparisons based on cell type, cell wall, nutrition, body organization, reproduction and evolutionary relationships; prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus.
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