Amicrobiologist obtained two pure biological samples: one of a virus, and the other of a viroid. unfortunately, the labels had been lost. the microbiologist felt she could distinguish the two by analyzing for the presence or absence of a single molecule. what molecule would she search for and why?

The researcher could look for the presence of proteins, because viruses have a envelope (capsid) composed of proteins that involve their genetic material. The capsid may have a helical or icosahedral structure and is extremely regular. Viroids cannot synthesize any type of protein, so differentiation is possible.

carbohydrates: (starches and sugars) composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

lipids: (fats, oils, and waxes) are made of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

nucleic acids: contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus. they are polymers of nucleotides. a nucleotide has three parts, a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate     (-po⬇️4) group, and a nitrogenous base.

proteins: made up of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. they are polymers of amino acids.

any abiotic or biotic factor in an ecosystem that causes a population's size to slow or decrease is a limiting factor.