2: Introduction to Biology Flashcards
Module 1, Lesson 2
Biology is…
The study of living systems
True or false:
Biology is an interdisciplinary field.
True
Living systems are extremely ____.
Diverse
Living systems share many ____.
Fundamental similarities
Life is constrained by ____ and ____ principles.
Chemical and physical
The most complex chemical systems on earth are…
Living systems
List the fields involved in studying living systems.
(four)
Chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics
The chemical, structural, and functional complexity of organisms always requires ____.
Energy
____ is usually the ultimate source of energy for living things.
The Sun
Understanding the fundamentals of ____ is important to studying living organisms.
Chemistry
List the five characteristics of living systems.
- Consists of cells
- Stores and processes information
- Transform energy
- Grow and reproduce
- Adapt and evolve
____ are the fundamental unit of life.
Cells
Cells vary in ____, ____, and ____.
Shape, size, and complexity
A cell’s structure is connected to its…
Function
Living systems store information in the form of…
DNA or RNA
DNA is an organism’s genetic information and represents the organism’s…
Genome
Living systems can detect and process information from both ____ and ____ sources.
Internal and external
In response to the information, an organism can…
Respond or change its behavior
Plants and other photosynthetic organisms convert sunlight into…
Chemical energy
Non-photosynthetic organisms use the chemical energy from plants and turn it into…
Another chemical form
All living systems depend on ____ energy either directly or indirectly.
Solar
Living systems use energy to…
(three items)
Grow, change, and reproduce
Living systems grow and reproduce on both the ____ and ____ level.
Cellular and organismal
True or false:
All life has the ability to grow in size and pass genetic information on to its offspring.
True
True or false:
All organisms interact with other organisms and the environment in ways that influence their survival.
True
Populations evolve ____ to their environment.
Adaptations
True or false:
An individual organism can evolve.
False
Individuals do not evolve, but their descendants do.