Biological Principles Flashcards

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1
Q

What are living systems constrained by?

A

Living systems are constrained by principles of chemistry or laws of physics.

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2
Q

What is interdisciplinary?

A

A combination of multiple fields.

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3
Q

How do we determine something is living or not?

A

We look at a set of characteristics that are descriptive of life.

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4
Q

What are the characteristics of life?

A
  1. Cellular Organization
  2. Ordered Complexity
  3. Sensitivity to Environment
  4. Growth, Development, and Reproduction
  5. Energy Utilization
  6. Homeostasis
  7. Evolutionary Adaption
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5
Q

What is the characteristic of Cellular Organization defined as?

A
  1. It is made up of cells
  2. Has a membrane around it that separates it from the outside environment
  3. Is it unicellular or multicellular?
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6
Q

What is the characteristic of Sensitivity to Environment defined as?

A

Is it able to respond to stimuli or changes within its internal and external environment?

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7
Q

What is the characteristic Energy Utilization defined as?

A
  1. How does it harness energy and use it?
  2. Does it get energy directly from the sun or another organism?
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8
Q

Homeostasis

A

Is it able to maintain a constant internal environment?

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9
Q

What is the basic unit of life?

A

Cell is the basic unit of life (Cell Theory)

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10
Q

What is the hierarchal organization of all living systems.

A
  1. Cellular Level
  2. Organismal Level
  3. Population Level
  4. Community Level
  5. Ecosystem Level
  6. Biology Level
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11
Q

What is an emergent property?

A

Emergent properties of the unique characteristics that each level of the hierarchal organization has.

ex: Life is an emergent property. You cannot predict at a cellular level that there is life.

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12
Q

What is science about?

A

Science aims to understand the natural world through observation and reasoning.

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13
Q

What does science operate on?

A

Science operates on the assumption that natural forces have not changed and have acted the way it always has.

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14
Q

What is the way scientists analyze information information?

A

Deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning is used.

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15
Q

What is deductive reasoning?

A

Deductive reasoning is using general principles to specific predictions.
- General → Specific

ex: “ALL” → To observed object or subject

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16
Q

What is inductive reasoning?

A

Inductive reasoning is using specific observations to general conclusions.
- Specific → General

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17
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A
  • A possible explanation of an observation.
  • Must be tested to determine its validity.
  • Tested in many different ways.
  • Allows for predictions to be made.
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18
Q

What is scientific method?

A

Systematic approach scientists use to gain understanding of the natural world and its phenomenons.

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19
Q

What are the steps of scientific method?

A
  1. Observation: Observe a phenomenon and collect data
  2. Hypothesis: Generate a possible explanation as to why it happens
  3. Deduction: Generalize it
  4. Testable: Generalization must be a testable explanation
  5. Falsify: If hypothesis is not supported by data then reject the hypothesis

or Modify: Change the hypothesis or generate a new one to retest.

  1. Supported: If hypothesis is supported by data then peer-review the hypothesis.
  2. Replication: Re-tested and made to see if generally hypothesis is true or not.
20
Q

What is a iterative?

A

Can be changed and refined with new data.

21
Q

What is important in designing an experiment?

A

Two groups are required experimental group and control group.

A control group is a check, that has all variables that influence the process constant including the variable of interest.

An experimental group is all variables that influence the process constant except the variable of interest.

22
Q

When must a hypothesis be rejected?

A

Hypothesis must be rejected if the experiment produces inconsistencies with the prediction.

23
Q

What is reductionism?

A

An approach to break a complex process down to a simpler part. Studying simpler forms in order to understand the more complex, or whole system.

Emergent properties cannot be studied or predicted when looked at individual parts.

24
Q

What is systems biology?

A

A focus on emergent properties that can’t be understood by looking at simpler parts.

25
Q

How do scientists understand complex systems that can’t be deciphered using the reductionist approach?

A

Models are used to study complex systems to organize thought.

26
Q

What is scientific theory?

A

A preferred explanation for a natural occurrence or phenomenon based on a general principle. Once multiple scientists generally say that something is most certain of, it becomes a theory.

27
Q

How is scientific research conducted?

A

Scientific research is made through basic research and applied research.

28
Q

What is applied research?

A
  • Applied research has the foundation provided by basic research.
    • Uses information generated from basic research.
    • Applies information that is beneficial to humans or other living organisms

ex: drugs, food additives

29
Q

What is basic research?

A

Basic research is extended to the boundaries of what we already know. Generates more knowledge that has already been obtained. Adds knowledge of the natural world.

ex: Studying the behavior of birds

30
Q

What did Charles Darwin do?

A
  • Created the theory of evolution
  • Published: On the Origin of Species of Means of Natural Selection
  • Proposed mechanism of natural selection.
31
Q

What is Thomas Malthus’ An Essay on the Principle of Population?

A

Populations of plants and animals increase exponentially.

Humans can only increase their food supply arithmetically.

Populations of species remain constant because death limits population numbers.

32
Q

What is natural selection?

A

Only offspring that are best adapted, will be able to survive and leave genes for the next generation. Those not well adapted will be weeded out because of limited resources.

33
Q

What is Mendel’s Law of Inheritance?

A

Mendel’s Law of Inheritance is the concept mechanism for heredity. Comparative anatomy is where the same structure, similar framework.

34
Q

What is homologous?

A

Same evolutionary origin but differ in structure and function

ex: human arms, horse legs, bat wings, etc.

35
Q

What is analogous?

A

Structures of different origin used for the same purpose

ex: butterfly and bird wings (all flying)

36
Q

What are alleles?

A

Different from of genes.

37
Q

What are Phylogenetic Trees?

A

Based on tracing origin of particular nucleotide changes to reconstruct evolutionary history. Changes in nucleotide sequences reconstruct history in terms of evolution.

ex: hemoglobin → polypeptide of humans and monkeys are much more similar in amount compared to a dog and human.

38
Q

How is life subject to chemical and physical laws?

A
  • Biological systems follow known chemical properties.
    • ex: Molecular bonding
  • Properties of physics are another determine factor of biological systems.
    • ex: Thermodynamics
39
Q

How does structure determines function in biology?

A
  • Know a function and look for that structure in other organisms.
    • ex: Receptor on human cell for insulin is known, and seen similar molecule in a worm.
      • Can conclude molecule functions same in worm.
40
Q

What is the relation of life and energy?

A
  • All life constantly requires energy.
  • Energy is neither created or destroyed.
  • Energy is converted from one form to another.
  • Living systems will transform energy and matter as energy enters environments in one form.
  • Living systems do not create their own energy.
41
Q

How do living systems transfer information from the parent to the offspring?

A

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is the blueprint that living organisms use to transfer information from one generation to the next.

42
Q

What is DNA made of?

A
  • Sequence of 4 nucleotides: encode cell’s information.
  • Genes: discrete unit of information.
  • Genomes: an entire set of DNA instructions.
43
Q

What does the continuity life depend on?

A

Continuity of life depends on how faithful the coping of DNA is into daughter cells.

44
Q

How is information from DNA controlled?

A

Direct synthesis of cellular components. Information must be able to be replicated, controlled

45
Q

What does evolution explain?

A

All living organisms today descend from a single creature. Characteristics passed on from one generation to the next via DNA. The unity and diversity of life.

46
Q

What are homeodomain proteins?

A

Regulators of development of living organisms.
Indicated where different structures should be.

47
Q

What is the role of conservation of information?

A

Maintains species while generating new species.