Biological Principles Flashcards
What are living systems constrained by?
Living systems are constrained by principles of chemistry or laws of physics.
What is interdisciplinary?
A combination of multiple fields.
How do we determine something is living or not?
We look at a set of characteristics that are descriptive of life.
What are the characteristics of life?
- Cellular Organization
- Ordered Complexity
- Sensitivity to Environment
- Growth, Development, and Reproduction
- Energy Utilization
- Homeostasis
- Evolutionary Adaption
What is the characteristic of Cellular Organization defined as?
- It is made up of cells
- Has a membrane around it that separates it from the outside environment
- Is it unicellular or multicellular?
What is the characteristic of Sensitivity to Environment defined as?
Is it able to respond to stimuli or changes within its internal and external environment?
What is the characteristic Energy Utilization defined as?
- How does it harness energy and use it?
- Does it get energy directly from the sun or another organism?
Homeostasis
Is it able to maintain a constant internal environment?
What is the basic unit of life?
Cell is the basic unit of life (Cell Theory)
What is the hierarchal organization of all living systems.
- Cellular Level
- Organismal Level
- Population Level
- Community Level
- Ecosystem Level
- Biology Level
What is an emergent property?
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.
What is science about?
Science aims to understand the natural world through observation and reasoning.
What does science operate on?
Science operates on the assumption that natural forces have not changed and have acted the way it always has.
What is the way scientists analyze information information?
Deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning is used.
What is deductive reasoning?
Deductive reasoning is using general principles to specific predictions.
- General → Specific
ex: “ALL” → To observed object or subject
What is inductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning is using specific observations to general conclusions.
- Specific → General
What is a hypothesis?
- A possible explanation of an observation.
- Must be tested to determine its validity.
- Tested in many different ways.
- Allows for predictions to be made.
What is scientific method?
Systematic approach scientists use to gain understanding of the natural world and its phenomenons.