Biology Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is biology?
Biology is the scientific study of life.
What is the scope of biology?
Biology studies life from the biosphere to molecules in cells.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem consists of all living and nonliving factors in an area interacting together.
What are the two main processes that drive ecosystems?
Recycling of nutrients and the flow of energy.
What is the basic unit of life?
The cell is the basic unit where life’s properties emerge.
What types of cells exist?
Prokaryotic cells (simple, found in bacteria) and eukaryotic cells (complex, found in plants and animals).
What is DNA’s role in cells?
DNA carries genetic information for inheritance.
What is a genome?
A genome is the complete set of genetic instructions in an organism.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of life forms, with millions of species estimated to exist.
What is taxonomy?
Taxonomy is the classification and naming of species.
What are the three domains of life?
Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
How do plants, fungi, and animals obtain food?
Plants photosynthesize, fungi decompose, and animals ingest food.
What is the connection between unity and diversity in life?
All life shares DNA, but species evolve and adapt, leading to diversity.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is the process where organisms with advantageous traits survive and reproduce.
What did Charles Darwin propose in 1859?
Darwin proposed that species evolve through natural selection.
How does artificial selection differ from natural selection?
In artificial selection, humans choose traits, while in natural selection, the environment does.
What is an example of natural selection?
Galápagos finches changing beak size based on available food.
What is a scientific theory?
A scientific theory is a broad explanation supported by evidence, much more comprehensive than a hypothesis.
What is discovery science?
Discovery science focuses on describing nature based on observations.
What is hypothesis-driven science?
Hypothesis-driven science seeks to explain nature through experiments.
What happens when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?
Resistant bacteria survive, multiply, and become more common.
