Biology Chapter 1 Flashcards
Give three examples of how biology is woven into the fabric of society.
- Molecular Biology is used to help solve crimes.
- Ecology helps us address environmental issues.
- Neuroscience is reshaping what we know about psychology and sociology.
What are the 7 properties of life?
- Order
- Regulation
- Growth and Development
- Energy Utilization
- Response to the Environment
- Reproduction
- Evolution
List the levels of biological organization from ecosystem to atom.
- Ecosystem
- Community
- Populations
- Organism
- Organs and Organ Systems
- Tissues
- Cells
- Organelles
- Clusters of Atoms
- Atoms
Ecosystem`
All living organisms and the nonliving components with which they interact in a specific area
Community
All the living organisms in one specific environment within an ecosystem (example: a tide pool)
Populations
Groups of interacting individuals of 1 species within a community
Organism
An individual living thing
Organs and Organ Systems
The organs within a living thing that perform 1 specific function (example: respiratory system, brain, nervous system)
Tissues
Groups of similar cells performing a specific task (example: muscle)
Cells
smallest unit that can display all characteristics of life
Organelles
Functional components of cells
Clusters of Atoms
Atoms grouped together
Atoms
smallest chemical unit in a cell
What are the 2 main dynamic processes in an ecosystem?
Recycling of Nutrients and Flow of Energy
Compare Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells
Prokaryotic cells are simpler and smaller with no organelles (example: Bacteria)
Eukaryotic cells are larger and more complex, and they have organelles (example: plants, animals)
Three Domains of Prokaryotic Life
- Bacteria
- Archaea
- Eukarya
Define “Biology”
The scientific study of life
Describe the 2 main points in Darwin’s Origin of Species
- Descent with modification (evolution)
- Natural selection (organisms best adapted to environment survive to pass on their genes)
Describe two observations that led Darwin to his “inescapable conclusion”
- Over-production and competition (organisms will reproduce as much as possible, and there will be too many for the environment to support, so only some will survive to reproduce again)
- Individual Variation (each organism will possess slightly different combinations of genes)
- Conclusion: Unequal reproductive success (natural selection–organisms best adapted to an environment survive to pass on their genes)
Compare artificual and natural selection
Both artificial and natural selection result in only a specific set of traits being passed on.
- Artificial: traits selected by humans (example: dog breeds)
- Natural: traits selected by environment (traits that help organisms survive)
Discovery Science
- Based on observing nature
- Descriptive
- Inductive reasoning (inferring general laws from specific instances)
Hypothesis Driven Science
- Based on Scientific Method
- Uses experimentation
- Deductive reasoning (using a general law to infer about particular instances)
Hypothesis vs. Theory
-
Hypothesis:
- specific
- an “educated guess” about something that might happen
-
Theory
- broad
- A prediction supported by evidence
What distinguishes science from other forms of inquiry?
- Dependance on observations and measurements that can be verified
- Requirement that ideas are testable by experiments others can repeat
Describe examples of interdependence between technology and science
New technologies advance science, and new scientific discoveries lead to new technology (cycle that keeps repeating)
Example: Discovery of the structure of DNA–>new DNA technologies–>new discoveries about DNA–>new technologies (etc.)
Explain how changes in the effectiveness of antibiotics illustrate natural selection
Those bacterium most naturally resistant to a drug survive and reproduce, so the next generation is resistant to the drug
Four
Kingdoms of Eukaryotic Life
- plantae (photosynthesis)
- Fungi (decomposition)
- Animalia (digestion)
- Protists (multiple kingdoms)
