Ch. 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
the scientific study of living organisms and their interactions with the environment
Biology
the high degree of order within an organism’s internal and external parts
Organization
the smallest unit that can perform all life processes
Cell
describes an organism that consists of a single cell
Unicellular
describes a tissue, organ, or organism that is made of many cells
Multicellular
A collection of tissues that carry out a specialized function of the body
Organ
A group of similar cells that perform a common function
tissue
one of the small bodies that are found in the cytoplasm of a cell and that are specialized to perform a specific function
organelle
chemical compound that provides physical structure
biological molecule
the maintenance of a constant internal state in a changing environment
homeostasis
the sum of all chemical processes that occur in an organism
metabolism
the formation of two cells from an existing cell
cell division
the process by which an organism grows
development
the process of reproducing offspring
reproduction
a segment of DNA that is located in a chromosome and that codes for a specific hereditary trait
gene
in a taxonomic system based on rRNA analysis, one of the three broad groups that all living things fall into
domain
the highest taxonomic category, which contains a group of similar phyla
kingdom
The study of interactions between organisms and their environment
ecology
A community of organisms and their abiotic environment
ecosystem
a heritable change in the characteristics within a population from one generation to the next
evolution
process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully
natural selection
the process of becoming adapted to an environment
adaption
the process of obtaining information by using the senses; the information obtained by using the senses
observation
a testable idea or explanation that leads to scientific investigation
hypothesis