Chapter 1

Question 1

Biology

Answer 1

The scientific study of life

Question 2

How many characteristics of life are there? What are they?

Answer 2

There are 7 characteristics of life that determine if something is considered living. A living thing must have all characteristics to be considered living. They are order, regulation, evolutionary adaption, energy processing and utilization, reproduction, growth and development, and response to the environment.

Question 3

Regulation

Answer 3

Another word for homeostasis. Regulation is adjusting to the environment through positive or negative feedback.
Positive feedback pushes the body out of the normal internal environments for a particular reason.
Negative feedback brings the body’s internal environments back to normal.

Question 4

Reproduction

Answer 4

The ability to reproduce offspring of their own kind; can be sexual or asexual. This passes on traits to move species forwards.

Question 5

Response to the environment

Answer 5

Respond to external stimuli which is a conscious decision.

Question 6

Order

Answer 6

Life is characterized by highly organized structures on a cellular and classification level. All living things have cells.

Question 7

Growth and development

Answer 7

Growth - increase size
Development - change while maturing

Genes in inherited DNA carry out information that control growth and development patterns (time and rate)

Question 8

Evolutionary adaptation

Answer 8

Beneficial adaptations that gradually change over many generations through natural selection.
No individual organism can evolve. Populations tend to evolve from external environmental factors like predators or changes in a climate.
This explains unity and diversity. Unity is when new species arise and can be traced back to a common ancestor that could have similar features, structure, the same molecules, same life process, and life traits. Diversity is a variety of differing adaptations for different environments.

Question 9

Energy processing and utilization

Answer 9

Taking in and transforming energy. Energy is used to perform all of that organisms’ activity.
Energy is stored in food
Metabolism is the sum of the chemical reactions that take place within a cell of a living organism and provides the energy for vital processing.
Photosynthesis (from light) - plant energy
Chemosynthetic (from organic chemicals) - animal energy
Nutrient substances cycle between living and nonliving like water, nitrogen, and other compounds.

Question 10

How many domains are there? What are they?

Answer 10

There are three - eukaryotes, bacteria, archaea

Question 11

Bacteria

Answer 11

Made up of simple cells, prokaryotic cells that don’t have a nucleus or anything protecting the DNA.
Unicellular, microscopic, live everywhere, most diverse domain, and they can cause disease or be beneficial.

Question 12

Archaea

Answer 12

An ancient type of bacteria that can withstand harsh environments.
Thermophiles live in very high temperatures, halophiles live in extremely salty conditions, and acidophiles live in highly acidic conditions.

Question 13

Eukarya

Answer 13

Have complex cells which are larger and have more organization within them called organelles. They have a defined nucleus that holds DNA.
There are four kingdoms within this domain - animalists, plantae, fungi, and protists

Question 14

Animilia

Answer 14

These are heterotrophs - eat other organisms - therefore consumers. Humans fit under this category.

Question 15

Protists

Answer 15

Single-celled organisms that look like bacteria but have organelles. This includes organisms like emeoba and algae.

Question 16

Plantae

Answer 16

These are producers, they automatically make their own food. They contain cellulose.

Question 17

Fungi

Answer 17

Decomposers like mold, yeast, and mushrooms.

Question 18

What are the levels of organization from smallest to largest and largest to smallest?

Answer 18

Biosphere, usually the earth; ecosystems, living and nonliving things together; communities, all living things within an ecosystem; populations, individuals of a particular species, and organisms, an individual living thing.
Organ system, organs that work together to perform particular functions; organ, a structure with several tissues performing a particular function; tissue, a group of similar cells with a specific function; cells, unit of living matter that is separated from its environment by a membrane; organelles, the functional component of a cell, an organized or specific structure within a cell; molecules, a cluster of atoms held together by bonds; and atoms, usually carbon.

Question 19

Natural selection

Answer 19

As generations go on, traits are passed down by successful species and may change slightly due to the random combination of genes or mutations. This is called decent with modification.
This could also happen from external factors killing off organisms with weaker traits, making the survivors reproduce more.

Question 20

How many steps of natural selection are there? What are they?

Answer 20

There are 4 steps of natural selection : Individual variation, overproduction and competition, unequal reproductive success, and the accumulation of favorable traits.

Question 21

Artificial selection

Answer 21

Humans decide traits that are favorable for their wants and needs. They speed up the change in traits by selecting themselves. This could be through selective breeding.

Question 22

Mutations

Answer 22

An error in the copying process. Random changes in DNA that sometimes pass on to offspring. Some are helpful, some are harmful, and some are neutral.

Question 23

DNA

Answer 23

Deoxyribonucleic Acid. Genes are made up of combinations of the base pairs found within DNA, ACTG, which is the same for all organisms.
DNA is continuously copied every time your body makes new cells. Once copied, these chains form a specific protein with a unique function. This is called gene expression. When the right kind of mutation happens in the right kind of way, the mutated gene becomes part of the gene pool and natural selection continues.

Question 24

Hypothesis

Answer 24

An educated guess, possible (tentative) solution to a problem, can be
tested (many times).

Question 25

Theory

Answer 25

An accepted explanation for a natural occurrence, supported by plenty of data.
Can be refuted or modified as more studies are completed.

Question 26

What is an independent variable? What is a dependent variable?

Answer 26

Independent - manipulated, the one you change
Dependent - responds, depends on the one you changed

Question 27

Controlled experiment/studies

Answer 27

Two identical groups or set-ups, except for one thing, the control-setup has an original set of variables while the experimental group had one variable different from the other group