chapter 1 Flashcards
what is the definition of biology?
the scientific study of life
what are the 5 unifying themes in biology?
- organization
- information
- energy and matter
- interactions
- evolution
what is reductionism?
an approach that reduces complex systems to simple components that are manageable to study
what are the levels of biological organization?
- the biosphere
- ecosystems
- communities
- populations
- organisms
- organs
- tissues
- cells
- organelles
- molecules
all matter, living and nonliving is composed of what?
atoms
what are atoms?
the smallest chemical unit of a type of pure substance (ex. carbon atom)
what is a molecule?
a group of joined atoms (ex. DNA)
what is an organelle?
a membrane-bounded structure that has a specific function within a cell (ex. chloroplast)
what is a cell?
the fundamental unit of life (ex. leaf cell)
what is tissue?
a collection of specialized cells that function in a coordinated fashion (ex. epidermis of leaf)
what is an organ?
a structure consisting of tissues organized to interact and carry out specific functions (ex. leaf)
what is an organ system?
organs connected physically or chemically that function together. (ex. aboveground part of a plant)
what is an organism?
a single living individual (ex. one acacia tree)
what is a population?
a group of the same species of organism living in the same place and time (ex. multiple acacia trees)
what is community?
all populations that occupy the same region (ex.all populations in a savanna)
what is an ecosystem?
the living and nonliving components of an area (ex. the savanna)
what is the biosphere?
the global ecosystem; the parts of the planet and its atmosphere where life is possible
what are emergent properties?
they arise at each level of organization and represent how each component interacts and show the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
what structures in cells contains DNA?
chromosomes
what are genes?
units of inheritance
the input of _____ from the sun and the transformation of energy from one form to another make ____ possible
energy, life
the chemical energy generated by plants and other photosynthetic organisms _______ is passed along to ________
producers, consumers
what are consumers?
organisms that feed on other organisms or their remains
when organisms use energy to perform work, some energy is lost to the ______ as ____ causing energy to flow through an _______, entering as light and exiting as heat
surroundings, heat, ecosystem
why are interactions in ecosystems important?
they ensure smooth integration of all parts
what does feedback regulation mean?
the output, or product of a precess is what regulates that very process
what is the most common form of regulation feedback in living organisms?
negative feedback
what is homeostasis?
the process by which a cell or organism maintains internal constancy; it is the optimal balance
all organisms maintain _______ ___________
internal constancy
evolution is the scientific explanation for what?
unity and diversity of organisms
what are the parts of the scientific method?
- make observations
- ask a question
2.5. consult prior knowledge - formulate hypothesis
- make predictions
- design experiment
- collect and interpret data
6.5. consult prior knowledge - draw conclusions
- peer review
7.2. publish
- peer review
what do well-designed experiments include?
- sample size: # of subjects in a group
- independent variable: what is being manipulated
- dependent variable: what is being measured
- standardized variable: held constant
- control: untreated group used for comparison
what do data analyses test for?
statistical significance
what happens in a controlled experiment?
the experimental group is compared to the control group
what features or quantities vary in an experiment?
the independent and dependent variables
in science, a theory is…
broader in scope than a hypothesis, general enough to lead to many new and testable hypotheses, supported by a large body of evidence in comparison to a hypothesis (ex. big bang theory, theory of evolution)
what is the goal of science?
to understand natural phenomena
what is the goal of technology?
to apply scientific knowledge for some specific purpose
how do diverse viewpoints affect science?
diverse backgrounds are beneficial because the more voices heard, the more robust, valuable, and productive the scientific interchange can be
