Chapter 1 Flashcards
baseline
fixed conditions to which all new experiments are compared to
your baseline
what you are used too, your biases
shifting baseline
a gradual change in accepted norms
biology
the study of life
properties of life
order/organization, evolutionary adaptation, regulation, energy processing, growth and development, response to the environment, reproduction
5 unifying themes
organization, information, energy and matter, interactions, evolution
biosphere
consist of all life on earth, and all the places life exists (atmosphere, regions of land, bodies of water)
ecosystems
consists of all living things in a particular area, a long of all nonliving components like soil, water, light, and non athmospheric gases
communities
array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem
populations
consists of all individuals of species, living within the bounds of an unspecified area
organisms
individual living things
organs
a body part that is made up of multiple tissues and has a specific functions in a body
tissues
group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function
cells
life fundamental unit of structure and function
organelles
the various functional components present in a cell
molecules
a chemical structure consisting two or more units called atoms
reductionism
an approach that reduces complex systems, so they are easier to break down, review, etc
emergent properties
new properties that come into play, due to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases
structure
components or parts that compose a living organism and how they are organized to function
function
what an organism does, what is their role or activity
homeostasis
the property of a system in which variable are regulated so that internal conditions are stable and are relatively constant
cell
life’s fundamental unit of life
the cell theory
proposed in the 1800s essentially saying that all organisms are made up of cells, share certain characteristics
prokaryotic cells
found in two groups or single-celled microorganisms, bacteria and archaea, lacks a nucleus or other membrane-enclosed organelles
eukaryotic cells
has a nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles, found in plants, protists, animals, and fungi
genes
a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA
gene expression
the process by which information encoded in DNA directs the synthesis of proteins
