Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is nature?
everything in the world except what humans have created.
List the levels of life’s organization
Atom, molecule, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, multicelled organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere
Describe atom
fundamental units of all substance
Describe molecule
2 or more atoms joined in a chemical bond. Only living cells make the molecules of life
Describe cell
smallest unit that can live and reproduce on its own or as a part of a multicelled organism
Describe tissue
organized array of cells and substances that are interacting in some task
Describe organ
structural unit of two or more tissues that interact in one or more tasks
Describe organ system
organs that interact in one more tasks
Describe multicelled organisms
individual made of different types of cells
Describe population
group of single celled or multicelled individuals of a species in a given area
Describe community
all populations of all species in a specified area
Describe ecosystem
a community that is interacting with its physical environment through inputs and outputs of energy and materials
Describe biosphere
Most inclusive level - all regions of Earth’s waters, crust, and atmosphere that hold organisms
Define emergent properties
characteristics of a system that do not appear in any of its component partsex: cells have life, but its component parts (molecule and atom) do not have life, thus life is an emergent property of a cell
Define energy
The capacity to do work
Define nutrient
A particular type of atom or molecule that has an essential role in growth and survival
Define producers
One of two broad categories, get energy and simple raw materials from environmental sources and make their own foodex: plants use energy from the sun to make sugars from CO2 and water and the sugars function as packets of immediately available energy or as building blocks for larger molecules
Define consumers
One of two categories, cannot make their own food and get their energy and nutrients indirectly - that is, from eating producers and other organismsex: animals and decomposers (feed on wastes and remains of organisms)