Chapter 1 Flashcards
define biology
biology is the scientific study of life
define biosphere
the biosphere consists of all life on Earth and all the places where life exists
define ecosystem
an ecosystem consists of all of the living things in a particular area, along with all of the nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts
define community
a community is the array of living organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem
define population
a population consists of all the individuals of one species living within the bounds of a specified area
define organism
organisms are individual living things
define organ (organ system)
an organ/organ system carries out particular functions within an orgranism
define tissue
a tissue is a group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function
define cell
a cell is life’s fundamental unit of structure and function
define organelle
an organelle is a functional component located inside of a cell
define molecule
a molecule is a chemical structure consisting of two or more atoms
write the 10 step hierarchy of life
biosphere - ecosystem - community - population - organism - organs - tissues - cells - organelles - molecules
define emergent properties
emergent properties arise at different levels between the biosphere and the molecule, and depend on how you view that level of the system
define systems biology
systems biology studies a biological system by analyzing the interactions among its parts
define reductionism
reductionism reduces complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study
analyzing biological structure provides clues about…
its function
define a eukaryotic cell
a eukaryotic cell contains membrane-enclosed organelles
define a prokaryotic cell
a prokaryotic cell lacks a nucleus or other membrane-enclosed organelles
what does DNA stand for?
deoxyribonucleic acid
define genes
instructions encoded in a strand of DNA
describe gene expression
genes are transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into proteins
define genome
a genome is the entire “library” of genes that an organism possesses
define genomics
genomics is the study of whole sets on genes in one or more species
define bioinformatics
bioinformatics is the use of computational to store, organize, and analyze huge volumes of biological data
define evolution
the scientific explanation for the diversity and unity of life is evolution, the idea that organisms living on Earth today descended from (a) common ancestor(s)
what are the 3 domains?
Bacteria
Archaea
Eukarya
what are the kingdoms inside Eukarya?
Kingdom Plantae
Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Animalia
Protists (unicellular and simple eukaryotes)
what is the difference between Bacteria & Archaea?
they are both prokaryotes. Archaea are “extreme-o-philes”, meaning that they can survive in very intemperate environments (and probably closely mimic early life on Earth)
What book did Charles Darwin write? what island is it about?
On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection
the Galapagos Islands
what is science?
science is an approach to understanding the natural world
what is inquiry?
inquiry is at the heart of science. it is a search for information and explanation.
define data
data are recorded observations
define inductive reasoning
inductive reasoning allows you to derive generalizations from a large number of specific observations
what is a hypothesis?
a hypothesis is a tentative answer to a well-framed question.
it can be proven wong through experimentation. it cannot be proven right; however, if multiple experiments fail to prove it wrong it may be accepted as true.
define deductive reasoning
deductive reasoning is extrapolating specific results (we should expect) if the general premises are true
define controlled experiment
a controlled experiment is one that is designed to compare an experimental group with a control group
define theory
a theory is a generally supported explanation, that is also general enough to spin off new, testable hypotheses.
