Chapter 1

Question 1

define biology

Answer 1

biology is the scientific study of life

Question 2

define biosphere

Answer 2

the biosphere consists of all life on Earth and all the places where life exists

Question 3

define ecosystem

Answer 3

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

Question 4

define community

Answer 4

a community is the array of living organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem

Question 5

define population

Answer 5

a population consists of all the individuals of one species living within the bounds of a specified area

Question 6

define organism

Answer 6

organisms are individual living things

Question 7

define organ (organ system)

Answer 7

an organ/organ system carries out particular functions within an orgranism

Question 8

define tissue

Answer 8

a tissue is a group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function

Question 9

define cell

Answer 9

a cell is life’s fundamental unit of structure and function

Question 10

define organelle

Answer 10

an organelle is a functional component located inside of a cell

Question 11

define molecule

Answer 11

a molecule is a chemical structure consisting of two or more atoms

Question 12

write the 10 step hierarchy of life

Answer 12

biosphere - ecosystem - community - population - organism - organs - tissues - cells - organelles - molecules

Question 13

define emergent properties

Answer 13

emergent properties arise at different levels between the biosphere and the molecule, and depend on how you view that level of the system

Question 14

define systems biology

Answer 14

systems biology studies a biological system by analyzing the interactions among its parts

Question 15

define reductionism

Answer 15

reductionism reduces complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study

Question 16

analyzing biological structure provides clues about…

Answer 16

its function

Question 17

define a eukaryotic cell

Answer 17

a eukaryotic cell contains membrane-enclosed organelles

Question 18

define a prokaryotic cell

Answer 18

a prokaryotic cell lacks a nucleus or other membrane-enclosed organelles

Question 19

what does DNA stand for?

Answer 19

deoxyribonucleic acid

Question 20

define genes

Answer 20

instructions encoded in a strand of DNA

Question 21

describe gene expression

Answer 21

genes are transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into proteins

Question 22

define genome

Answer 22

a genome is the entire “library” of genes that an organism possesses

Question 23

define genomics

Answer 23

genomics is the study of whole sets on genes in one or more species

Question 24

define bioinformatics

Answer 24

bioinformatics is the use of computational to store, organize, and analyze huge volumes of biological data

Question 25

define evolution

Answer 25

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)

Question 26

what are the 3 domains?

Answer 26

Bacteria
Archaea
Eukarya

Question 27

what are the kingdoms inside Eukarya?

Answer 27

Kingdom Plantae
Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Animalia
Protists (unicellular and simple eukaryotes)

Question 28

what is the difference between Bacteria & Archaea?

Answer 28

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)

Question 29

What book did Charles Darwin write? what island is it about?

Answer 29

On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection

the Galapagos Islands

Question 30

what is science?

Answer 30

science is an approach to understanding the natural world

Question 31

what is inquiry?

Answer 31

inquiry is at the heart of science. it is a search for information and explanation.

Question 32

define data

Answer 32

data are recorded observations

Question 33

define inductive reasoning

Answer 33

inductive reasoning allows you to derive generalizations from a large number of specific observations

Question 34

what is a hypothesis?

Answer 34

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.

Question 35

define deductive reasoning

Answer 35

deductive reasoning is extrapolating specific results (we should expect) if the general premises are true

Question 36

define controlled experiment

Answer 36

a controlled experiment is one that is designed to compare an experimental group with a control group

Question 37

define theory

Answer 37

a theory is a generally supported explanation, that is also general enough to spin off new, testable hypotheses.