Chapter 1: Evolution, The Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry Flashcards
biology
the scientific study of life
unifying themes of biology
- Organization
- Information
- Energy and Matter
- Interactions
- Evolution
reductionism
an approach that reduces complex systems to simple components that are manageable to study
emergent properties
new properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases
systems biology
an approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interaction’s among the system’s parts
cell theory
states that all living organisms are made from cells
eukaryotic cell
- a type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles
- eukaryotes = protists, plants, fungi, animals
prokaryotic cell
- a type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles
- prokaryotes = bacteria, archaea
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
- a nucleic acid molecule, usually a double-stranded helix, in which each polynucleotide strand consists of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T)
- capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins
gene
a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses)
codon
- a three-nucleotide sequence of DNA or mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or termination signal
- the basic unit of the genetic code
genome
- the genetic material of an organism or virus
- the complete complement of an organism’s or virus’ genes along with its noncoding nucleic acid sequences
genomics
the systematic study of whole sets of genes (or other DNA) and their interactions within a species, as well as genome comparisons between species
proteomics
the systematic study of sets of proteins and their properties, including their abundance, chemical modifications, and interactions
proteome
the entire set of proteins expressed by a given cell, tissue, or organism
bioinformatics
the use of computers, software, and mathematical models to process and integrate biological information from large data sets
producer
an organism that produces organic compounds from CO2 by harnessing light energy (in photosynthesis) or by oxidizing inorganic chemicals (in chemosynthetic reactions carried out by some prokaryotes)
consumer
an organism that feeds on producers, other consumers, or nonliving organic material
feedback regulation
the regulation of a process by its output or end product
negative feedback
the most common form of regulation in living organisms, in which accumulation of an end product of a process slows the process
positive feedback
a less common form of regulation, in which an end product speeds up its own production
three domains
- Bacteria
- Archaea
- Eukarya
eukarya
includes all eukaryotic organisms, including the four subgroups:
- Plants, which produce their own food by photosynthesis
- Fungi, which absorb nutrients
- Animals, which ingest their food
- Protists
protist
- an informal term applied to any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal, or fungus
- most are unicellular, though some are colonial or multicellular
unity
evident in the similar skeletons of different animals
Charles Darwin
- published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859
- made two main points: species showed evidence of “descent with modification” from common ancestors; “natural selection” is the mechanism behind descent with modification
Alfred Wallace
also greatly contributed to the Theory of Natural Selection
natural selection
a process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits
science
an approach to understanding the natural world
inquiry
the search for information and explanations of natural phenomena
data
recorded observations
qualitative data
often take the form of recorded descriptions
quantitative data
expressed as numerical measurement, organized into tables and graphs
inductive reasoning
a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations
hypothesis
- a testable explanation for a set of observations based on the available data and guided by inductive reasoning
- narrower in scope than a theory
experiment
a scientific test, carried out under controlled conditions
deductive reasoning
a type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise
controlled experiment
- an experiment designed to compare an experimental group with a control group
- ideally, the two groups differ only in the factor being tested
variable
a factor that varies in an experiment
independent variable
a factor whose value is manipulated or changed during an experiment to reveal possible effects on another factor (the dependent variable)
dependent variable
a factor whose value is measured during an experiment or other test to see whether it is influenced by changes in another factor (the independent factor)
theory
an explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence
evolution
- the process of change over time that has resulted in the astounding array of organisms found on Earth
- the fundamental principle of biology
properties of life
- order
- energy processing
- growth and development
- response to the environment
- reproduction
- regulation
- evolutionary adaptation
biosphere
the entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems
ecosystem
- all the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact
- one or more communities and the physical environment around them
community
- all the organisms that inhabit a particular area
- an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction
species
a group whose members can only reproduce with other members of the group
population
a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring
organisms
individual living things (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, etc.) consisting of one or more cells
organs
a body part that is made up of multiple tissues and has specific functions in the body (leaves, stem, roots are major organs of plants)
tissue
an integrated group of cells with a common structure, function, or both
cells
- life’s fundamental unit of structure and function
- the smallest unit of organization that can perform all activities required for life
organelle
any of the several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells
molecule
two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds
