Chapter 1: Evolution, the Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry Flashcards
What is Biology defined as:
the study of life
Define the following terms:
1.Cells-
2. Organisms:
- smallest/ most basic unit of life
- all living things.
What are unicellular and multicellular organisms:
Unicellular- single-celled organisms (bacteria)
Multicellular- multiple celled organisms (humans)
Characteristics of life:
- composed of cells.
- organized: uses smaller structures to make bigger structures
- respond to the change in environment
- Maintain homeostasis
- able to reproduce
- energy acquisition from environment
- contain genetic info (DNA)
- Ability to evolve/adapt
What criteria must be met in order for an organism or creature to be considered alive:
Must exhibit all 8 properties of life.
Creatures who exhibit potential for life are not considered alive
Define the following terms:
Evolution:
DNA:
- changes to the DNA of a population over long periods of time.
- genetic material of life found in all living organisms.
Are viruses considered alive, why or why not?
No, because they don’t exhibit all the properties of life
List life’s organizational Hierarchy from smallest to largest:
- Atom
- Molecules
- Organelles
- Cells
- Tissues
- Organ
- Organ system
- Multicellular organism
9.Population - Community
- Ecosystem
- Biosphere
Define the following parts of the organizational hierarchy of life:
1. Atom:
2. Molecules:
3. Organelles:
4. Cells:
5. Tissues:
6. Organs:
- anything that takes up space and has mass
- a combination of atoms (water= 2 hydrogen atoms+ oxygen atom)
- specialized structures within cells (not considered alive)
- organelles coming together (unicellular)
- cells that are similar in structure and work together to perform a particular function
- a group of tissues performing a specific function.
Define the following parts of the organizational hierarchy of life:
7. Organ system
8. Multicellular organism
9. Population
10. Community
11. Ecosystem
12. Biosphere
- a group of organs working together to perform a specific function.
- an individual form of life composed of many cells
- Organisms of the same species living in the same area.
- multiple populations of different species living in the same area. (only living)
- living and non- living surroundings in the area.( mountains, etc.
- all of the different ecosystems on earth that support life
What is the biological term for living and nonliving things:
Biotic= living
Abiotic= non- living
What is an emergent property and when does it happen?
properties that arise upon combining smaller parts together. Only when smaller parts are combined does the emergent property arise.
What happens at each level of the hierarchy?
an emergent property arises
Explain the process of emergent properties?
prior to combining, the individual parts or organelles are not considered alive because they don’t display all the properties of life. However, when combined together in a very specific and organized manner, you get a complete cell = emergent property to arise that wasn’t possible before the combination: life
Define Adaptation:
process that enables organisms to improve survival and reproduction chances in their environments
What is Fitness in the biological sense:
an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce
What is natural selection/ survival of the fittest?
causes adaptation. is when the natural environment selects for organisms in a population that are more fit.
What are the two requirements for natural selection:
- genetic diversity within a population
- selective pressure for heritable traits affecting fitness.