Chapter 1: Introduction to biological concepts and research Flashcards
To learn all the definitions
Cell (2)
- smallest unit with the capacity to reproduce.
2. an organized chemical system that includes many specialized molecules surrounded by a membrane
Emergent properties
- Characteristics that depend on the level of matter but do not exist at lower levels of organization
Unicellular organisms
- Individual consisting of a single cell e.g. bacteria and protozoans
Multicellular organisms
- individual consisting of interdependent cells e.g. plants and animal cells
Population
- a group of organisms of the same kind that live together in the same place
Community
- populations of species that occupy the same area
Ecosystem (2)
- Group of biological communities interacting with their shared physical environment
- includes the community and the non-living environmental factors with which it interacts.
Biosphere
- encompasses all the ecosystems of the Earth’s waters, crust and atmosphere that sustain life
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (2)
- Genetic material of all living organisms
- it’s a large, double stranded, helical molecule that contains instructions for assembling a living organism from simpler molecules.
Nucleotides (2)
- the monomer of nucleic acids, consisting of a 5-carbon sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phospate
- Chemical building blocks including C, T, U, A, G
Genome (2)
- all of the DNA in the cells of a living organism
2. or all of the DNA or RNA comprising the genetic material of a virus
Genes (2)
- A specific sequence of base pairs in a genome containing the code for a protein molecule or one of its parts, or for functioning RNA molecules such as tRNA and rRNA
- are particular regions of the genome where specific nucleotide sequences encode instructions that cells use to build RNA molecules and proteins
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
- A polymer assembled from repeating nucleotide monomers in which the 5-carbon sugar is ribose.
Cellular RNAs include mRNA (which is translated to produce a polypeptide), tRNA (which brings an amino acid to the ribosome for assembly into a polypeptide during translation) and rRNA ( which is a structural component of ribosomes). The genetic material of some viruses is RNA
Proteins
- molecules that carry out most of the activities of life, including the synthesis of all other biological molecules. A protein consists of one or more polypeptide
Gene expression
- the process by which information encoded in genes guides the production of RNA molecules and proteins
messenger RNA
the RNA transcribed from a protein-coding gene. Translation of an mRNA produces a polypeptide
transcription
the mechanism by which the information encoded in DNA is made into a complementary RNA copy
model organisms
An organism with characteristics that make it a particularly useful subject of research because it is likely to produce results widely applicable to other organisms
photosynthesis
the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugar and other organic molecules
primary producer
an organism that uses light energy or chemical energy to covert simply inorganic molecules into organic molecules
phylum (plural= phyla)
A major Linnaean division of a kingdom, ranking above class
phylogenetic trees
A branching diagram depicting the evolutionary relationships of groups of organism
prokaryotes
Organism in which the central DNA- containing region of the cell has no boundary membrane separating it from the cytoplasm.
Prokaryotes make up 2 domains of organisms:
1. the Bacteria and
2. the Archaea
predictions
a statement about what the researcher expects to happen to one variable if another variable changes
proteomics
the study of the proteome, the complete set of proteins that can be produced by a genome. Proteomics involves characterizing the structures and functions of all expressed proteins of an organism, the localization of proteins within the cell, and the interactions among proteins in the cell
proteome
the complete set of proteins that can be expressed by the genome of an organism
Eukaryotes
organism in which the DNA is enclosed in a nucleus
organelles
in eukaryotic cells, the nucleus and other specialized structures important for cell function
observational data
basic information on biological structures or the details of biological processes
biological research
the collective effort of individuals who have worked to understand how living systems function
basic research
research conducted to search for explanations about natural phenomena in order to satisfy curiosity and to advance collective knowledge of living systems
applied research
research conducted with the goal of solving specific practical problems
scientific method
an investigative approach in which scientists make observations about the natural world, develop working explanations about what they observe, and the test those explanations by collecting more information
experimental data
information that describes the result of a careful manipulation of the system under study
systems biology
an area of biology that studies the organism as a whole to unravel the integrated and interacting network of genes, proteins and biochemical reactions responsible for life
scientific theory
a broadly applicable idea or hypothesis that has been confirmed by every conceivable test
hypothesis
a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation
null hypothesis
a statement of what might be seen if the hypothesis being tested is NOT correct
variable
an environmental factor that may differ among places or an organismal characteristic that may differ among individuals
alternative hypothesis
an explanation of an observed phenomenon that is different from the explanation being tested
control
treatment that tells what would be seen in the absence of the experimental manipulation
experimental variable
the variable in a scientific study that is manipulated by the experimenter
Replicates
multiple subjects that receive either the same experimental treatment or the same control treatment
Genomics
the branch of biology that characterizes entire genomes, including sequencing genomes and identifying likely protein coding and non-coding segments of DNA sequences, and comparing genomes of different organisms to see how the genomes have evolved.
Translation
the use of the information encoded in mRNA to assemble amino acids into a polypeptide
Ribosomes
a ribonucleoprotein particle that carries out protein synthesis by translating mRNA into chains of amino acids
metabolism
the biochemical reactions that allow a cell or organism to extract energy from it surroundings and use that energy to maintain itself, grow, and reproduce
cellular respiration
the process by which energy-rich molecules are broken down to produce energy in the form of ATP
consumer
an organism that consumes other organisms in a community or ecosystem
homeostasis
the regulation of the internal environment to maintain it in a relatively stable way
inheritance
the transmission of DNA (that is genetic information) from one generation to the next
development
a series of programmed changes encoded in DNA, through which a fertilized egg divides into many cells that ultimately are transformed into an adult, which is itself capable of reproduction
life cycle
the sequential stages through which individuals develop, grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce
biological evolution
the process by which some individuals in a population experience changes in their DNA and pass those modified instructions to their offspring
artificial selection
selective breeding of organisms to ensure that certain desirable traits appear at higher frequency in successive generations
Natural selection
the evolutionary process by which alleles that increase the likelihood of survival and the reproductive output of the individuals that carry them become more common in subsequent generations
mutation
a spontaneous and heritable change in DNA
habitat
the specific environment in which a population lives, as characterized by its biotic and abiotic features
species
a group of populations in which the individuals are so similar in structure, biochemistry, and behavior that they can successfully interbreed
genus
a Linnaean taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species
scientific name
a 2 part name identifying the genus to which a species belongs and designating a particular species within that genus
family
a Linnaean taxonomic category that ranks below an order and above a genus
order
a Linnaean taxonomic category of organisms that ranks above a family and below a class
class
a Linnaean taxonomic category that ranks below a phylum and above an order
kingdom
a Linnaean taxonomic category that ranks below a domain and above a phylum
domain
In protein structure, a distinct, large structural subdivision produced in many proteins by the folding of the amino acids chain.
In systematics, the highest taxonomic category; a group of cellular organisms with characteristics that set it apart as a major trunk of the Tree of Life
