Chapter 1 - Life, Taxonomy, & Biology Flashcards
What is life?
there is no definitive answer
List the seven characteristics of a living organism:
1. Composed of cells • Smallest unit of life • All cells come from preexisting cells 2. Unique molecular composition • Nucleic acids, proteins, etc... 3. Respond to external environment 4. Maintain homeostasis 5. Require energy and raw material 6. Grow and reproduce 7. Populations are capable of adapting and evolving
Levels of Biological Organization: Life is organized at many levels
Atoms, molecules - not living Cell - living Tissue Organ Systems Organism Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere
made of similar types of cells that work together
tissue
made of different tissue types working together
organ system
Individual, made of micro organisms of other species working together to live
Organism
All individuals of a particular type (species) that may interact in a particular place
population
All the different types of organisms that may interact in a particular place
community
All different types of organisms, plus the nonliving (abiotic) components (things) necessary for existence
ecosystem
The portions of atmosphere, ocean, and land where life exists on Earth
biosphere
Categorizing Life - Linnaean Taxonomy – One way scientists categorize life based on genetic relatedness
Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
List the 3 domains
Eukaryota
Bacteria
Archaea
Domains Bacteria and Archaea genetically very different groups of organisms, but both groups share:
- microscopic single cell (unicellular) organisms
2. both have prokaryotic cell structure - simplistic, lacks nucleus, lacks membrane bound organelles
Domain: Eukaryota
Unicellular and multicellular organisms
Complex cell structure - many membrane-bound organelles, DNA in nucleus
All multicellular organisms are _______
Eukaryotes
________ cells evolved before eukaryotic cells
Prokaryotic
Are viruses alive?
no
Describe virus
- very small, not a cell, contain some genetic material but not enough to replicate by themselves.
- must infect other organisms and then use that organism’s “machinery” to replicate
Taxonomy of the brown bear: Domain - Kingdom - Phylum - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species -
Domain - Eukaryota Kingdom - Animalia Phylum – Chordata (vertebrae, backbone) Class – Mammalia Order – Carnivora Family – Ursidae (family of bears) Genus – Ursus (capitalize) Binomial Species – arctos (lowercase) nomenclature
2 characteristics of a mammal
- mammary glands - allows the production of milk to feed
2. fur
Another name for Genus and Species
Binomial
nomenclature
List the four kingdoms of the Eukaryota:
- Protists
- Fungi
- Plants
- Animals
How does the taxonomy of the black bear differ?
It differs in species - americanos, the American bear
Taxonomy of the gray wolf: Domain - Kingdom - Phylum - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species -
Domain - Eukaryota Kingdom - Animalia Phylum – Chordata Class – Mammalia Order – Carnivora (named after their feeding behavior) Family – Canidae (family of dogs) Genus – Canis (capitalize) Binomial Species – lupis (lowercase) nomenclature
Taxonomy of human: Domain - Kingdom - Phylum - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species -
Domain - Eukaryota
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Mammalia
Order – Primates
Family – Hominidae (great apes, humanlike)
Genus – Homo - man (capitalize) Binomial
Species – sapiens - wise (lowercase) nomenclature
define Homo sapiens
“wise man”
define Hominidae
great apes, humanlike
What are the members of the Hominidae?
- Mountain gorilla
- Lowland gorilla
- Chimpanzee
- Bonobo
- Sumatran orangutan
- Bornean orangutan
Which members of the Hominidae are most imilar to humans?
chimpanzee
For much of human evolution, several different ________ of ________ ancestors existed at the same time
species; human
Life is defined by:
the characteristics of life
Life can be organized in many ways, our examples:
- increasing organizational complexity - biological levels of organization
- genetic relatedness - Linnaean taxonomy
What is science?
- logical method of understanding the natural world
2. body of knowledge organized into theories
collection of unifying insights (explanations) and supporting facts about a natural phenomenon
facts support these
premises of a _______ have withstood objective questioning or testing
theory
Theories have _______ power
explanatory
What is the scientific method based on?
observations and measurements
From observations, come questions about the world, from a question, formulates a _________.
hypothesis
plausible explanation for a natural phenomena
Formally written in a way which the explanation could be found to be incorrect
Under pinning of skepticism
hypothesis
How to test validity of hypothesis?
through further observation or experimentation
List the process of science:
Observation Hypothesis Prediction Experiment/Further Observation Results Conclusion
Example of hypothesis: oatmeal and cholesterol.
• Observation: eating oatmeal appears to lower cholesterol levels in blood
• Other existing knowledge:
o Soluble fiber in oatmeal binds to bile in intestines, preventing reabsorption of bile by the body
o When bound to fiber, bile is expelled from body
o Bile is high in cholesterol
o To make new bile, the liver removes cholesterol from blood
o Hypothesis:
What is the hypothesis?
eating oatmeal high in soluble fiber lowers cholesterol levels in blood
A scientific statement can be:
- Testable
- Refutable
- Repeatable
Louis Pasteru’s test of the spontaneous generation of life. What was his hypothesis?
cases of spontaneous generation of life could be explained by microscopic airborne organisms. He developed a particle trap.
A statement is ‘scientific’ if an objective method can be stated by which it can be _________.
disproven/refuted
When you come up with a hypothesis, ___________
you are attempting to refute the hypothesis
Other ways of perceiving the world that are often useful but not scientific:
Religious
Aesthetic
Ethical
Political
________ are not disprovable in the scientific sense
Assertions. Are based ultimately on your faith, belief, cultural, or personal values
Science does not address questions that are ________ or involve value
metaphysical
outside of the natural world
Meta (ex: ghosts)
Science can provide meaningful, objective perspectives:
- identify the environmental problems
- provide insight into scope and scale
- identify and assess potential solutions
- science DOES NOT address questions involving value judgements
Example of value judgement:
California condors almost went instinct in 1980s, saving these birds was value judgement, not scientific.
What is pseudo science?
“junk science”
pseudo = false
Presented as scientifically valid but in fact not scientific: untestable lack empirical support based on faulty reasoning poor methodology
Give 2 examples of pseudoscience
horoscopes
flat earth
Define homeostasis
self-controlled internal environment in the face of external conditions
What does chordata mean in Linnaean Taxonomy?
vertebrae, backbone
the (phylum) if it has a chordata
What does Order mean in Linnaean Taxonomy?
feeding behavior: carnivora
herbivore
omnivore
Mnemonic of Linnaean Taxonomy?
DKPCOFGS
Do Kings Play Chess On Fine Grain Sand
or
Dumb Kids Play Catch On Freeway Get Smashed
Vertebrae animals are _____% of water
60-80%
