Chapter 1 notes Flashcards
What is deductive reasoning?
It applies to general principles to predict specific results
What is inductive reasoning?
specific observations to construct general scientific principles
How do you test a hypothesis?
Through experimentation
What are variables in an experiment?
A factor that influences a process, outcome, or observation
What is a control group in the experiment?
The variable of interest
What is reductionism?
Understanding a complex system by reducing it to its working parts
(ex. models)
What is a theory?
A body of interconnected concepts, supported by scientific and experimental evidence that explains the facts in some area of study
What is basic research?
It extends boundaries of what we know
What is applied research?
It involves manufacturing based on basic research
What is biology?
The study of living things
What are the categories for something to be considered living?
- cellular organization
- ordered complexities
- sensitivity
4.growth, development, reproduction - metabolism
- homeostasis
- evolutionary adaptation
What are the levels of the ecosystem from smallest to largest?
- cellular level
- organismal level
3.population level - ecosystem level
- Biosphere
What is evolution?
genetic change in a population of organisms
In general, evolution causes organisms to go from ____ to _____
simple to complex
What was Darwin’s five year voyage called?
The Beagle
What did Darwin discover on the Beagle about species?
That lineages gradually change as species migrate
What did Malthus argue
Animals and plants increase geometrically while resources increase arithmetically.
Based on Malthus’s argument what can be inferred about the number of organisms that survive?
There are only a limited number of organisms that can survive
If a species survives what do they pass on heritably?
They pass on desirable traits
What is artificial selection?
Change in genetic structure of populations due to selective breeding by humans
What is natural selection?
the differential reproduction of genotypes, caused by factors in the environment, leading to evolutionary change
What are homologous structures?
Structures that originated from the same common ancestor
What are analogous structures?
Structures that are similar function but do not come from the same common ancestor.
What helps form phylogenic trees?
molecular evidence that specify degree of similarity
What are some core concepts of biology?
- Life is subject to chemical and physical laws
- Structure determines shape
3.Living systems transform energy and matter
4.Living systems depend on information transactions - evolution explains the unity and diversity of life
