Chapter 1 - Themes In Biology Flashcards

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0
Q

What is a cell?

A

The basic building blocks of all living things.

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1
Q

What is biology?

A

The study of life; a multidisciplinary science that can be unified by fundamental themes.

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2
Q

What are emergent properties?

A

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life as a result of interactions between components.

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3
Q

What are examples of emergent properties of a water molecule?

A
  1. Cohesion & adhesion
  2. Temperature moderation
  3. Freezing.
  4. Polarity.
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5
Q

List the levels of biological organization in order from biggest to smallest.

A
The biosphere
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
Organ and organ system 
Tissues
Cells
Organelles
Molecules
Atoms
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6
Q

What is holism?

A

The principle that a higher level of order cannot be explained by examining the component parts in isolation.

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7
Q

What is systems biology?

A

Attempts to address the complexity of living things by modeling the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems through the study of interactions among the system parts. “Big picture system”

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8
Q

What are some properties of life?

A

Order, regulation, energy processing, reproduction, growth and development, response to the environment, evolutionary adaptation

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9
Q

What is reductionism?

A

The approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study.

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10
Q

Biologists must balance what 2 things when studying the complexity of life?

A

The reductionist strategy with the larger scale, holistic objective of understanding emergent properties.

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11
Q

What is the ultimate aim of systems biology?

A

Answer large scale questions such as, “how might a gradual increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide alter ecosystems and the entire biosphere?”

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12
Q

What do interactions between biotic and abiotic organisms result in?

A

Cycling of nutrients

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13
Q

What is an example of a consequence of human interactions with the environment?

A

Global climate change

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14
Q

In the process of energy flow in an environment, what happens to some of the energy?

A

Energy is converted to thermal energy, which dissipates to the surroundings as heat. Energy usually enters an ecosystem as light and exists as heat.

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15
Q

What are the common characteristics of cells?

A
  • encoded by a membrane

- uses DNA as it’s genetic information

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16
Q

Compare and contrast the two groups of cells.

A

Prokaryotic (before nucleus):

  • domain: bacteria & archaea
  • kingdom: bacteria & archaea
  • no membrane bound nuceleus
  • no membrane bound organelles
  • least complex
  • generally smaller

Eukaryotic (true nucleus)

  • domain: eukarya
  • kingdoms: Protista, plantae, fungi, animalia
  • membrane bound nucleus
  • membrane bound organelles
  • most complex
  • generally larger
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17
Q

What is a nucleotide?

A

The building block of a Nucleic acid that consists of a nitrogenous base, a phosphate molecule and a sugar molecule. Thousands of nucleotides are linked to form a DNA and RNA molecule.

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18
Q

What is a gene?

A

Unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA

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19
Q

What is a genome?

A

The entire “library” of genetic instructions that an organism inherits.

20
Q

What is gene expression?

A

The process where DNA is transcribed into RNA and then translated into a gene product or polypeptide.

21
Q

The differences between organisms is a reflection on what?

A

Differences in their nucleotide sequence, rather than between their genetic codes.

22
Q

How does DNA ensure inheritance of genetic information from generation to generation?

A

By carrying the instructions for making proteins and RNAs and by replicating with each cell division.

23
Q

What is the genetic code?

A

How information contained in DNA is interpreted or translated into polypeptides.

24
Q

What is genomics?

A

Study of genomes. Researching whole sets of genes of a species as well as comparing genomes between species.

25
Q

What are the 3 important research developments that made the genomic approach possible?

A

1) “high-throughput” technology, tools that analyze materials rapidly and produce enormous amounts of data. Eg. DNA sequencing machine
2) bioinformatics- the use of computational tools to store, organize and analyze huge data volume that result from high-throughput methods.
3) research teams of diverse specialists.

26
Q

What are the two processes of biological self regulation and give an example of each.

A

Negative feedback- output or end product slows the process. Eg. Excess ATP from sugar sends feedback to stop producing.

Positive feedback- output of end product accelerates the process. Eg. Clotting of blood in response to injury.

27
Q

What is the core theme of biology?

A

Evolution.

28
Q

What are the 3 domains of classification based on characterization of 16rRNA from prokaryotes and 18s rRNA from eukaryotes.

A

Bacteria. Archaea, and Eukarya.

29
Q

What are the 8 classification levels in the “Linnaean” system?

A

Species>genus>family>order>class>phylum>kingdom>domain

30
Q

How does the evolutionary theory explain the diversity AND similarity of all life?

A

Natural section and genetic change.

31
Q

What are the 3 kingdoms of multicellular eukaryotes that the domain Eukarya includes?

A

Plantae, fungi, animalia.

32
Q

What is taxonomy?

A

The branch of biology concerned with naming and classification of organisms.

33
Q

What is systematics?

A

The study if biodiversity in an evolutionary context.

34
Q

What are the two main points of the origin of species?

A

1) species change, and contemporary species arise from a succession of ancestors trough a process of “descent with modification.”
2) a mechanism of evolutionary change is natural selection.

35
Q

How does Darwin’s “descent with modification” capture the duality of life’s unity and diversity?

A

Similarities between two species may be a reflection of their descent from a common ancestor.

Differences between species may be a result of natural selection modifying the ancestral equipment in different environmental contexts.

36
Q

What 3 observations from nature did Darwin develop his theory of natural selection?

A

1) individuals in a population vary in their traits, many seem to be heritable.
2) a population can produce far more offspring than can survive to produce offspring of their own.
3) individuals with traits best suited to their environment leave a larger number of offspring, which increases the proportion of inheritable variations in the next generation.

37
Q

What mechanism of evolutionary adaptation did Charles Darwin call “natural selection”?

A

Mechanism of evolutionary change:
Natural environment “selects” certain traits among variations. Over generations, a higher proportion of individuals will have the advantageous traits.

38
Q

What is the product of natural selection?

A

Adaptation to the environment.

39
Q

In the Five Kingdom system, deviled by Robert Whittaker, what are the five kingdoms?

A

Miners, Protista, plantae, fungi, animalia

40
Q

Carl Woese proposed that Monera was composed of 2 groups to become the Six Kingdom System. What are the 2 groups of Monera?

A

Archaebacteria- inhabiting extreme environments such as hot springs and salt ponds and anaerobic conditions.

Eubacteria- most prokaryotes.

41
Q

What is the current taxonomic scheme?

A

Three domain system.

42
Q

What is inductive reasoning?

A

Collecting and analyzing observations and then draw conclusions or generalizations.

43
Q

What is deductive reasoning?

A

Involves an “if… then” logic. Flashlight example.

44
Q

What is the key ingredient of the scientific process?

A

Hypothetical-deductive method:

1) asking a question and formulating a tentative answer or hypothesis by inductive reasoning.
2) using deductive reasoning to make predictions from the hypothesis and then testing the validity of those predictions.

45
Q

What are the components of a hypothesis?

A

1) must be testable by making observations or performing experiements
2) must be some observation/experiment that could reveal such an idea to be false
3) depend on observations and measurements others can verify(reproducible)
4) not confirmed with absolute certainty

46
Q

What is a control group/experimental group/variable?

A

Control group- group that provides basis for comlarison

Experimental group- one with factor varied

Variable- condition of experiment that is subject to change, may influence outcome of experience

47
Q

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

A

A theory is an idea that is widely accepted, proven.

A hypothesis is a proposal that is to be tested and proven until it becomes a theory.