Chapter 1: Themes in the Study of Life Flashcards
Evolution
Fundamental organizing principle of biology
Process of change/adaptation over time
Biology
Scientific study of life
Biological Organization
Levels of biological study/inquiry that transition from macro to micro
Has 10 levels: biosphere, ecosystems, communities, populations, organism, organs/organ systems, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules, [atoms]
(Some) properties of living things
Order/organization Regulation Evolutionary adaptation Reproduction Growth/development Response to environment
Emergent Properties
Properties of each level of biological organization
Novel properties “emerge” at each step as you transition from micro to macro/ increase complexity of interactions between the parts of the respective systems
System
Series of components that function together
Systems Biology
Seeks to model dynamic bx of systems by studying the interactions of the system’s parts
Biological Organization: Biosphere
all life on earth and all places where life exists
Biological Organization: Ecosystem
All the living things in a particular area and all the non living things (like soil) that they interact with
Biological Organization: Communities
Array of organism inhabiting a particular ecosystem
Biological Organization: Populations
all the members of a species living within the bounds of a specific area
Biological Organization: Organisms
all living things
Biological Organization: Organs and Organ Systems
Part of an organism that has a specific/self-contained structure and serves a vital function to an organism
Made of tissues
Biological Organization: Tissue
Groups of (the same) cells that perform a specific function
Biological Organization: Cells
Fundamental unit of structure and function for life
Biological Organization: Organelles
Functional components of cells
Biological Organization: Molecules
Chemical structures made of atoms
Eukaryotic cells
keep their DNA in a nucleus and organelles contained within separate membranes
plant, fungus, animalia
Prokaryotic cells
All their innards are just floating around inside the cell.
They do NOT keep their DNA in a nucleus nor do they contain their organelles within separate membranes
Bacteria and archaea
Gene Expression
The process by which the info inside a gene directs the production of cellular proteins
Genomics
The study of whole sets of genes
Bioinformatics
use of computational tools to store, organize, and analyze huge volumes of data from high throughput methods
Inductive reasoning
Gathering and analyzing observations to lead to important conclusion
Deductive reasoning
Extrapolation of specific results from a general premise
If this, then that
Model organism
Lab rats, guinea pigs, lab models, etc.
Technology
Any device or method that applies scientific knowledge to affect society
3 Observations on Which Natural Selection is Based
- Organisms in a population have varied traits
- Organisms make way more babies than can survive to reproduce for themselves = competition
- Organisms can adapt to environment over time
Decent with modification
What Darwin also called natural selection
Theory
Has been “proven”, “has broad explanatory power” and has a broader scope than a hypothesis