Chapter 1: themes of biology Flashcards

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1
Q

Biology is…

A

the scientific study of life

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2
Q

An organism’s adaptations to its environment are the result of…

A

evolution

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3
Q

evolution is…

A

the process of change that has transformed life on earth

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4
Q

Life defies a…

A

simple one sentence definition

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5
Q

Life is recognized by…

A

what living things can do

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6
Q

Life is characterized by..

A
Order
Evolutionary Adaptation
Response to the environment
Reproduction
Growth and development
Energy processing
Regulation
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7
Q

Themes do what?

A

connect the concepts of biology

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8
Q

Theme 1

___ makes sense of everything we know about living organisms

A

Evolution

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9
Q

Organisms living on earth are…

A

modified descendants of common ancestors

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10
Q

Phylogenetic Tree of LIfe has 3 main branches…

A

Bacteria
Archaea
Eukaryota

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11
Q

Theme 2

New properties emerge at each level in the ___

A

biological hierarchy

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12
Q

Life can be studied at different levels from…

A

molecules to the entire living planet

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13
Q

broad levels of the biological hierarchy

A
the biosphere
ecosystems
communities
populations
organisms
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14
Q

specific levels of the biological hierarchy

A
organs and organ systems
tissues
cells
organelles
atoms & molecules
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15
Q

Theme 3

organisms ___ with their environments, exchanging matter and energy

A

interact

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16
Q

biotic

A

factoring in living organisms

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17
Q

abiotic

A

factoring in the nonliving

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18
Q

The dynamics of an ecosystem include two major processes…

A

Cycling of nutrients - in which materials acquired by plants eventually return to the soil

The flow of energy from sunlight to producers to consumers

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19
Q

The energy exchange between an organism and it’s environment often involves…

A

energy transformations

some energy is released to the surroundings as heat

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20
Q

energy flows through an ecosystem usually…

A

entering as light and exiting as heat

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21
Q

Theme 4

___ are correlated at all levels of biological organization

A

structure and function

example: flat leaves allow more surface area to absorb sunlight

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22
Q

Theme 5

___ are an organism’s basic units of structure and function

A

Cells

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23
Q

The cell is the lowest level of organization that can

A

perform all activities required for life

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24
Q

All cells are…

All cells use…

A

are enclosed by a membrane

use DNA as their genetic information

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25
Q

A eukaryotic cell has…

A

membrane enclosed organelles, the largest of which is usually the nuclues. other organelles are located in the cytoplasm.

(examples: plants, animals)

26
Q

A prokaryotic cell is…

A

simpler and usually smaller, and does not contain a nucleus or other membrane enclosed organelles

(examples: bacteria)

27
Q

Theme 6

The continuity of life is based on heritable information in the form of ___

A

DNA

28
Q

DNA is…

A

(deoxyribonucleic acid) is the heritable material that directs cells activities

29
Q

DNA is the substance of genes…

A

(units of inheritance that transmit info from parents to offspring)

30
Q

Genes are organized onto…

A

chromosomes

31
Q

DNA is found in…

A

mostly the nucleus (nuclear DNA) but a small amount is also found in the mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA)

32
Q

An organism’s genome is…

A

it’s entire set of genetic instructions

33
Q

DNA is transcribed into…

A

RNA then translated into a protein

34
Q

Theme 7

___ regulate biological systems

A

feedback mechanisms

35
Q

Enzymes do what…

A

catalyze or speed up chemical reactions in cells

36
Q

many biological processes are…

A

self regulating through feedback mechanisms

37
Q

negative feedback means…

A

that as more of an end product accumulates, the process that creates it slows and less of the product is produced

(example: body temperature regulation)

38
Q

positive feedback means…

A

that as more of an end product accumulates, the process that creates it speeds up and more of the product is produced

(example: labor contractions)

39
Q

The core theme

A

evolution accounts for the unity and diversity of life

40
Q

Approximately how many species have been identified to date?

A

1.8 million species

41
Q

the total estimate of species that actually exist range from?

A

10 to 100 million

42
Q

Taxonomy is..

A

the branch of biology that names and classifies species into groups of increasing breadth

43
Q

Taxonomy from broadest to narrowest…

A
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
44
Q

The three domains of life

A

bacteria
> (prokaryotes)
archaea

Eukarya (eukaryotic organisms)

45
Q

Eukarya includes three multicellular kingdoms….

and one unicellular…

A

Plantae
Fungi
Animalia

Protists (unicellular)

46
Q

DNA is the…

A

universal genetic language common to all organisms

47
Q

Unity in the diversity of life is…

A

evident in many features in cell structure

48
Q

Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859

A

Darwin made two main points: ​

Species showed evidence of “descent with modification” from common ancestors​

Natural selection is the mechanism behind “descent with modification”
49
Q

the environment “selects” for the

A

propagation of beneficial traits

50
Q

Natural selection results in

A

the adaptation of organisms to their environment

51
Q

There are two main types of scientific inquiry:

A

discovery science and hypothesis-based science​

52
Q

Discovery Science describes

A

natural structures and processes

This approach is based on observation and the analysis of data

53
Q

Data are

A

recorded observations or items of information

54
Q

Data fall into two categories​

A

Quantitative, or recorded measurements, which are sometimes organized into tables and graphs​

Qualitative, or descriptions rather than measurements​
55
Q

Observations can lead us to ask questions and propose hypothetical explanations called

A

hypotheses

56
Q

A hypothesis is a

A

tentative answer to a well-framed question​

A scientific hypothesis leads to predictions that can be tested by observation or experimentation​
57
Q

Deductive reasoning uses

A

general premises to make specific predictions​

For example, if organisms are made of cells (premise 1), and humans are organisms (premise 2), then humans are composed of cells (deductive prediction)
58
Q

A hypothesis must be

A

testable and falsifiable

59
Q

Failure to falsify a hypothesis does

A

not prove that hypothesis​

For example, you replace your flashlight bulb, and it now works; this supports the hypothesis that your bulb was burnt out, but does not prove it (perhaps the first bulb was inserted incorrectly)
60
Q

In the context of science, a theory is:​

A

Broader in scope than a hypothesis​

can lead to new testable hypotheses​

Supported by a large body of evidence in comparison to a hypothesis

61
Q

The goal of science is to

A

understand natural phenomena​

62
Q

The goal of technology is to

A

apply scientific knowledge for some specific purpose