Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Question 1

Emergent Property

Answer 1

With each step upward in this hierarchy of biological order, novel properties emerge that are not present at the level just below. These emergent properties are due to the arrangement and interaction of parts as complexity increases.

Question 2

Population

Answer 2

A population consists of all the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specified area. For example, our Ontario forest includes a population of sugar maple trees and a population of American black bears.

Question 3

Community

Answer 3

The entire array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem is called a biological community. The community in our forest ecosystem includes many kinds of trees and other plants, a diversity of animals, various mushrooms and other fungi, and enormous numbers of microorganisms, which are living forms such as bacteria- too small to see without a microscope.

Question 4

Ecosystem

Answer 4

Grasslands, deserts, forests, and the oceans coral reefs are types of ecosystems. An ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area, along with all the nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts(soil,water,atmospheric gases,light)

Question 5

Biome

Answer 5

Biomes are often called ecosystems

Question 6

Biogenesis

Answer 6

Biogenesis is simply the idea that life is born from other life. Life begets life.

Question 7

Holism

Answer 7

Looking at a system as part of a whole, rather that the sum of it’s components.

Question 8

Reductionism

Answer 8

Looking at a system in smaller parts to make it easier to understand, rather than looking at the system as a whole functioning body.

Question 9

Pro/Eukaryote

Answer 9

A prokaryotic cell does not have membrane bound organelles, so the DNA floats in the cytoplasm. In a eukaryotic cell, there are many membrane bound organelles, such as the nucleus with holds the DNA and such.

Question 10

Taxonomy(Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)

Answer 10

Taxonomy is the branch that names and classifies species. It formalizes this ordering of species into a series of groups of increasing breadth.

Question 11

Evolution

Answer 11

Biological evolution is defined as any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. These changes may be small or large, noticeable or not so noticeable.

Question 12

Natural Selection

Answer 12

An organism will ‘select’ the traits that will help it survive when reproducing to increase the chance of survival. This method of adaptation has helped organisms evolve through time.

Question 13

Scientific Method

Answer 13

The scientific method begins with an observation. This causes a question to form. From thereon, a hypothesis is made and tested until a conclusion is reached.

Question 14

Hypothesis

Answer 14

A hypothesis is a tentative answer to a well-framed question- an explanation on trial. It is usually an educated guess based on past experience and available data.

Question 15

Inductive Reasoning(a type of logic)

Answer 15

Generalizations are made through specific observations

Question 16

Control Group

Answer 16

Used as a basis of comparison.

Question 17

Variable

Answer 17

The variable changes in an experiment, you cannot control it.

Question 18

Experimental Group

Answer 18

The experimental group is exposed to the conditions of the experiment.

Question 19

Deductive Reasoning

Answer 19

Deductive reasoning goes from the general down to the specific, such as going from the human body down to the components of a cell.

Question 20

Explain, what is meant by “Form fits Function”

Answer 20

“Form fits function” means that an organism is designed structured or shaped in a way that will help it perform a certain function or many functions easily with this structure. For example, the fins of a fish help it to propel itself through the water. The human heart serves its function as a muscular pump to get blood circulated throughout the entire body.

Question 21

mimicry

Answer 21

Animals adapt to look like other animals for survival.