Chapter One: Themes in the Study of Life

Question 1

Definition of Evolution

Answer 1

The process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today

Question 2

What are the seven properties of life?

Answer 2

1. Order
2. Evolutionary Adaptation
3. Response to Environment
4. Regulation
5. Growth and Development
6. Energy Processing
7. Reproduction

Question 3

Definition of Emergent Properties

Answer 3

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life. They are due to arrangement & interactions of parts as complexity increases.

Question 4

Definition of Reductionism

Answer 4

The reduction of complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study. It can’t fully explain a higher level of order.

Question 5

What are the levels of biological Organization? (from highest preceding downward)

Answer 5

1. Biosphere
2. Ecosystems
3. Communities
4. Populations
5. Organisms
6. Organs & Organ Systems
7. Tissues
8. Cells
9. Organelles
10. Molecules

Question 6

What is systems biology? What is its purpose?

Answer 6

Systems biology is an approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems.

Question 7

What are the two major processes for the operation of any ecosystem?

Answer 7

1. The cycling of nutrients

2. The one way flow of energy from sunlight to producers to consumers

Question 8

What is mitosis the basis of?

Answer 8

1. Reproduction

2. The growth & repair of multi-cellular organisms

Question 9

What is the difference between Eukaryotic cells and Prokaryotic cells?

Answer 9

Eukaryotic cells are in eukaryotes; they are types of cells with a membrane-enclosed nucleus & membrane-enclosed organelles. They include protists, plants, fungi, & animals. Prokaryotic cells are in prokaryotes; they are types of cells lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus & membrane-enclosed organelles. They include bacteria & archaea.

Question 10

How are DNA & genes related?

Answer 10

DNA is the cell’s genetic material (one per chromosome). They include 100’s-1000’s of genes, which are the units of inheritance that transmit information from parents to offspring.

Question 11

What does DNA control?

Answer 11

DNA controls the development & maintenance of the entire organism &, indirectly, everything it does. It includes encoded information for building the cell’s other molecules.

Question 12

What is a genome?

Answer 12

A genome is the entire library of genetic instructions that an organism inherits

Question 13

What are three key research developments to bring systems biology into reach?

Answer 13

1. High-throughput technology
2. Bioinformatics
3. The formation of inter-disciplinary research teams

Question 14

Positive Feedback v.s. Negative Feedback

Answer 14

Negative Feedback: A primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a physiological variable triggers a response that counteracts the initial change
Positive Feedback: a physiological control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers mechanisms that amplify the change

Question 15

List the Classifications of Life in order (from smallest to largest or largest to smallest)

Answer 15

Species (smallest)
Genus
Family
Order
Class 
Phylum
Kingdom
Domain

Question 16

What are the three domains?

Answer 16

1. Domain Bacteria
2. Domain Archaea
3. Domain Eukarya

Question 17

What were two main points from Charles Darwin’s book?

Answer 17

1. Descent with modification (contemporary species arose from a succession of ancestors)
2. Natural Selection (the natural environment selects for the propagation of certain traits)

Question 18

What are two types of scientific inquiry?

Answer 18

1. Discovery Science (describing nature)

2. Hypothesis-based science (explaining nature)

Question 19

Inductive Reasoning v.s. Deductive Reasoning

Answer 19

Inductive Reasoning: A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations
Deductive Reasoning: A type of logic in which specific results are predicted form a a general premise

Question 20

A hypothesis must be ________ & ___________.

Answer 20

Testable, Falsifiable

Question 21

What is a controlled experiment? How does it control unwanted variables?

Answer 21

A controlled experiment is an experiment designed to compare an experimental group with a control group. It controls unwanted variables by canceling their effects by using control groups.

Question 22

Definition of theory

Answer 22

Theory: An explanation that is broad in scope, generates new hypotheses, & is supported by a large body of evidence.

Question 23

What is a model? How can it be successful?

Answer 23

Models: A representation of a theory or process. Its success is determined on how well it fits available data, how comfortably it accommodates new observations, how accurate predictions are, and how effective its communication is.

Question 24

What are two things that characterize scientific culture?

Answer 24

Cooperation & Competition

Question 25

What is technology and how is it related to science?

Answer 25

Technology applies scientific knowledge for a specific purpose; they are interdependent

Question 26

List the Seven Themes of Life

Answer 26

1. New properties emerge at each level in the biological hierarchy
2. Organisms interact with their environments, exchanging matter & energy
3. Form fits function
4. Cells are an organism’s basic units of structure & function
5. The continuity of life is based on heritable information in the form of DNA
6. Feedback mechanisms regulate biological systems
7. Evolution accounts for the unity & diversity of life