chapter1 - study of life Flashcards
What is Biology?
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments.
What is the Central Tennant of Biology?
DNA -> RNA -> Protein
DNA = Genes
RNA = Transcript / Copy / Messenger
Protein = Phenotype “Trait”
“Genotype codes for phenotype”
What is Taxonomy and who created the field?
Science of classification of living organisms.
Created by Linnaeus.
List the levels of Taxonomy (highest to lowest)
Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup.
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Sub-species
Strains
What are the three domains?
What types of cells do they have?
- Eukarya (unicellular or multicellular, eukaryotes, animals, plants, fungi, protists)
- Archaea (unicellular, prokaryotes, asexual reproduction, no diseases for humans, survive in extreme environments)
- Bacteria (unicellular, prokaryotes, asexual reproduction)
prokaryotes: cells that do not contain a nucleus, nor membrane bound organelles.
eukaryotes: cells that contain a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.
What are prokaryotes?
prokaryotes: cells that do not contain a nucleus, nor membrane bound organelles.
What are eukaryotes?
eukaryotes: cells that contain a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.
What are the 8 characteristics of life?
- order
- sensitivity or response to environment
- reproduction
- adaptation
- growth and development
- regulation / homeostasis
- energy processing
- evolution
What is order (property of life)?
highly organized and coordinated structures that consists of one or more cells.
What is sensitivity or response to environment or stimuli (property of life)?
Organisms respond to diverse stimuli. Plants grow in the direction of most sunlight.
positive response: towards something
negative response: away from somethin
What is reproduction (property of life)?
Single-cellular organisms reproduce by duplicating DNA.
Multicellular organisms often reproduce by combining genes (this preserves traits in both parents)
What is growth and development (property of life)?
Organisms grow and develop following specific instructions coded for by their genes (instinctive behavior of new born animals).
What is regulation (property of life)?
Organisms need to regulate and maintain different internal parts. Example organisms need to transport nutrients to different places in their body.
Same as Homeostasis.
What is homeostasis (property of life)?
Cells need to maintain a specific state in order to function properly (pH, appropriate concentration of chemicals, temperature, etc.). Homeostasis literally means “steady state.”
Seating / Perspiration helps to maintain body temperature.
Buffers help to maintain pH levels.
Same as Regulation
What is Energy Processing (property of life)?
All organisms need energy. Some capture from the sun (plants), others from chemical bonds in food.
What are the levels of organization of living things? (lowest=10 to highest=1)
MOC - TOO - P - CEB
- Molecules
- Organelles (found in Eukarya Only)
- Cells (officially the start of life due to Emergent properties)
- Tissues (collection of cells w/ common function)
- Organs (collection of tissues)
- Organisms (multi-cellular; humans)
- Populations (group of organisms)
- Communities (groups of population)
- Ecosystems (living organisms + non-living environment)
- Biosphere (Earth)
Who proposed the laws of inheritance?
Gregor Mendel
Who created the Phylogenetic Tree of Life and what is it?
Woese (pronounced Weece) created it.
It illustrates the relationships of evolution from traits.
What are the two types of Reasoning, also explain them?
Inductive reasoning: a specific (or several) observations used to draw a general conclusion (specific -> larger conclusion).
Deductive reasoning: from a general premise a specific reason is given (conclusion -> specific).
What is the Scientific Method and who created it?
Sir Francis Bacon credited.
- Make an observation
- hypothesis (ask a question)
- form a “testable question” (and falsifiable)
- make a prediction (format: if X then Y)
- experiment
- analysis (of results) (try again #2 when wrong, also try again to build confidence)
- report results
If the hypothesis is robust, then the experiment will support that.
Scientists usually have to re-formulate their hypothesis.
Variable: part of the experiment that can change (independent / dependent)
What is a theory?
A collection of similar hypothesis that have aggregated evidence that supports the theory.
e.g. cell theory.
