chapter1 - study of life

Question 1

What is Biology?

Answer 1

the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments.

Question 2

What is the Central Tennant of Biology?

Answer 2

DNA -> RNA -> Protein

DNA = Genes
RNA = Transcript / Copy / Messenger
Protein = Phenotype “Trait”

“Genotype codes for phenotype”

Question 3

What is Taxonomy and who created the field?

Answer 3

Science of classification of living organisms.
Created by Linnaeus.

Question 4

List the levels of Taxonomy (highest to lowest)

Answer 4

Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup.

Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Sub-species
Strains

Question 5

What are the three domains?
What types of cells do they have?

Answer 5

1. Eukarya (unicellular or multicellular, eukaryotes, animals, plants, fungi, protists)
2. Archaea (unicellular, prokaryotes, asexual reproduction, no diseases for humans, survive in extreme environments)
3. 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.

Question 6

What are prokaryotes?

Answer 6

prokaryotes: cells that do not contain a nucleus, nor membrane bound organelles.

Question 7

What are eukaryotes?

Answer 7

eukaryotes: cells that contain a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.

Question 8

What are the 8 characteristics of life?

Answer 8

1. order
2. sensitivity or response to environment
3. reproduction
4. adaptation
5. growth and development
6. regulation / homeostasis
7. energy processing
8. evolution

Question 9

What is order (property of life)?

Answer 9

highly organized and coordinated structures that consists of one or more cells.

Question 10

What is sensitivity or response to environment or stimuli (property of life)?

Answer 10

Organisms respond to diverse stimuli. Plants grow in the direction of most sunlight.

positive response: towards something
negative response: away from somethin

Question 11

What is reproduction (property of life)?

Answer 11

Single-cellular organisms reproduce by duplicating DNA.
Multicellular organisms often reproduce by combining genes (this preserves traits in both parents)

Question 12

What is growth and development (property of life)?

Answer 12

Organisms grow and develop following specific instructions coded for by their genes (instinctive behavior of new born animals).

Question 13

What is regulation (property of life)?

Answer 13

Organisms need to regulate and maintain different internal parts. Example organisms need to transport nutrients to different places in their body.

Same as Homeostasis.

Question 14

What is homeostasis (property of life)?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What is Energy Processing (property of life)?

Answer 15

All organisms need energy. Some capture from the sun (plants), others from chemical bonds in food.

Question 16

What are the levels of organization of living things? (lowest=10 to highest=1)

Answer 16

MOC - TOO - P - CEB

10. Molecules
11. Organelles (found in Eukarya Only)
12. Cells (officially the start of life due to Emergent properties)
13. Tissues (collection of cells w/ common function)
14. Organs (collection of tissues)
15. Organisms (multi-cellular; humans)
16. Populations (group of organisms)
17. Communities (groups of population)
18. Ecosystems (living organisms + non-living environment)
19. Biosphere (Earth)

Question 17

Who proposed the laws of inheritance?

Answer 17

Gregor Mendel

Question 18

Who created the Phylogenetic Tree of Life and what is it?

Answer 18

Woese (pronounced Weece) created it.
It illustrates the relationships of evolution from traits.

Question 19

What are the two types of Reasoning, also explain them?

Answer 19

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).

Question 20

What is the Scientific Method and who created it?

Answer 20

Sir Francis Bacon credited.

1. Make an observation
2. hypothesis (ask a question)
3. form a “testable question” (and falsifiable)
4. make a prediction (format: if X then Y)
5. experiment
6. analysis (of results) (try again #2 when wrong, also try again to build confidence)
7. 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)

Question 21

What is a theory?

Answer 21

A collection of similar hypothesis that have aggregated evidence that supports the theory.
e.g. cell theory.