Introduction Themes in Biology

Question 1

Evolution

Answer 1

the process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today. (Fundamental organizing principle of biology).

Question 2

Biology

Answer 2

The scientific study of life.

Question 3

What properties are associated with life?

Answer 3

• Order: ex. sunflowers have a highly ordered structure (petals)
• Evolutionary adaption: ex. chameleon camouflaging
• Regulation: ex. regulation of blood flow to maintain a constant body temp. (homeostasis)
• Reproduction:ex. living things reproduce their own kind
• Response to environment:ex. Venus fly trap closes rapidly in response to the environmental stimuli.
• Growth and development:ex.plants use inherited info. in genes to grow.
• Energy processing:ex. butterfly obtaining fuel from a flower’s nectar.

Question 4

What are the levels of biological organization?

Answer 4

1) Biosphere
2) Ecosystem
3) Communities
4) Populations
5) Organisms
6) Organs & Organ Systems
7) Tissue
8) Cells
9) Organelles
10) Molecules

Question 5

Emergent properties

Answer 5

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life.

Question 6

Systems of biology

Answer 6

An approach of studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interaction among the system parts.

Question 7

Eukaryotic cell

Answer 7

types of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus & membrane-enclosed organelles.(fungi,plants,protists,animals.)

Question 8

Prokaryotic cells

Answer 8

lacks a nucleus or membrane-enclosed organelles. (generally smaller than eukaryotic cells)

Question 9

DNA (dexyribonucleic acid)

Answer 9

usually a double-stranded helix, consisting of polynucleotide strands which consist of nucleotide monomers with deoxyribose sugar. ATCG replicate & determine the inherited structure of a cell’s protein.

Question 10

genes

Answer 10

a discrete unit of hierarchy info. consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA.(or RNA in some viruses.)

Question 11

gene expression

Answer 11

The process by which info. encoded in RNA directs the synthesis of proteins or in some cases, RNAs that aren’t translated into proteins & instead functions as RNAs.

Question 12

genome

Answer 12

The genetic material of an organisms or virus, the complete complement of an organism’s or virus’ genes along with its non-coding nucleic acid sequences.

Question 13

genomics

Answer 13

systemic study of whole sets of genes/DNA and their interactions with in a species & genome comparisons between species.

Question 14

protemics

Answer 14

study of sets of proteins and their properties, including their abundance, chemical modifications, & interactions.

Question 15

Proteome

Answer 15

The entire set of properties expressed by a given cell or group of cells.

Question 16

bioinformatics

Answer 16

The use of computers, software and mathematical models to process & integrate biological info. from large data sets.

Question 17

Producers

Answer 17

An organism that produces organic compounds from CO2 by harassing light energy (photosynthesis) or oxidizing inorganic chemicals.

Question 18

Consumers

Answer 18

An organism that feeds on producers, other consumers or nonliving organic material.

Question 19

feedback regulation

Answer 19

The regulation of a process by its output or end product.