Introduction to Biology- lecture #1 & #2 Flashcards
how is biology defined?
as the scientific study of life
what is zoology?
study of animals
what is microbiology?
study of bacteria and viruses
what is botany?
study of plants
what is mycology?
the study of fungi
what is ecology?
the study of how different organisms interact with their environments
what is evolution the process of?
process of change that has allowed organisms to adapt to their environment
what are the 6 common features among all life forms? GIeOERR
ability to grow and develop
a highly regulated internal environment
complex Organization
ability to take in and utilize energy
ability to respond to environmental changes and stimuli
ability to reproduce one’s own kind
what does the ability to take in and utilize energy entail? what is energy used for?
energy is used to perform all of the necessary life functions
how does the evolution of adaptations work?
occurs over many generations
individuals with traits best suited to their environment will pass them on to their offspring
what does the hierarchy of organization consist of? in order from biggest to smallest
biosphere
ecosystem
community
population
organism
organs & organ systems
tissues
cells
organelles
molecules
what is reductionism?
the reduction of complex systems to simpler more manageable components
what is the biosphere?
all living things on earth
consists of all environments on earth that support life
incudes most areas of land, water bodies and the lower atmosphere (areas that are living)
within the bisphere the individual environments can be further broken down into what?
ecosystems
what do ecosystems encompass?
all living organisms and non-living matter
ecosystems include all components of the environment with which the living organisms interact, what are these components? (4)
air, soil, sunlight and water
what do communities consist of?
all of the different organisms that are living in a particular ecosystem
what is an example of a community?
university campus
what are populations?
all of the individuals of a particular species living within a particular area
what is an example of a population?
all the people on campus
what is an organism?
the individual unit of the population
what is an example of an organism?
one student on campus
what is an organ system?
groups of several organs which work together to perform specific functions (what makes up the individual)
what is an example of an organ system?
the nervous system, digestive system…
what are organs?
structures comprised of different tissues
what does an organ consist of?
2 or more tissue parts
what is an example of an organ?
the heart (its comprised of muscle tissue, connective tissue etc.)
what are tissues made of?
similar cell types and each tissue has a specific function
ex. human skin tissue
what are cells?
membrane bound structures that form the individual units of living matter
ex. human blood cells
what are organelles?
the various functional components present on the inside of the cell
what is an example of an organelle?
nucleus
what are molecules made up of?
a cluster of atoms
what is an example of molecules?
DNA, protein, sugar molecules, lipid…
can the hierarchy be flipped upside down?
yes, it can go in the opposite direction
organisms within an ecosystem interact with what?
both living and the non-living components of their environment
what do producers do?
provide food for the other organisms
what are examples of producers?
plants and other photosynthetic organisms
what do consumers do?
eat plants and other animals
what is an example of a consumer?
humans
what do decomposers do?
breakdown wastes and dead organisms recycling nutrients so that they can be used for biosynthesis
what is an example of decomposers?
fungi, bacteria, small animals present in the soil
how does energy enter the ecosystem?
as light
why is energy transformation from one form into another not efficient?
energy is lost as heat
what is an example of energy being lost as heat?
muscle contraction
when you workout, heat gets produced and lost in the form of sweat
what are the two ways in which ecosystems can be characterized?
recycling of chemical nutrients
energy flow
what does the recycling of chemical nutrients mean?
basic chemicals needed for life (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen..) flow from air and soil to plants animals and decomposers and then back to the air and soil
what happens to energy in an ecosystem?
energy is constantly gained and lost from an ecosystem
how does energy enter an ecosystem?
light from the sun is absorbed by. plants
in what form does energy exit an ecosystem?
as heat
structure and function are closely related, what is an example of this?
the structure of a leaf is important to its ability to photosynthesize
why is the leafs structure important for its ability to photosynthesize?
thin to permit the easy diffusion of CO2 to the appropriate tissues
what is the cell?
the basic unit of life
(the lowest structural level capable of performing all activities necessary for life)
what is an emergent property?
the structure and function of a cell are well correlated to one another
all living things are composed of what types of cells? (2)
prokaryotic cells
(bacteria and archaea)
eukaryotic cells
(protists, fungi, plants and animals)
what is the genome?
the entire DNA content of the organism
what are genes?
DNA arranged as chromosomes is organized into functional units called genes
how many species are known and named?
1.8 million
what is taxonomy?
the branch of biology that names and classifies species into groups based on similarity
what is used to group different species?
DNA
what used to be used to group different species?
structural and functional characteristics
all life can be organized into three domains, what are these domains?
domain bacteria (prokaryotes)
domain archaea (prokaryotes
domain eukarya
what does LUCA stand for?
lowest universal common ancestor (small blue point)
what are the three kingdoms within the domain eukarya?
kingdom plantae
kingdom fungi
kingdom animalia
what does kingdom fungi consist of?
molds, yeasts and mushrooms
how are the kingdoms within the domain of eukarya grouped?
according to nutritional diversity
what are protists?
single celled protozoans and algae
(formerly a fourth kingdom of eukarya, but don’t exist anymore)
what were the two main points noted by Charles Darwin?
present day species arose from ancestors
the mechanism that produces new species is natural selection
what is natural selection?
bird eats white bugs, the bugs evolve to become darker so that they don’t get eaten, they adapt and change in order to survive
what is the definition of science?
defined as knowledge that is obtained through study
what is science dependent on?
direct observation (whether that be accidental observation or as a result of experimentation)
biology makes use of two primary scientific approaches, what are these approaches?
discovery science
hypothesis-based science
what is discovery science?
the result of verifiable observations and measurements
conclusions made from discovery science result in what type of reasoning?
inductive reasoning
what does inductive reasoning refer to?
conclusions which are drawn because of a large number of observations
what is an example of inductive reasoning?
A conclusion that all living things are made of cells was drawn because observation of all biological specimens over thousands of years all contained cells
what is hypothesis based science?
observations from discovery science cause us to ask questions about causes and explanations leading to the development of a hypothesis
what is a hypothesis?
a suggested explanation for a given set of observations
(hypothesis are then tested by further observations and by specially designed experiments)
what type of reasoning does hypothesis- based science make use of?
deductive reasoning
what is deductive reasoning?
moves from a general statement down to a specific conclusion
what is an example of deductive reasoning?
Premise #1: all living things are composed of cells
Premise #2: human beings are living
Deductive reasoning leads to the conclusion human beings must then be composed of cells
what is a theory?
very broad and explains many different observations
what are theories supported by?
large and growing body of evidence
what is more specific, theories or hypotheses?
hypothesis
theories give way to new ______
hypothesis
You observe that your flashlight is
not working. You then ask yourself why the flashlight is not working and come up with two explanations or hypotheses
Hypothesis #1: the batteries may be dead
Hypothesis #2: the bulb may be burnt out
after making the two hypothesis what is then used?
deductive reasoning to come up with predictions based on previous observations (if- then logic)
what is a prediction to make about hypothesis 1 (dead batteries)?
if you replace the batteries, then the flashlight will work
what is a prediction to make about hypothesis 2 (burnt out bulb)?
replacing the bulb will allow the flashlight to work
to be a true hypothesis, the hypothesis must be what? (2)
testable
falsifiable
