Lesson 1.1: What is Biology Flashcards
organisms
an individual living entity that grows and reproduces as an independent unit
nucleic acids
a polymer made up of nucleotides, specialized for the storage, transmission, and expression of genetic information
ex: DNA and RNA
cell
the simplest structural unit of a living organism
- in multicellular organisms, many individual cells serve as the building blocks of tissue and organs
prokaryotes
unicellular organisms that do NOT have nuclei
(contrast with eukaryotes)
photosynthesis
metabolic processes carried out by green plants and cyanobacteria, by which visible light is trapped and the energy used to convert CO2 into organic compounds
aerobic metabolism
in the presence of O2; requiring or using oxygen
- a set of chemical reactions that releases energy from life’s molecules by using O2
anaerobic metabolism
occurring without the use of molecular O2
- a set of reactions that extract energy without using O2
organelles
any of the membrane-enclosed structures within a eukaryotic cell
ex: nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria
nucleus
centrally located compartment of eukaryotic cells that is enclosed by a double membrane and contains the chromosomes (cell’s genetic information)
eukaryotes
organisms made up of one or more complex cells in which the genetic material is contained in nuclei
endosymbiosis
the engulfing of one cell by another
- “living inside another”
mitochondria
organelle in eukaryotic cells that contains the enzymes of the citric acid cycle, respiratory chain, and oxidative phosphorylation
- release energy for use
chloroplasts
organelle bound by a double membrane containing the enzymes and pigments that perform photosynthesis
- occur only in eukaryotes
cellular specialization
in multicellular organisms, the division of labor such that different cell types become responsible for different functions
genome
complete DNA (sometimes RNA) sequence for a particular organism or individual
- sum total of an organism’s genetic material
mutations
a change in the genetic material that is not caused by recombination
binomial
a taxonomic naming system in which each species is given two names (genus species)
- italicized
phylogenetic trees
a graphic representation of the lines of descent among organisms or their genes
tree of life
term that encompasses the evolutionary history of all life, or a graphic representation of that history