Module 1: Study Guide Flashcards
Master info provided on this module's study guide.
Metabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which convert energy and matter from outside sources and use that energy and matter to sustain the organism’s life functions.
Anabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which use energy and simple chemical building blocks to produce large chemicals and structures necessary for life
Catabolism
The sum total of all processes in an organism which break down chemicals to produce energy and simple chemical building blocks
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use the energy of sunlight and simple chemicals to produce their own food
Herbivores
Organisms that eat only plants
Carnivores
Organisms that eat only other organisms other than plants (“meat-eaters”)
Omnivores
Organisms that eat both plants and other organisms
Producers
Organisms that produce their own food
Consumers
Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food
Decomposers
Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms
Autotrophs
Organisms that are able to make their own food
Heterotrophs
Organisms that depend on other organisms for their food
Receptors
Special structures that allow living organisms to sense the conditions of their internal or external environment
External
outer; on the outside
Internal
inner; on the inside
Asexual reproduction
Reproduction accomplished by a single organism
Sexual reproduction
Reproduction that requires two organisms
Inheritance
The process by which physical and biological characteristics are transmitted from the parent (or parents) to the offspring
Mutation
An abrupt and marked change in the DNA of an organism compared to that of its parents
Hypothesis
An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question
Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
Scientific Law
a theory that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data
Microorganisms
Living creatures that are too small to see with the naked eye
Abiogenesis
The idea that long ago, very simple life forms spontaneously appeared through chemical reactions
Prokaryotic cell
a cell that has no distinct, membrane-bounded organelles
Eukaryotic cell
a cell with distinct, membrane-bounded organelles
Species
a unit of one or more populations of individuals that can reproduce under normal conditions, produce fertile offspring, and are reproductively isolated from other such units
Taxonomy
The science of classifying organisms
Binomial nomenclature
naming an organism with its genus and species name
The four criteria for life: #1
All life forms contain deoxyribonucleic acid, which is called DNA
The four criteria for life: #2
All life forms have a method by which they extract energy from their surroundings and convert it into energy that sustains them
The four criteria for life: #3
All life forms can sense changes in their surroundings and respond to those changes
The four criteria for life: #4
All life forms reproduce
An organism is classified as a carnivore. Is it a heterotroph or an autotroph?
Carnivores eat non-plants. This means they depend on other organisms for food, so they are heterotrophs.
An organism is classified as a carnivore. Is it a producer, consumer, or decomposer?
Carnivores eat non-plants. This means they depend on other organisms for food, so they are consumers.
An organism has receptors on tentacles that come out of its head. If those tentacles were cut off in an accident, what life function would be most hampered?
If the tentacles are cut off, then the organism has no receptors, which sense the conditions of the environment. Thus, SENSING CHANGES IN THE SURROUNDINGS AND RESPONDING TO THOSE CHANGES WILL BE HARD FOR THIS WOUNDED CREATURE.
What is wrong with the following statement:
“Science has proven that energy must always be conserved.”
SCIENCE CANNOT PROVE ANYTHING. Since it is based on experiments that may be flawed, its conclusions are always tentative.
Briefly explain the Scientific Method
- Make observations
- Develop a hypothesis to explain those observations of to answer a question
- design experiments to test the hypothesis
- after the hypothesis has been tested by a significant amount of data and is consistent with all of it, then it becomes theory
- after more testing with generations of data, the theory could become a scientific law
Why does the story of spontaneous generation illustrate the limitations of science?
The story of spontaneous generation shows how almost 2,000 years of executing the scientific method resulted in a law that was clearly wrong. Thus, you can’t put too much faith in scientific laws. They are fallible.
Where does a wise person place his or her faith? science, or the Bible?
The wise person trusts the Bible, because it is infallible.
Why is the theory of abiogenesis just another example of spontaneous generation?
Abiogenesis is a theory that states that life sprang from non-living chemicals eons ago. This is an example of spontaneous generation, a former law that said life could arise from non-life. We now know that this law is wrong.
Name the classification groups in our hierarchical classification scheme in order
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
An organism is a multicellular consumer made of eukaryotic cells. To which kingdom does it belong?
ANAMALIA.
Since it is multicellular, it is not Monera or Protista. In addition, it is not Plantae because it is not an autotroph (consumers are heterotrophs), and it is not Fungi because it is not a decomposer.
An organism is a multicellular consumer made of eukaryotic cells. If we were using the three-domain system of classification, in which domain would the organism belong?
Since it has eukaryotic cells, it would be in the EUKARYA doman.
An organism is a single-celled consumer made of prokaryotic cells. To what kingdom does it belong?
It belongs in kingdom MONERA, because all organisms made of prokaryotic cells belong to this kingdom.
An organism is a single-celled consumer made of prokaryotic cells. If we were using the three-domain system of classification, could you determine the domain of the organism?
All members of kingdom Monera are either in the Archaea domain or the Bacteria domain. YOU CANNOT TELL WHICH DOMAIN WITHOUT KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE ORGANISM. HOWEVER, IT IS EITHER IN ARCHAEA OR BACTERIA, DEPENDING ON ITS CHARACTERISTICS.
