Section 1.1: Introduction to Biology Flashcards
biology
the study of life
organism
anything that has or has had the ability to grow and develop, reproduce, respond to stimuli, require energy, maintain homeostasis, adapt to evolve over time, display organization, and is or was made up of one or more cells
what are the characteristics of life
made of one or more cells, displays organization, grows and develops, reproduces, responds to stimuli, requires energy, maintains homeostasis, and adaptions evolve over time
organization
the way living things are orderly arranged
growth
results in the addition of mass to an organism and in many organisms, the formation of new cells and structures
development
the process of natural changes that take place during the life of an organism
reproduction
the production of offspring
species
a group of organisms that can breed with one another and produce fertile offspring
stimulus
a reaction of an organism caused by anything part of its environment
response
the reaction to a stimulus
homeostasis
the regulation of an organism’s internal conditions to maintain life
adaption
any inherited characteristic that results from changes to a species over time
what are cells
the basic unit of structure and function in all living things
why is reproduction a characteristic of life if it is not essential for individual offspring
although it is not necessary for an individual offspring to be able to survive, it is essential for a species to survive
what is an organism’s external environment
the things that surround an organism
