Study Questions 1 Flashcards
What characteristics do all living organisms (on Earth) have in common?
Cell Organization, Metabolism, Reproduction, Heredity, Evolution
In the year 2020, you are assigned to lead an expedition to look for life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. What will you look for, and how will you decide if its alive?
Sensitivity: can react to environment
Regulation
Homeostasis: maintain internal environment
Common Origin
What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?
Hypothesis: educated answer proposed in a scientific investigation; tested by experiment; must be falsified
Theory: hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested over time and supported by experimental data. As close to the truth as we can get (LAW=THEORY) Law of gravity; theory of evolution by natural selection
Explain the 5 steps to designing an experiment.
Hypothesis Make Predictions Experiment Results & Interpretation Controls
Who was the first to propose that evolution occurs?
How did said person propose that evolution occurs?
Lamarck- 1809
Theory of evolution by acquired characteristics. Organisms evolve as they strive for perfection. acquired changes are passed to offspring
Darwin- 1859
Theory of evolution by natural selection
“survival of the fittest”
What contribution did Lyell make to Darwin’s theory of evolution?
Lyell’s Contribution:
Earth changes slowly
Earth is older than what we thought it was
slow pace of geological processes shows that earth is old
4000 VS. 4 Billion
What contribution did Malthus make to Darwin’s theory of evolution?
“Competition” populations grow in size exponentially; food supply is limited; nature controls population size through death
Fittest survive, best adapted to their environment
What evidence lead Darwin to propose his theory?
Evidence: Lyell-Geology, fossils. Malthus- principles of populations, extinct species related to living organisms, characteristics of species vary
What are the two parts of his theory?
a) variability in a population, some more fit than others
b) genes transferred to next generation (heredity)
- as long as environment doesn’t change-
What are the 5 key assumptions of his theory?
- organisms produce more offspring than will survive & reproduce
- variation among individuals
- surviving organisms are superior in certain characteristics
- characteristics are heritable
- lots of time has been available for change
Why is heredity a key element in Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection?
Heredity is the key element because it provides the mechanism of evolution.
Why is evolution the main unifying theme of biology?
Evolution answers WHY? It explains how life came about
Why is Darwin’s theory of evolution such a key turning point in the history of biology?
Biology became investigatory, not “stamp collecting” (pure observation). Evolution became the unifying theme of biology and it explained WHY
Why do biologists need to know a lot of chemistry?
Life is made of chemicals. Life converts nutrients into biochemicals by chemical reaction. Life is chemistry with a purpose! To understand life, most understand chemistry.
What is an atom and what are atoms made of?
An atom is the smallest particle with unique chemical properties. Protons, neutrons, and electrons.
