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BIOLOGY - CH. 1
Chapter 1 - Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life
| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| EVOLUTION | descent with modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones; also defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation |
| BIOLOGY | the scientific study of life |
| EMERGENT PROPERTIES | new properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases |
| BIOSPHERE | the entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems |
| ECOSYSTEM | all the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them |
| COMMUNITY | all the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction |
| POPULATION | a localized group of individuals of the same species that can interbreed, producing fertile offspring |
| ORGANISM | an individual living thing (that can react to stimuli, reproduce, grow, and maintain homeostasis) |
| ORGAN | a specialized center of body function composed of several different types of tissues |
| ORGAN SYSTEM | a group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions |
| TISSUE | an integrated group of cells with a common function, structure, or both |
| CELL | the fundamental structural, functional and biological unit of all organisms |
| ORGANELLE | any of several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells |
| MOLECULE | a chemical structure consisting of two or more atoms (the smallest units of matter that retain the properties of an element) |
| SYSTEMS BIOLOGY | an approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems |
| EUKARYOTIC CELL | a type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles (eukaryotes: organisms with eukaryotic cells (protists, plants, fungi, and animals)) |
| PROKARYOTIC CELL | a type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles (prokaryotes: organisms with prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea)) |
| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | a double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and nitrogenous bases; a cell’s genetic material |
| GENE | a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA |
| GENOME | the entire “library” of genetic instructions that an organism inherits |
| BIOINFORMATICS | the use of computers, software, and mathematical models to process and integrate biological information from large data sets |
| NEGATIVE FEEDBACK | the primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a physiological variable triggers a response that counteracts the initial change (accumulation of an end product of a process slows that process) |
| POSITIVE FEEDBACK | a physiological control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers mechanisms that amplify the change (an end product SPEEDS UP its production) |
| DOMAIN BACTERIA | one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being ARCHAEA |
| DOMAIN ARCHAEA | one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being BACTERIA |
| DOMAIN EUKARYA | the domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms |
| INQUIRY | a search for information and explanation, often focused by specific questions |
| DISCOVERY SCIENCE (descriptive science) | ...DESCRIBING nature; process of scientific inquiry that focuses on describing nature as accurately as possible through careful observation/analysis of data |
| DATA | recorded observation(s) |
| INDUCTIVE REASONING (induction) | a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations |
| HYPOTHESIS-BASED SCIENCE | ...EXPLAINING nature; observations/inductions of discovery science → natural causes/explanations for observations |
| HYPOTHESIS | a tentative answer to a well-framed question, narrower in scope than a theory and subject to testing -- explanation on trial |
| DEDUCTIVE REASONING (deduction) | a type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise [logic: general → specific]; built into hypothesis-based science |
| CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT | an experiment in which an experimental group is compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested |
| (SCIENTIFIC) THEORY | an explanation that is broad in scope, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence |
| (SCIENTIFIC) MODEL | a representation of a theory or process; can take many forms (i.e. diagrams, graphs, 3-D objects, computer programs, mathematical equations) |
| TECHNOLOGY | the application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose, often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research |
Created by:
Alice_Hsieh
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