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Chapter 1 Vocab
vocab words 1.1-1.3
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biosphere | all organisms and the part of the earth where they exist |
| Biodiversity | variety of life within an area |
| Species | a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| Biology | scientific study of all forms of life |
| Science | the knowledge obtained by observing natural events and conditions in order to discover facts and formulate laws or principles that can be verified or tested |
| Organism | an individual living thing |
| Cell | basic unit life |
| Metabolism | all chemical processes that synthesize or break down materials within the organism |
| DNA | molecule that stores genetics information in all organisms |
| System | changing, organized group of related parts that interact to form a whole |
| Ecosystem | collection of organisms and nonliving things, such as climate soil water and rocks in a area |
| Homeostasis | regulation and maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism |
| Evolution | change in a species over time process of biological change by which descendents come to differ from their ancestors |
| Adaption | inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better survive in their environment |
| Observation | using the senses to study the world , using tools to collect measurements , examining previous research results |
| Data | observations and measurements recorded during experiments |
| Hypothesis | proposed explanation or answer to a scientific question |
| Experiment | process that tests hypothesis by collecting information under controlled conditions |
| Independent variable | conditions or factor that is manipulated by a scientist experiment |
| Dependent variable | experimental variable data collected through observation and measurement |
| Constant | condition that is controlled so that it does not change during an experiment |
| Theory | proposed explanation for wide variety of observations and experimental results |