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Chapter 1 (1.1,1.2)
Vocab Review
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Biosphere | All organisms and the part of 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 principals that can be verified or tested. |
organism | any individual living thing |
cell | basic unit of life |
metabolism | All chemical processes that synthesize or break down materials within an organism |
DNA | A hereditary material in humans and almosty all other 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 an area. |
homeostasis | A regulation and maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism. |
evolution | A change in a species over time; process of biological change by which decedents come to differ from their ancestors |
adaptation | 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 an experiment |
hypothesis | A proposed explanation or answer to a scientific question |
experiment | A process that tests a hypothesis by collecting information under controlled conditions |
independent variable | condition or factor that is manipulated by a scientist during an experiment |
dependent variable | experimental data collected through observation and measurement |
constant | condition that is controlled so that it does not change during an experiment |
theory | Proposes explanation for a wide variety of observations |