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AP Biology Chapter 1
Definitions for Chapter One
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Evolution | the process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today. |
scientific inquiry | how scientist raise and attempt to answer questions about the natural world |
mergent properties | properties that are not present at the preceding level and are due to the arrangment and interactions of parts as complexity increases |
reductionism | the reduction of complext systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study |
systems biology | enable biologists to predict how a change in one or more variables will affect other components and the whole system |
cells | the lowest level of organization that can perform all activities required for life. |
eukaryotic cells | all forms of plant and animal life - DNA in enclosed in the nucleus |
prokaryotic cells | found in bacteria and archaea - DNA is not enclosed in the nucleus and lacks other organelles |
DNA | chromosomes that have almost all of the cell's genetic material - controls the development and maintenance of the entire organism |
genes | the units of inheritance that transmit information from parents to offsprings- make up DNA |
nucleotides | the chain links of DNA that contains four kinds of chemical building blocks - differences in organisms is reflective between differences in their nucleotide sequences. |
enzymes | a class of protein crucial to all cells which catalyze (speed up) specific chemical reactions |
proteins | controlled by DNA and serve as the tool that actually build and maintain the cell and carry out its activities |
RNA | molecule used by DNA to translate into protein production based on the sequence of nucleotides- some regulate the functioning of protein-coding genes |
genome | the entire library of genetic instructions that an organism inherits |
bioinformatics | the use of computational tools to store, organize and analze the huge volume of data that result from high-throughput methods. |
feedback regulation | the output or product of a process which regulates that very process |
negative feedback | accumulation of an end product of a process slows that process - example ATP production |
ATP | chemical energy resulting from a cell's breakdown of sugar |
positive feedback | an end product speeds up its production - example platlet clotting |
taxonomy | the branch of biology that names and classifies species |
domain bacteria | prokaryotic cells |
domain archaei | prokaryotic cells |
domain eukarya | eukaryotic cells - include the kingdoms of Plantae, Fungi and Animalia |
natural selection | the natural environment selects for the propagation of certain traits |
inquiry | a search for information and explanation often focusing on specific questions |
discovery science | describing nature using data based on inductive reasoning |
inductive reasoning | derive generalizations from a large number of specific observations |
hypothesis based science | explaining nature uses discovery based science to determine causes |
deductive reasoning | the logic flows from the general to the specific |
controlled experiment | an experiment designed to compare an experimental group with a control group- usually the effects of unwanted variables are cancelled |
theory | much broader in scope than a hypothesis; is general enough to spin off many new specific hypotheses; supported by a much greater body of evidence |