| Question | Answer |
| What is Gradualism? | Belief that changes occur slowly in the form of gradual steps; evolution proceeds at a steady pace |
| What is Biome? | A major regional ecological community of plants and animals characterized by a specific climate |
| What is Habitat? | The type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives |
| What is Producer? | Makes food; autotroph; plants |
| What is Organization? | How things are placed within and outside an organism; interactions with the world |
| What is Ecosystem? | A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment |
| What is Directional Selection? | When natural selection favors a single phenotype and therefore allele frequency continuously shifts in one direction |
| What is Observation? | Something you find using your five senses |
| What is Punctuated Equilibrium? | Theory which proposes that most sexually reproducing species will experience little evolutionary change for most of their geological history |
| What is Recombinant DNA? | Formed by joining DNA molecules from different sources |
| What is Independent Variable? | The condition that is changed be the experimenter (tested variable) |
| What is Parasitism? | Part of symbiosis; one benefits and other is harmed |
| What is Energy? | A source of usable power |
| What is Stimulus? | Physical or chemical change in the internal or external environment |
| What is Decomposer? | Organisms that break down the dead or decaying organisms |
| What is Heterotroph? | Other-feeder; gets energy from eating other organisms |
| What is Vestigial Structure? | Structure reduced in size function and may have been complete in an organisms ancestor; are not used/important |
| What is Biotic? | Living organisms |
| What is Embryology? | Branch of biology studies formation and early development of living organisms; how organisms develop |
| What is Restriction Enzyme? | Chemical scissors used to cut DNA |
| What is Psychological Adaptation? | Favorable changes experienced by an individual, either as regards himself or his relationship with his environment;a rearrangement in mental attitude |
| What is Hypothesis? | A prediction which needs to be tested to tell if it is correct |
| What is Abiotic? | Non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment |
| What is Hardy Weinberg Equation? | Mathematical analysis used to determine if population is evolving |
| What is Phenotype Frequency? | A ratio stating the number of times a specific phenotype occurs in a population in a single generation |
| What is Prokaryotic? | Single-celled organisms with no nucleus and membrane bound organelles (bacteria) |
| What is Immigration? | Moving to a county that is not native to you |
| What is Chrysalis? | Pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon |
| What is Community? | A group of interacting organisms sharing an environment |
| What is Predation? | One species eats all or parts of another species |
| What is Genome? | The full DNA sequence of an organism |
| What is Biosphere? | Highest level of ecological organization |
| What is Organism | A living thing that has the ability to act or function independently |
| What is Plasmid? | Type of cloning vector |
| What is Speciation? | The evolution of a biological species |
| What is Trophic Level? | The position an organism occupies on the food chain |
| What is Exponential Growth/Model? | Unrestricted; “J-shaped” curve; implies unlimited resources; invasive species and bacteria |
| What is Gel Electrophoresis? | A technique used for the separation of DNA, RNA, or protein molecules using an electric field applied to a gel matrix |
| What is Herbivore? | Any animal that eats only plants; deer |
| What is Development? | Process when a mature adult is formed |
| What is Fitness? | A measure of the ability to produce offspring |
| What is Evolution? | A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form |
| What is Fossil? | Remains of an organism that died long ago |
| What is Logistic Growth/Model? | Restricted; “S-shaped” curve; limited resources; has a carrying capacity |
| What is Reproduction? | When organisms create more of themselves |
| What is Experimental Group? | Part of experiment that has tested variable (IV) applied |
| What is Carrying Capacity? | Number of individuals the environment can support over a long period of time |
| What is Homeostasis? | Sweating to help cool down body |
| What is Autotroph? | Organism that makes its own energy; self-feeder |
| What is Food Chain? | One representation of a predator-prey relationship between species within an ecosystem or habitat |
| What is Nucleic Acid? | Contains DNA and RNA |
| What is Control Group? | Changes that occur during an experiment are compared to this group |
| What is Molting? | To shed periodically part or all of an outer covering |
| What is Unicellular? | One-celled organism |
| What is Quantitative? | Of a measurement based on some quantity or number rather than on some quality |
| What is Detrivore? | Heterotrophs that gets nutrients by eating decomposing organic matter; contribute to decomposition and nutrient cycles |
| What is Inference? | The process of drawing a conclusion by applying clues to observations or hypotheses |
| What is Food Web? | A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains |
| What is VNTR? | Variable Number Tandem Repeats |
| What is Qualitative? | Of descriptions or distinctions based on some quality rather than on some quantity |
| What is Multicellular? | Many-celled organism |
| What is Genetic Drift? | An overall shift of allele distribution in an isolated population, due to random fluctuations in the frequencies of individual alleles of the genes |
| What is Antennae? | One of the paired, flexible, segmented sensory appendages on the head of an insect; senses touch |
| What is Mutualism? | Part of symbiosis; both benefit |
| What is Allele Frequency? | The number of copies of a allele divided by the number of copies of all alleles in a population |
| What is Cellular Respiration? | Processes that take place in the cells and tissues during which energy is released and carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed by the blood to be transported to the lungs |
| What is Commensalism? | Part of symbiosis; one benefits while other is unaffected |
| What is Adaptation? | Traits changed to best fit their surroundings |
| What is Abdomen? | The region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis |
| What is Biogeography? | Study of locations of organisms around the world |
| What is Symbiosis? | "Life together"; live together |
| What is Biology? | Science that studies living organisms |
| What is Setae? | Structures used for movement in a painted lady larva |
| What is Gene Flow? | The transfer of alleles of genes from one population to another |
| What is Eukaryotic? | Organism made up of cells that have a membrane enclosed nucleus, many chromosomes (plants & fungi) |
| What is Superposition/Relative Age? | Location in sedimentary rock layer determines age |
| What is Morphological Adaptation? | A structural feature that aids in fitting a species to its particular environment |
| What is Dependent Variable? | This type of variable is measured while the other type is manipulated |
| What is Emigration? | Entering another country |
| What is Cells? | A trait that all life forms must possess |
| What is Photosynthesis? | Organism that uses sunlight to make carbs/energy (oxygen) |
| What is Biodiversity? | The diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat |
| What is homologous Structure? | Closely related structure that is derived from an ancestral structure |
| What is Species? | Taxonomic group whose members can interbreed |
| What is Energy Pyramid? | A graphical representation designed to show the productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem |
| What is Blunt End? | Identification |
| What is Proboscis? | An elongated feeding tube attached to the head of an animal |
| What is Disruptive Selection? | Individuals at both extremes of a range of phenotypes are favored over those in the middle |
| What is Analogous Structure? | Example structures would be a bird wing and an insect wing |
| What is Double Helix? | The shape that two linear strands of DNA assume when bonded together |
| What is Niche? | The job of an organism in its environment |
| What is Domain? | Highest taxonomic rank of organisms, higher than a kingdom |
| What is Phylogeny? | Relationships by ancestry among organisms |
| What is Sticky End? | Insertion of DNA= recombinant |
| What is Consumer? | Ingest food; heterotroph; omnivore |
| What is Scavenger? | An animal, such as a bird or insect, that feeds on dead or decaying matter |
| What is Spinnerets? | Any larvae, such as silkworms, secrete the silk threads from which they form cocoons |
| What is Carnivore? | Organism that eats only meat |
| What is Population? | A group of organisms of the same species inhabiting a given area |
| What is DNA Technology? | A series of procedures used to join together (recombine) DNA segments |
