General Biology 103 - Domains, Properties of Life, and Scientific Process

Vocabulary flashcards covering the domains of life, eukaryotic kingdoms, fundamental properties of life, biological organization, macromolecules, and scientific reasoning.

Domain Archaea

A domain of prokaryotic single-celled organisms that do not have a nucleus and includes methanogens used to produce methane gas ($CH_4$).

Domain Bacteria

A domain composed of prokaryotic organisms that lack a nucleus.

Domain Eukarya

A domain consisting of eukaryotic organisms whose cells contain a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Kingdom Protista

A eukaryotic kingdom containing protists, which are typically found in freshwater environments where they eat algae.

Five Fundamental Properties of Life

The essential features that define living organisms: cellular organization, energy utilization, homeostasis, growth, development, and reproduction, and heredity.

Cell

The basic unit of life that possesses all the capabilities required to perform fundamental biological processes.

Homeostasis

The ability of a living organism to maintain a stable internal environment, such as human body temperature maintained at $98.6^\text{o}\text{F}$ ($37^\text{o}\text{C}$).

Binary Fission

A reproductive method in prokaryotes where a cell grows in size and splits into two.

Heredity

The transmission of genetic information (DNA and RNA) containing biological instructions that must be accurately replicated.

Four Major Macromolecules

Large biological molecules necessary for life, comprising carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (specifically fats), and nucleic acids.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid; one of two types of nucleic acids containing genetic instructions.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid; one of two major types of nucleic acids found in living organisms.

Cellular Level

The baseline level of biological organization encompassing atoms, molecules, macromolecules, organelles, and cells.

Organism Level

The level of biological organization composed of cells forming tissues, tissues forming organs, organs forming organ systems, and organ systems making up an organism.

Biosphere

The highest level of biological hierarchy that includes all ecosystems on Earth.

Deductive Reasoning

A type of logical reasoning that applies general principles or established facts to predict specific results.

Inductive Reasoning

A type of logical reasoning that uses specific observations and recognized patterns to construct a general principle.

Hypothesis

An educated guess that must be experimentally testable, which can be strongly supported by experimental data but is never proven true.