Life Sciences 11 Unit 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering Introduction to Biology, the Scientific Method, Cell types, Levels of Organization, and the Theory of Evolution.

Biology

A branch of science that deals with living things and their relationships.

Bio- and -ology

The prefix bio- means life, and the suffix -ology means study of.

Unity

The concept that all living things have certain things in common, such as cells, molecules, and DNA.

Diversity

The wide variety of living things found in the environment.

Interactions

The way living things are interdependent and interact with members of the same species and their environment.

Homeostasis

A physiological control that allows an organism to maintain internal stability in its environment, such as the human body maintained at $37\,\text{degrees Celsius}$.

Autotrophs

Organisms, such as plants, that produce their own food by using light energy to combine raw materials to make sugar.

Internal Movement

The ability of all living organisms to move substances from one part of their body to another.

Locomotion

The external movement of animals from one place to another by walking, flying, or swimming.

Respiration

The exchange of gases with the environment, where animals take in $O_2$ and breathe out $CO_2$.

Excretion

The removal of toxic waste from the body, such as urine or waste excreted through the lungs, skin, and large intestine.

Stimuli

Changes in the environment, such as temperature or light, that an organism reacts to.

Reproduction

The process by which organisms produce offspring, which is necessary for the survival of the species rather than the individual.

Hypothesis

An educated guess or prediction usually stated as an "If… then…" statement.

Control Group

A group within an experiment used for comparison that does not receive the experimental variable.

Constant Factors

Factors in an experiment that are kept the same for all groups, such as the amount of light, water, or fertilizer.

Independent Variable

Also known as the experimental variable or x-variable, it is the factor being changed or tested by the experimenter.

Dependent Variable

Also known as the responding variable or y-variable, it is the factor being measured as it responds to the experimental variable.

Scientific Theory

A broad explanation for biological processes that is well-supported by evidence but can be modified as new information is gathered.

Cell

The basic building block of life that is able to perform functions such as breakdown of nutrients and making proteins.

Prokaryotic Cells

Small, simple cells without a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles, such as bacteria and archaea.

Eukaryotic Cells

Complex, large cells that contain a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria and vacuoles.

Tissue

A group of similar cells working together to perform a specific function.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms along with the non-living (abiotic) components of their environment.

Biome

A type of ecosystem with a similar climate, such as a rainforest.

Biosphere

The total of all the biomes on earth, referring to where all life exists.

Evolution

A change in the heritable traits of a population over many generations.

Natural Selection

The process where organisms with favorable traits for their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Charles Lyell

A geologist who influenced Darwin by suggesting that the earth was hundreds of millions of years old.

Thomas Malthus

An economist who surmised that human overpopulation would result in insufficient food and a struggle for survival.

Lamarckism

The now-disproven theory that an organism can change its structure based on its needs and pass those acquired traits to its offspring.