AP Bio Chapter 1

Biosphere

The entirety of all ecosystems on Earth, including living organisms and their interactions with their surrounding environment

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms as well as the inanimate components of their environment that interact as a system

Community

The types of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem, that also interact as a system

Population

All of the individuals of one species in a specific community

Organism

An individual living thing/animate object

Organ

A structure

Tissue

A specialized group of cells inside of an organism that makes up an organ

Cells

The smallest unit of life, the basic unit that makes up all complex life, and all single-celled organisms

Organelles

The organ-like structures inside of cells that perform functions inside to support the cell’s life

Molecule

A string or ball of atoms that makes up a compound, utilized by cells and organisms to carry out life functions

Emergent Properties

Properties that cannot be seen in individual components of a system, but only when combining said components

Systems Biology

A network of interactions that underlie a system. Any organism can be considered a system

Eukaryotic Cell

A cell that contains membrane bound organelles

Prokaryotic Cell

A cell that does not contain membrane bound organelles

DNA

The genetic code for life. Made up of tons of genes that code for proteins that support life functions

Genes

The specific parts of DNA that actually code for proteins. Hundreds of thousands pairs of genes code for these protiens

Gene Expression

The process by which the information in genes is actually made into a cellular product

Genome

The entirety of all genes in a given organism’s DNA

Genomics

The investigation/science of different organisms’ genomes

Proteomics

The study of the sets of proteins coded for by DNA

Proteome

The name for the entire set of proteins coded for by DNA

Bioinformatics

The use of technological advances and computational tools to store, analyze, and organize the large amount of data created by genomics

Climate Change

The changes in our climate due to intrusive and destructive practices created by humans, usually negative

Evolution

The process through which life adapts and transforms over time

Domain Bacteria/Archaea

Both domains include prokaryotic organisms

Domain Eukarya

Includes eukaryotic organisms

Natural Selection

The process in which organisms are ‘picked off’ in an ecosystem; those who are best suited for the environment will survive, while those who are unsuited will die off

Scientific Inquiry

The ways that scientists study the world and propose explanations derived from their observations

Data

The information gathered from an experiment or to support or refute a hypothesis

Inductive Reasoning

The method of drawing a conclusion from a body of observations

Hypothesis

A statement that can be supported or refuted through scientific experiments and observations

Deductive Reasoning

Makes predictions that can be used to test hypothesises

Controlled Experiments

Experiments created in a stable environment with a control and experiment group that look to support or refute a hypothesis

Variable (Independent and Dependent)

One part or thing in an experiment that has an effect on another part of the experiment (Independent Variable), or is effected by another part of the experiment (Dependent Variable)

Theory

 A hypothetical, testable statement that looks to prove or provide a reason for something

Technology

A method/device that helps to aid in the process of apply specific scientific knowledge

Results

The data collected from an experiment that is used to draw a conclusion

Conclusion

The final result of your experiment supported by data gathered