Unit 0 - Experimental Design, Statistics, & Graphing

Biology

The scientific study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and interactions.

Energy processing

Organisms use energy to power activities (e.g., plants use photosynthesis, animals eat food for energy).

Growth, development, & reproduction

Organisms grow and develop based on DNA instructions; they reproduce to pass on genetic information.

Response to the environment

Organisms detect and respond to stimuli (light, temperature, predators, etc.).

Regulation (homeostasis)

Organisms maintain stable internal conditions (temperature, pH, water balance, etc.) despite external changes.

Order

Living things have highly ordered structures, from molecules to organ systems.

Evolution/adaptation

Populations evolve over time as individuals with advantageous traits survive and reproduce.

Genes

Units of hereditary information made of DNA.

Molecules

Chemical structures of 2+ atoms (e.g., DNA, proteins).

Organelles

Functional structures within cells (e.g., mitochondria).

Cells

Smallest unit of life (prokaryotic or eukaryotic).

Tissues

Groups of similar cells performing a function.

Organs

Structures made of tissues working together.

Organism

Individual living being.

Population

Group of organisms of the same species in one area.

Community

All organisms of different species in one area.

Ecosystem

All living organisms plus nonliving environment.

Biosphere

All ecosystems on Earth (broadest).

Emergent properties

New properties arise at each higher level of organization due to interactions between parts.

Systems biology

Studying interactions among system parts rather than isolated pieces.

Form follows function

Structure and function of biological features are closely related.

Prokaryotic

Small, no nucleus, simple (bacteria & archaea).

Eukaryotic

Have nucleus and organelles, more complex.

DNA

Molecule of inheritance containing genes.

Gene

Unit of DNA coding for a protein or RNA.

Gene expression

Process where DNA is transcribed into RNA and translated into proteins.

Genome

Complete set of an organism's DNA.

Genomics

Study of whole sets of genes and their interactions.

Proteome

Entire set of proteins produced by an organism.

Proteomics

Study of the full protein set.

Bioinformatics

Use of computational tools to analyze large biological data sets; made possible by powerful computers and large-scale genome sequencing.

Energy

Required for all cellular work.

Matter

Cycles within ecosystems (nutrients reused, decomposed, absorbed).

Feedback regulation

Output of a process regulates the process itself.

Negative feedback

Output reduces the process (e.g., insulin lowers blood sugar).

Positive feedback

Output enhances the process (e.g., oxytocin during childbirth).

Climate change

Long-term changes in Earth's climate due to human activity.

Evolution

Descent with modification; change in populations' allele frequencies over time.

Taxonomy

Classification system: Domain → Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species.

Natural selection

Individuals with advantageous traits survive/reproduce more; selective agent = environment.

Artificial selection

Humans select desirable traits in organisms (e.g., crops, dog breeding).

Model organism

Easy-to-study species used in research (e.g., fruit flies, mice, yeast).

Claim

One-sentence answer stating relationship between independent & dependent variable.

Evidence

Data (quantitative/qualitative) supporting claim; must be sufficient & appropriate.

Reasoning

Explains why evidence supports claim using scientific principles.