Biology 1003 Unit 1: Course Overview and Properties of Living Things

Vocabulary practice cards covering foundational concepts in biology, taxonomy, cellular classification, metabolism, endosymbiotic theory, and homeostatic regulation.

Biology

The study of living things.

Anatomy

The branch of biology concerned with the study of physical structures in organisms.

Physiology

The branch of biology that studies the functions of organisms and their parts.

Histology

The study of the microanatomy of tissues.

Pathology

The study of disease.

Pharmacology

The study of drugs and their interactions with the body.

Taxonomy

The practice of classifying organisms based on physical traits, behavior, evolutionary history, and genetic data.

Human Taxonomy

The hierarchical classification system for humans, ordering them into Domain Eukarya, Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia, Order Primates, Family Hominidae, Genus Homo, and Species Homo sapiens.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, are haploid, and mostly contain a cell wall.

Eukaryotes

Unicellular or multicellular organisms containing a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, which can be haploid or diploid.

Autotrophs

Organisms capable of making their own food from inorganic substances such as water, sunlight, air, and chemicals.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that are not capable of producing their own food and must obtain nutrients from other organisms.

Archaea

A domain of unicellular prokaryotes that are structurally similar to bacteria but genetically similar to eukaryotes, often living in extreme environments, with none known to cause disease.

Endosymbiotic Theory

The theory that eukaryotic cells originated when an ancestral archaeon engulfed an aerobic bacterium (which evolved into mitochondria) and later a photosynthetic bacterium (which evolved into chloroplasts).

Metabolism

The collection of all energy transfer reactions within an organism.

Anabolism

A metabolic pathway that synthesizes large, complex macromolecules from smaller units, requiring an uptake of energy.

Catabolism

A metabolic pathway that breaks down large molecules into smaller ones, releasing stored energy.

Genome

The complete collection of all DNA in an organism.

Asexual Reproduction

A reproduction process where offspring inherit genetic material identical to that of a single parent cell.

Sexual Reproduction

A reproduction process involving the recombination of genetic material between two parents to produce genetically unique offspring.

Evolution

The change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations, driven primarily by natural selection.

Homeostasis

A self-regulating process by which an organism maintains internal stability while adjusting to internal and external stimuli.

Negative Feedback Mechanism

A homeostatic regulation process in which the effector reverses or negates the original stimulus to maintain stability.

Positive Feedback Mechanism

A homeostatic regulation process in which the effector propagates or amplifies the original stimulus.