Flashcards Topic 1 Lesson 1 Quiz - 7EP Life Science | Quizlet

What is an organism?

An organism is any living thing.

What is a cell?

The basic unit of structure and function in all organisms.

What is a unicellular organism?

An organism that is made up of only one single cell.

What is a multicellular organism?

An organism that is composed of many cells which are specialized to perform certain tasks.

What is the most abundant chemical in cells?

Water ($H_2O$)

Which chemicals act as the cell's main energy source?

Carbohydrates

What are the building materials of cells?

Proteins and lipids

What is the function of nucleic acids in a cell?

The genetic material that contains chemical instructions for directing the cell's activities.

What is a stimulus?

A change in an organism's surroundings that causes the organism to react.

What is a response?

An action or change in behavior that an organism performs as a reaction to a stimulus.

What is development?

The process of change that occurs during an organism's life to produce a more complex organism.

What is asexual reproduction?

A reproductive process that involves only one parent and produces offspring that are identical to the parent.

What is sexual reproduction?

A reproductive process that involves two parents and combines their genetic material to produce a new organism that differs from both parents.

What is spontaneous generation?

The mistaken idea that living things can arise from nonliving sources.

What was Redi’s experiment?

He helped disprove spontaneous generation by showing that flies do not arise from decaying meat with an open and closed container.

What was Pasteur’s experiment?

A scientist who demonstrated that bacteria only arise from existing bacteria, using flasks with curved necks so that one container was open to air while the other one was closed.

What is an autotroph (producer)?

An organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals to produce its own food.

What is a heterotroph (consumer)?

An organism that cannot make its own food and must consume other organisms.

What is homeostasis?

The maintenance of stable internal conditions despite changes in the external environment.

What are the four basic needs of all living things?

Food, water, living space, and stable internal conditions (homeostasis).

What is the primary source of energy for most autotrophs?

The Sun (sunlight).

Why is water essential for living things?

Water is required to dissolve and transport substances and is the site of most chemical reactions in the cell.

What are the 7 characteristics all living things must?

-have cells
-be made of chemicals: water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids
-grow
-develop
-response to stimuli
-reproduces
-use energy