Biology Basics - Unifying Themes, Organization, and Life Sciences (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the notes.

Life

The condition that distinguishes organisms from inanimate matter, involving organization, metabolism, growth, reproduction, response, and adaptation.

Properties of Life

Traits shared by living systems, including organization, information, energy/matter transformation, interactions, and evolution.

Unifying Themes of Life

Core ideas that connect biology: organization, information, energy/matter transfer, interactions, and evolution.

Levels of Biological Organization

A hierarchical framework from atoms to the biosphere; each level shows emergent properties.

Biosphere

All regions of Earth where life exists; the global sum of ecosystems.

Ecosystem

A specific area's living organisms plus the nonliving components with which they interact.

Community

All populations of different species living in a particular area.

Population

All individuals of a single species within a defined area.

Organ

A body part composed of multiple tissues that performs a specific function.

Tissue

A group of similarly specialized cells performing a common function.

Cell

The basic unit of life; can be prokaryotic or eukaryotic.

Prokaryotic cell

Lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; generally smaller.

Eukaryotic cell

Contains a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; generally larger.

Organelle

Membrane-bound structures within cells that perform specialized functions (e.g., chloroplast).

Chloroplast

Organelle where photosynthesis occurs; contains chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll

Green pigment that absorbs light for photosynthesis.

Atom

The smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element.

Molecule

A chemical structure consisting of two or more atoms.

Emergent Properties

New properties that arise at higher levels of organization due to interactions among parts.

Cell Theory

All living things are composed of cells; the cell is the basic unit; cells arise from preexisting cells.

Taxonomy

A method of classifying organisms based on shared characteristics.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Domain

The highest taxonomic rank grouping organisms by cell type (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya).

Kingdom

Second-highest taxonomic rank; examples include Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista.

Phylum

Taxonomic rank below Kingdom; groups organisms by major body plans.

Class

Taxonomic rank; groups orders.

Order

Taxonomic rank; groups families.

Family

Taxonomic rank; groups genera.

Genus

Taxonomic rank; group of closely related species.

Species

Basic unit of classification; organisms that can interbreed.

Genome

The complete set of genetic material in an organism.

Gene

A unit of inheritance; a segment of DNA that codes for a protein or RNA.

Chromosome

A long DNA molecule that carries many genes.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid; the molecule that stores genetic information.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid; transcribes genetic information from DNA and helps synthesize proteins.

Central Dogma

Flow of genetic information: DNA is transcribed to RNA, which is translated into protein; reverse transcription occurs in some contexts.

Gene expression

Process by which a gene's information is used to produce a functional product.

Evolution

Process by which populations change over time through variation, inheritance, and differential survival.

Natural Selection

Mechanism by which heritable variation leads to differential survival and reproduction.

Variation

Differences among individuals within a population.