BIOLOGY I

Human Organ Systems (Intro), Taxonomy and Kingdoms, Ocean Life Forms, Zoology, Botany

Organ System

Group of organs that work together to perform a specific function in the body

Integumentary System

Protects the body; includes skin, hair, nails, and sweat glands

Skeletal System

Provides structure, support, and protection; enables movement with muscles; includes bones and joints

Muscular System

Enables movement of the body and internal organs; includes skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles

Nervous System

Controls body activities through electrical signals; includes brain, spinal cord, and nerves

Endocrine System

Regulates body processes through hormones; includes glands like the pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal

Circulatory System

Transports nutrients, gases, hormones, and wastes; includes heart, blood, and blood vessels

Respiratory System

Exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide; includes lungs, trachea, and nasal passages

Digestive System

Breaks down food into nutrients; includes mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and liver

Excretory System

Removes waste from the body; includes kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra

Lymphatic System

Protects against disease, returns fluid to blood; includes lymph nodes, lymph vessels, and spleen

Immune System

Defends the body against pathogens; includes white blood cells, antibodies, and lymphatic organs

Reproductive System

Produces offspring; includes testes in males and ovaries in females

Urinary System

Filters blood and eliminates liquid waste; part of the excretory system

Homeostasis

Maintenance of a stable internal environment through coordination of organ systems

Taxonomy

Science of classifying living organisms based on shared characteristics

Binomial Nomenclature

System of naming species using two names: genus and species (e.g., Homo sapiens)

Carl Linnaeus

Scientist who developed the modern classification system and binomial nomenclature

Hierarchical Classification

Organizing living things into ranked groups: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Domain

Broadest taxonomic rank; three domains: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya

Kingdom

Second highest rank; groups organisms into major categories under domain

Six Kingdoms

Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Archaebacteria

Unicellular, prokaryotic organisms that live in extreme environments; no peptidoglycan in cell wall

Eubacteria

Unicellular, prokaryotic organisms; have peptidoglycan in cell wall; includes most bacteria

Protista

Mainly unicellular eukaryotes; diverse group; includes algae, amoeba, paramecium

Fungi

Mostly multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms that absorb nutrients; includes mushrooms, molds, yeast

Plantae

Multicellular, eukaryotic, autotrophic organisms that perform photosynthesis; includes trees, grasses, mosses

Animalia

Multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms that ingest food; includes mammals, birds, insects, etc.

Phylogeny

Evolutionary history of a species or group; often shown in a phylogenetic tree

Cladogram

Diagram that shows evolutionary relationships based on shared derived traits

Species

The most specific taxonomic rank; group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Ocean Life Forms

Organisms that inhabit marine environments, ranging from microscopic plankton to large whales

Plankton

Microscopic organisms that float in the water; base of the ocean food web; includes phytoplankton and zooplankton

Phytoplankton

Photosynthetic plankton; primary producers in marine ecosystems

Zooplankton

Heterotrophic plankton; feed on phytoplankton and are food for larger animals

Nekton

Free-swimming ocean animals such as fish, squid, marine mammals, and reptiles

Benthos

Organisms that live on or near the ocean floor, including crabs, starfish, and corals

Coral

Marine invertebrates that form reefs; symbiotic with algae (zooxanthellae); sensitive to water temperature and acidity

Marine Mammals

Warm-blooded vertebrates adapted to life in the ocean; includes whales, dolphins, seals, and manatees

Fish

Aquatic vertebrates with gills; includes bony fish (e.g., tuna) and cartilaginous fish (e.g., sharks)

Echinoderms

Marine invertebrates with radial symmetry and tube feet; includes sea stars, sea urchins, and sand dollars

Cnidarians

Marine animals with stinging cells; includes jellyfish, sea anemones, and corals

Mollusks

Soft-bodied animals often with shells; includes octopuses, clams, and snails

Crustaceans

Arthropods with hard exoskeletons and jointed limbs; includes crabs, lobsters, and shrimp

Algae

Simple aquatic plants that provide oxygen and food in marine environments; includes kelp and seaweed

Deep-Sea Organisms

Organisms adapted to high pressure, darkness, and cold; many produce bioluminescence

Estuarine Organisms

Species adapted to both salt and freshwater in estuaries; includes oysters, crabs, and some fish

Marine Food Web

Shows the feeding relationships among organisms in the ocean, starting from producers to top predators

Zoology

The scientific study of animals, including their biology, behavior, structure, evolution, and classification

Branches of Zoology

Includes entomology (insects), herpetology (reptiles/amphibians), ornithology (birds), ichthyology (fish), mammalogy (mammals), and others

Importance of Zoology

Helps understand animal life, ecosystems, biodiversity, and evolutionary relationships

Animal Kingdom

Multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms classified under Kingdom Animalia

Characteristics of Animals

Eukaryotic, multicellular, no cell wall, heterotrophic, capable of movement at some stage, sexual reproduction common

Invertebrates

Animals without a backbone (e.g., insects, mollusks, worms)

Vertebrates

Animals with a backbone (e.g., mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish)

Symmetry Types

Radial (body parts arranged around a central axis) and bilateral (divisible into symmetrical halves)

Body Plan

Describes the symmetry, segmentation, and number of tissue layers of an animal

Tissue Layers

Ectoderm (outer), mesoderm (middle), endoderm (inner); define complexity of animal body structure

Coelomate

Animals with a true body cavity completely lined with mesoderm

Acoelomate

Animals with no body cavity (e.g., flatworms)

Pseudocoelomate

Animals with a body cavity not fully lined with mesoderm (e.g., roundworms)

Segmentation

Division of the body into repetitive segments (e.g., annelids, arthropods)

Taxonomic Classification of Animals

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

Binomial Nomenclature

Scientific naming system using genus and species (e.g., Homo sapiens)

Animal Behavior

The study of animal actions in response to environment; includes innate and learned behaviors

Ecological Role of Animals

Pollinators, decomposers, predators, prey, keystone species in ecosystems

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that produce seeds inside fruits

Botany

The scientific study of plants, including their physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, and classification

Chlorophyll

Green pigment that captures solar energy for photosynthesis

Chloroplast

Organelle that carries out photosynthesis; contains chlorophyll

Dicots

Plants with two cotyledons, net-like leaf veins, and flower parts in multiples of four or five

Fertilization

Joining of male (pollen) and female (egg) gametes to form a zygote

Flower

Reproductive structure of flowering plants (angiosperms); contains male and female parts

Germination

Process by which a seed sprouts and begins growing into a plant

Gravitropism

Plant growth response to gravity; roots grow downward, shoots grow upward

Guard Cells

Specialized cells that control the opening and closing of stomata

Gymnosperms

Seed-producing plants with cones instead of flowers (e.g., pine trees)

Leaves

Main site of photosynthesis; contain veins for transport and stomata for gas exchange

Monocots

Plants with one cotyledon, parallel leaf veins, and flower parts in multiples of three

Nonvascular Plants

Simple plants like mosses that do not have vascular tissues

Phloem

Vascular tissue that transports sugars and nutrients from leaves to the rest of the plant

Photosynthesis

Light-driven process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen

Phototropism

Growth of a plant toward light

Plant Cell

Eukaryotic cell with a rigid cell wall, chloroplasts, and a large central vacuole

Plant Classification

Divides plants into major groups: nonvascular (mosses), seedless vascular (ferns), gymnosperms, and angiosperms

Plant Hormones

Chemicals that control growth and responses; includes auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, and abscisic acid

Plant Kingdom

One of the five major kingdoms; includes mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants

Plant Reproduction

Can be asexual (e.g. budding, runners) or sexual (via seeds and spores)

Plant Tissues

Includes dermal (outer covering), vascular (xylem and phloem), and ground (support and storage) tissues

Plant Tropisms

Directional growth responses to stimuli like light (phototropism), gravity (gravitropism), and touch (thigmotropism)

Plants

Multicellular, photosynthetic organisms in the kingdom Plantae that produce their own food through photosynthesis

Pollination

Transfer of pollen from the male part (anther) to the female part (stigma) of a flower

Reproduction in Plants

May be sexual (flowers and seeds) or asexual (cuttings, runners, etc.)

Roots

Anchor the plant and absorb water and minerals from the soil

Seed

Protective structure that contains the plant embryo and stored food

Stem

Support the plant body and transport fluids between roots and leaves

Stems

Support the plant and transport water, minerals, and sugars throughout the plant

Stomata

Small openings on the leaf surface that allow for gas exchange

Thigmotropism

Plant response to touch, such as vines wrapping around a support

Vascular Plants

Plants with specialized tissues (xylem and phloem) for transporting water and nutrients