Chapter 1: The Process of Science and Big Ideas in Biology

A set of practice flashcards covering Chapter 1 topics from Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections (9th edition), focusing on the process of science, biological organization, domains, emergent properties, and core themes.

What is biology?

Biology is the scientific study of life; life has properties such as order, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, regulation, response to the environment, and evolutionary adaptation; the cell is the structural and functional unit of life.

List core properties of life.

Order, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, regulation, response to the environment, and evolutionary adaptation.

What is the structural and functional unit of life?

The cell.

What are the three domains of life?

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Which domains contain organisms with simple cells?

Bacteria and Archaea.

Which domain includes Protists and the kingdoms Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia?

Domain Eukarya.

What is an emergent property?

New properties that arise from the interactions and organization of parts at higher levels of life’s hierarchy.

What is meant by life’s hierarchy of organization?

Biologists study life from molecules to the biosphere, organizing into levels where new properties emerge at higher levels.

What are the steps of the scientific approach?

Observations, hypotheses, predictions, tests (experiments or additional observations), and data analysis.

What is a scientific theory?

A broad explanation that is supported by a large body of evidence.

What is an independent variable?

The factor deliberately changed or manipulated in an experiment.

What is a dependent variable?

The measured outcome that depends on the independent variable.

What is a controlled experiment?

An experiment that compares an experimental group with a control group to isolate the effect of one variable.

What is the main requirement for a scientific hypothesis?

It must be testable (and falsifiable).

What are the three spheres that influence the process of science?

Exploration and discovery; analysis and feedback from the scientific community; societal benefits and outcomes.

How are biology, technology, and society connected?

Science seeks to understand natural phenomena; technology applies scientific knowledge; they are interdependent and advance together.

What are the five unifying themes in biology?

Evolution; flow of information; structure and function; transfer and transformation of energy and matter; interactions within and between systems.

How is evolution useful in everyday life?

It informs medicine, conservation, and agriculture; artificial selection changes crops, livestock, and pets.

What is the flow of information in living systems?

DNA carries heredity and programs protein production; signals regulate gene expression and cellular processes.

What is the classic flow of genetic information?

DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into protein; information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

How does the relationship between structure and function manifest in biology?

Molecular structure determines function (e.g., hemoglobin transports oxygen); cellular extensions enable nerve signaling.

How does energy flow in ecosystems?

Producers capture light energy; energy moves to consumers and decomposers; energy exits as heat; matter cycles back to the soil.

What is systems biology?

An approach that models how biological systems behave by analyzing interactions among their parts.

What is the role of DNA in information flow?

DNA provides the blueprint for proteins and heredity; gene expression is regulated by environmental cues.

What is the difference between science and technology?

Science seeks to understand natural phenomena; technology applies scientific knowledge to practical goals; they are interdependent.