Characteristics of Life, Metric System, and Scientific Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characteristics of living things, asexual and sexual reproduction modes, cell types, organizational hierarchy, metric units, and the distinctions among facts, hypotheses, theories, and laws.

Biotic

A term referring to living components or organisms.

Abiotic

A term referring to non-living components or physical factors.

D.R.G.C.H.E.E.R.

An acronym representing the characteristics of life: Development and Growth, Reproduction, Genetics (DNA), Cells, Homeostasis, Energy, Evolve, and Responsiveness.

Development

Change that an organism undergoes over time.

Growth

An increase in physical size.

Sexual Reproduction

A form of reproduction involving $2$ sets of genes that results in offspring genetically different from their parents.

Asexual Reproduction

A form of reproduction involving $1$ set of genes that produces offspring identical to the parent (cloning).

Haplo-Diploid System

A sex-determination system seen in social insects where haploid individuals have $1$ set of genes ($n$) and diploid individuals have $2$ sets of genes ($2n$).

Binary Fission

An asexual reproductive process in bacteria where a single cell splits to form two identical daughter cells.

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction in organisms like Hydra where a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud.

Fragmentation

An asexual reproduction method in organisms like Hydra involving the breaking of a parent body into smaller parts.

Sporulation

A reproductive process in bacteria where adult organisms produce single-celled diploid spores that grow into adults.

DNA

Instructions for cells (recipe books) coding for proteins that all living organisms and cells must possess.

Heredity

The passing on of traits to offspring.

Ribosomes

Cellular structures described as protein factories responsible for producing proteins.

Cell Membrane

The outer boundary of a cell that controls what goes in and out.

Cytoplasm

The substance inside a cell that keeps organelles in place.

Prokaryotes

Very small, unicellular organisms (such as bacteria) that lack a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryotes

Organisms that have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; can be unicellular (yeast, amoeba) or multicellular (animals, plants), and are larger than prokaryotes.

Homeostasis

Dynamic equilibrium, or the ability of an organism to balance its internal environment by responding to constant changes and stimuli.

Osmoregulation

A physiological mechanism for maintaining internal water balance.

Autotroph

Producers that make their own food.

Photoautotrophs

Organisms that use light energy as an energy source to build food.

Chemoautotrophs

Organisms that use chemical energy sources to produce their food.

Heterotrophs

Consumers that ingest or consume food to obtain energy.

ATP

A usable energy source for cells, functioning like a biological battery produced from food.

Population

A level of biological organization consisting of individuals of the same species in an area.

Community

A biological level composed of multiple species coexisting in an area.

Ecosystem

A biological community interacting together with its abiotic factors.

Facts

Observations made about the world around us.

Hypothesis

A proposed explanation for a phenomenon used as a starting point for further investigation that is testable, measurable, and falsifiable.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation acquired through the scientific method, repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation, that can be changed or modified.

Law

A math-based statement based on repeated experimental observations that describes some phenomenon of nature.

Inference

An explanation based on direct observations and prior knowledge.

What does D stand for?

Development and Growth

What does the first R stand for?

Reproduction

What does G stand for?

Genes (DNA)

What does C stand for?

Cells

What does H stand for?

Homeostasis

What does the first E stand for?

Energy

What does the second E stand for?

Evolve

What does the second R stand for?

Responsiveness