Biological Sciences Review: From Origin of Life to Ecology

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the essential biological concepts from the lecture transcript, including evolutionary milestones, genetics, plant and animal diversity, and fundamental terminology.

Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food using inorganic substances.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming or absorbing other organisms.

Photosynthesis Development

A major evolutionary event occurring approximately $2000\,mya$.

Cambrian Explosion

A major diversification of life that occurred approximately $500\,mya$.

Domain Bacteria

One of the three domains of life; prokaryotes that possess peptidoglycan cell walls.

Domain Archaea

One of the three domains of life; prokaryotes that are often extremophiles and lack peptidoglycan.

Endosymbiosis

The theory that mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved from free-living bacteria that were engulfed by another cell.

Evidence for Endosymbiosis

Mitochondria and chloroplasts contain circular DNA, have bacterial-like ribosomes, and reproduce by binary fission.

Paraphyletic

A group that includes an ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants; examples from the text include Protists and certain phylogenetic groupings.

Genetic Drift

Random allele changes that occur in small populations.

Founder Effect

An evolutionary mechanism where a small group starts a new population, potentially leading to genetic change.

Bottleneck Effect

The drastic reduction of a population by disasters or disease.

Fitness

The ability of an organism to survive and leave more offspring.

Disruptive Selection

Natural selection that favors individuals at both extremes of a trait's range.

Stabilizing Selection

Natural selection that favors intermediate traits rather than extremes.

Convergent Evolution

When unrelated organisms independently evolve similar traits due to similar environments.

Biological Species Concept

Defines species as groups that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs due to geographic separation.

Sympatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs without a geographic barrier.

Punctuated Equilibrium

An evolutionary model where long periods of stability are interrupted by rapid change.

Principle of Parsimony

The idea that the simplest explanation with the fewest evolutionary changes is preferred in phylogenetics.

Taxonomic Ranks (Order)

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

Hyphae

Long filaments of cells that make up the body of a fungus.

Mycelium

A mass of fungal hyphae.

Plasmogamy

The process of cytoplasm fusion in the sexual life cycle of fungi.

Karyogamy

The process of nuclei fusion in the sexual life cycle of fungi.

Lichens

A symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner like algae or cyanobacteria.

Mycorrhizae

A symbiotic relationship between a fungus and plant roots to increase nutrient absorption.

Mixotrophs

Organisms like Euglenids that can both photosynthesize and absorb nutrients.

Diatoms

Stramenopiles characterized by silica shells called frustules; important marine primary producers.

Haplodiplontic Life Cycle

The alternation of generations life cycle seen in land plants, involving a multicellular haploid gametophyte and diploid sporophyte.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that conducts water in plants.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that conducts sugars in plants.

Gymnosperms

Seed plants with 'naked seeds' and no flowers or fruits, such as conifers.

Angiosperms

The dominant plant group today, characterized by flowers, fruits, and seeds enclosed in an ovary.

Double Fertilization

A distinctive reproductive process found in angiosperms.

Red Tide

A harmful algal bloom caused by dinoflagellates that releases toxins (dinotoxins).

Definitive Host

The host in which a parasite reproduces sexually.

Choanoflagellates

Unicellular organisms with a flagellum and collar; considered the closest living relatives of animals.

Acoelomate

An animal with no body cavity between the digestive tract and outer body wall.

Pseudocoelomate

An animal with a 'false' body cavity not fully lined with mesoderm.

Coelomate

An animal with a true coelom fully lined with mesoderm.

Blastula

A hollow ball of cells formed during early embryonic development.

Cnidocytes

Specialized cells in Cnidarians containing stinging structures called nematocysts.

Protostomes

Animals in which the blastopore becomes the mouth during development.

Deuterostomes

Animals in which the blastopore becomes the anus during development.

Radula

A specialized scraping organ found in many molluscs.

Closed Circulatory System

A system where blood remains confined to vessels, seen in cephalopods and annelids.

Tagmata

Functional body regions in arthropods created by fused segments.

Compound Eye

An eye made of many individual visual units called ommatidia.

Water Vascular System

A network of hydraulic canals and tube feet used by Echinodermata for movement.

Chordata Characteristics

Nothochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal pouches, and post-anal tail.

Amniotic Egg

An evolutionary adaptation that allowed amniotes to better survive on land by protecting the embryo from drying out.

Endotherms

Organisms that produce body heat metabolically.

Ecology

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.