Chapter 1: Evolution, the Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry

Vocabulary flashcards covering biological levels of organization, scientific inquiry, experimental design, feedback regulation, and evolutionary biology.

Emergent properties

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.

Biosphere

The entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystems.

Ecosystems

All the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them.

Communities

All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction.

Populations

A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring.

Organisms

Individual living things.

Organs and Organ Systems

A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions.

Tissues

An integrated group of cells with a common structure, function, or both.

Cells

Life's fundamental unit of structure and function.

Organelles

Any of several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells.

Molecules

Two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.

Negative feedback

A form of regulation in which accumulation of an end product of a process slows the process; in physiology, it is a primary mechanism of homeostasis whereby a change in a variable triggers a response that counteracts the initial change.

Positive feedback

A form of regulation in which an end product of a process speeds up that process; in physiology, it is a control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers a response that reinforces or amplifies the change.

Taxonomy

The branch of biology that names and classifies organisms.

Eukarya

The eukaryotic domain of life comprising Kingdom Plantae, Kingdom Fungi, Kingdom Animalia, and Protists.

Natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits; proposed by Darwin as the mechanism for descent with modification.

Inquiry

A search for information and explanations of natural phenomena, relying on careful observations and testable hypotheses.

Data

Items of information upon which scientific inquiry is based.

Quantitative data

Data generally recorded as numerical measurements that can be organized into a chart or graph.

Qualitative data

Data often recorded in the form of descriptions rather than numerical measurements, such as field sketches.

Hypothesis

A testable explanation for a set of observations based on available data and guided by inductive reasoning; it must be both testable and falsifiable.

Controlled experiment

An experiment designed to compare an experimental group with a control group.

Dependent variable

The factor that is being measured in an experiment.

Independent variable

The factor that is being manipulated by the researcher in an experiment.

Scientific theory

An explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, general enough to spin off many new testable hypotheses, and generally supported by a much greater body of evidence.

Emergent Properties

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.

The Biosphere

The entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystems.

Ecosystems

All the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them.

Communities

All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction.

Populations

A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring.

Organisms

Individual living things.

Organs and Organ Systems

A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions.

Tissues

An integrated group of cells with a common structure, function, or both.

Cells

Life's fundamental unit of structure and function.

Organelles

Any of several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells.

Molecules

Two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.

Inquiry

A search for information and explanations of natural phenomena.

Data

Items of information upon which scientific inquiry is based.

Quantitative Data

Data generally recorded as measurements, which can be organized into a chart or graph.

Qualitative Data

Data often recorded in the form of descriptions, rather than numerical measurements.

Hypothesis

A testable explanation for a set of observations based on the available data and guided by inductive reasoning.

Controlled Experiment

An experiment designed to compare an experimental group with a control group.

Dependent Variable

The factor that is being measured in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The factor that is being manipulated by the researcher in an experiment.

Scientific Theory

An explanation broad in scope, general enough to spin off many new testable hypotheses, and supported by a much greater body of evidence than a hypothesis.

Negative Feedback

A form of regulation in which accumulation of an end product of a process slows the process.

Positive Feedback

A form of regulation in which an end product of a process speeds up that process.

Taxonomy

The branch of biology that names and classifies organisms.

Natural Selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.