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

biology

the scientific study of life

biological organization

order (complex features/characteristics)

evolutionary adaptation

regulation (homeostasis)

reproduction

response to environment

growth/development

energy processing

emergent properties

novel properties that emerge at each level, which are absent from the preceding one (revealed at more lower levels of organization)

biosphere

all life on earth + all the places where life exists

ecosystem

all living and nonliving things in a particular area

community

the array of organisms living in a specific ecosystem

population

a group of the same species living within a community

organism

individual living thing

organ

a body part with a specialized function and is made up of multiple tissues

tissue

a group of cells that work together to perform a specialized function

cells

life’s fundamental unit of structure/functiono

organelles

various functional components of a cell

molecules

chemical structure containing of 2 or more atoms

systems biology

investigating how different parts of a system work together in biology; exploring emergent properties

cell theory

1) All living organisms are composed of one or more cells.

2) The cell is the basic unit of life.

3) All cells arise from pre-existing cells.

Theodor Schwann

eukaryotic cell

membrane enclosed organelles and a nucleus (animals and plants)

prokaryotic cell

lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles (bacteria)

dna (deoxyribonucleic acid)

genetic material found in chromosomes, within cells

genes

sections of the dna, within the chromosome

-units of inheritance

-genes > encode > molecules built within a cell > control cell’s structure, development, and fxn

gene expression

the process by which the information in a gene directs the manufacture of a cellular product

genome

entire library of genetic instructions that an organism inherits

genomics

the study of researching whole sets of genes, rather than studying a single gene at a time

proteome

the entire set of proteins expressed by a given cell, tissue, or organism

proteomics

the study of sets of proteins and their properties

research developments

1) high through-put tech (RAPIDLY analyze samples)

2) Bioinformatics (using computational tools to analyze)

3) interdisciplinary research teams

bioinformatics

the use of computational tools to store, organize, and analyze a huge volume of data

sun

input of light energy

producers/autotrophs

photosynthetic organisms

consumers/heterotrophs

organism that feeds on other organisms, or their remains

energy flow

enter as light, exit as heat (one way flow)

feedback regulation

the output of a process regulates that process

negative feedback

the output of a process stops that process (ex. insulin/blood glucose)

positive feedback

the output of a process reinforces/continues that process (ex. oxytocin in labor)

protein synthesis

transcription > translation > protein

climate change

a directional change to the global climate that lasts for 3 decades or more

evolution

the unity and diversity of organisms

naming species

(genus, species within the genus) ex. homo sapiens

bacteria

bacterial cells, prokaryotes

archaea

archaeal cells, prokaryotes

eukarya

kingdom plantae

kingdom animalia

kingdom fungi

(and protists)

kingdom plantae

this kingdom produces their own food/photosynthesis

-multicellular organisms

kingdom animalia

this kingdom consumes other organisms

-multicellular organisms

kingdom fungi

this kingdom absorbs nutrients from outside their bodies

-mostly multicellular

protists

not a kingdom

-both uni and multicellular eukaryotes

-many of them inhibit pond water

natural selection

individuals with inherited traits that are better suited to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce

descent with modification

contemporary species arose from a succession of ancestors that differed from them.

science

a way of knowing/an approach to understanding the natural world

inquiry

the search for information to help explain natural phenomena

observation

the gathering of information

data

items of information of which the scientific inquiries are based

quantitative data

in the form of numbers/measurement

qualitative data

in the form of recorded descriptions

inductive reasoning

starting with a specific observation, and then making a generalization

deductive

starting with a general observation, and then making specific claims (ex. if this, then…..)

hypothesis

answer to a well framed question

-must be testable

experiment

the manipulation of one variable to see how it affects another

variables

factors that vary in an experiment

controlled experiment

compare an experimental group to a controlled group; everything is constant except for 1 variable

independent variable

the variable that is being manipulated

dependent variable

the variable that is being measured

theory

much broader scope than the hypothesis; requires an extremely large body of evidence

model organism

a species that’s easily grown in the lab

-lends itself well to the study and to the question being investigated