Lecture 1: Introduction - Themes in the Study of Life

Vocabulary flashcards covering core themes in the study of life, properties of living organisms, biological organization, taxonomy, and the three domains of life from Lecture 1.

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Properties of Life

The seven characteristic processes that define living organisms: order, evolutionary adaptation, response to the environment, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, and regulation.

Regulation

The property of life that allows an organism to maintain internal balance.

Evolutionary Adaptation

The process by which life evolves over generations, exemplified by bacteria developing antibiotic resistance in response to the overuse of antibiotics.

Levels of Biological Organization

The structural hierarchy of life spanning from the biosphere down through ecosystems, communities, populations, organisms, organs and organ systems, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules, and atoms.

Structure and Function

A biological theme stating that within biological systems, the shape of something (structure) and what it does (function) are closely related.

Unity of Life

The biological principle based on DNA and a universal common genetic code that underlies the expression and transmission of genetic information in all living things.

Taxonomy

The branch of biology that names and classifies species into groups of increasing breadth.

Identified Species Count

Approximately $1.8\text{ million}$ species that have been identified and named to date, with actual total species estimates ranging from $10\text{ million}$ to over $100\text{ million}$.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

The classification scheme that organizes life into categories of increasing breadth: Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, and Domain.

The Three Domains of Life

The modern biological classification system replacing the five-kingdom system, comprising Domain Bacteria, Domain Archaea, and Domain Eukarya.

Domain Bacteria and Domain Archaea

The two domains of life that comprise all prokaryotes.

Domain Eukarya

The domain of life that includes all eukaryotic organisms, containing the multicellular kingdoms Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia.

Protists

A group of eukaryotic organisms formerly placed into the kingdom Protista, but now often grouped into multiple separate kingdoms.