Chapter 1 - Biological Science

Experiments are carried out to test a hypothesis by changing one variable at a time and including an unchanged variable termed a(n) ________.

control

Why is it necessary to take an interdisciplinary approach to studying biology?

 

Research methods used to solve many biological questions often require a number of different types of approaches and the expertise of a variety of scientists.

A beautiful wood desk you may do your homework on was once a living tree, but after being cut down its tissues died. Now, it only exhibits what property of life?

Organization

It is known that many trees lose their leaves in response to decreasing day length. As a result, you think that Ginkgo trees may also lose their leaves in response to decreasing day length. This statement is an example of:

 

a hypothesis

A student poses the question: How does the presence of dissolved salt affect the freezing point of water? To answer this question, the student set up two conditions. In the first condition, the student added salt to water in a container and referred to this condition as the variable. In the second condition, the student did not add any salt to water in a second container and referred to this condition as the control. The student took both containers and attempted to freeze the water at various temperatures to assess the freezing point. Would this be a valid experiment?

 

Yes, because there is one variable and a control

Structures that have similar structure and function but different evolutionary origins are called:

 

analogous

Plants are raised under artificial lights turned off and on by an electric clock. Some are given long periods of light, others short periods. This is an example of:

 

an experiment

Differences in domesticated animals over relatively short periods of time most likely occur through:

 

artificial selection

Your microwave will not turn on, and you speculate that a circuit breaker in the house has been tripped. In scientific terminology, the steps would be described as:

 

developing a hypothesis based on an observation.

What common life characteristic would cells from a daisy, bacteria, and a dog all have?

DNA