BIOL 1140 - Intro to Biology (pt.1) Lecture Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the fundamental characteristics of life, hierarchical levels of biological organization, cellular differences, and the taxonomic classification system as presented in the BIOL 1140 lecture.

Biology

The study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.

Viruses

Entities specifically noted as not being living organisms.

Order

A characteristic of life typified by a highly ordered structure found at every level of organization.

Reproduction

The process where living things produce their own kind; life can only come from other living things.

Growth and Development

The pattern of change in organisms controlled by inherited information.

Energy Processing

The intake of energy from the environment (food, light, chemicals, etc.) and its transformation to maintain metabolic processes for growth and survival.

Response to Stimuli

The ability of life to respond to triggers from the external or internal environment.

Homeostasis

The regulation of an organism's internal environment to maintain stable conditions in response to environmental changes.

Evolutionary Adaptation

The capacity of a population to adapt and respond to environmental demands over many generations as individuals with best-suited traits have greater reproductive success.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid; the unit of inheritance located in all cells that transmits information from parents to offspring.

Genes

Units of inheritance made of DNA that provide all information a cell needs for making proteins for growth, division, and function.

Atoms

The smallest unit of a specific chemical element.

Molecules

Groups of two or more chemically-bonded atoms.

Organelles

Specialized subunits within a cell that perform specific functions; found only in eukaryotic cells.

Cells

The smallest and simplest things that can be considered living; the lowest level of biological organization that can survive and reproduce.

Unicellular Organisms

Single-celled entities, such as bacteria and protozoans, that exist as independent organisms.

Nucleotides

The four units that make up DNA: Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G).

Prokaryotic Cells

Evolutionarily older, smaller cells that lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; examples include Bacteria and Archaea.

Eukaryotic Cells

Evolutionarily newer, larger cells that contain a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; examples include Plants, Animals, Protists, and Fungi.

Cell Components (Common to all)

Features shared by all cells: a plasma membrane (cell membrane), DNA, cytoplasm, and ribosomes.

Taxonomy

The science of classifying and naming organisms, arranging them into groups based on shared characteristics.

Binomial Nomenclature

A two-part scientific naming system where the first part is the capitalized Genus and the second part is the non-capitalized species.

Genus

A group of similar species that share recent common ancestry.

Species

Populations of individuals with very similar structure, biochemistry, and behavior that can successfully interbreed.

Domain Bacteria

A domain containing all prokaryotic and unicellular organisms belonging to Kingdom Bacteria.

Domain Archaea

A domain containing prokaryotic and unicellular organisms that are genetically distinct from bacteria.

Domain Eukarya

A domain including all eukaryotic organisms, which may be unicellular or multicellular, across four kingdoms.

Nucleoid Region

The area in a prokaryotic cell where the single circular chromosome is found.

Binary Fission

The process of division used by prokaryotes to reproduce.

Kingdom Protista

A eukaryotic kingdom sometimes called a 'catch-all' for species not fitting into plants, animals, or fungi; some members are photosynthetic.

Kingdom Plantae

Mostly multicellular organisms with cell walls made of cellulose; all are photosynthetic.

Kingdom Fungi

Decomposers that break down and absorb biological molecules from dead organisms; they have cell walls and include yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.

Kingdom Animalia

Exclusively multicellular organisms that move actively at some life stage; none are photosynthetic.