Biology Lecture and Lab Review: Exam I Fundamentals

Vocabulary flashcards covering biological principles, chemistry of life, cell theory, metabolism, and exam administration details based on lecture objectives.

Properties of Life

The specific characteristics identified and described to distinguish living things from non-living matter.

Bioethics

The study of the relationship between ethics and scientific advancement, including historical research discoveries that contribute to ethical standards.

Scientific Method

A systematic process used for scientific inquiry, including identifying components such as hypotheses, variables, and controls.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation or prediction that can be tested through experimentation or observational studies.

Observational Study

A research approach that differs from an experiment by observing subjects in their natural environment without manipulating variables.

Systematics

The study of biological diversity and the evolutionary relationships among living things, often in relation to phylogeny.

Taxonomy

The classification system used to categorize living things into specific levels of organization.

Dichotomous Key

A tool used to identify an unknown species by following a series of choices between alternative characteristics.

Matter

Anything that has mass and exists in three physical states: solid, liquid, or gas.

Atom

The basic unit of matter composed of specific components including electrons, which play a role in forming bonds.

Atomic Number

The identifier found on the periodic table that corresponds to the number of protons in an atom.

Mass Number

The total number of protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons and specific applications in biology.

pH

A measurement of the hydrogen concentration of a solution to determine if it is an acid or a base.

Acid

A substance that is capable of changing the hydrogen concentration of a solution, resulting in a low pH number.

Base

A substance that changes the hydrogen concentration of a solution, resulting in a high pH number.

Hydrophilic

Molecules that have an affinity for water and can mix with it.

Hydrophobic

Molecules that repel water and do not stay mixed with aqueous solutions, such as the relationship between olive oil and vinegar.

Macromolecules

The four major types of organic biological molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids) based on carbon skeletons.

Cell Theory

A central principle of biology that explains the fundamental nature of cells in all life.

Prokaryote

A type of cell structure characterized by the absence of a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryote

A cell type that contains a nucleus and specialized membrane-bound organelles.

Endosymbiont Theory

The theory explaining the evolutionary origin of eukaryotic cell components.

Plasma Membrane

A selectively permeable structure that allows some substances into the cell while keeping others out.

Exocytosis

The process by which a cell expels materials by discharging them from vesicles at the cell surface.

Endocytosis

The process of taking substances into the cell, which exists in three distinct types.

Passive Transport

The movement of materials into and out of cells that occurs without the use of cellular energy.

Active Transport

The movement of materials across a cell membrane that requires energy, such as the transport of amino acids against a gradient.

Energy

The capacity to do work, categorized into potential and kinetic forms.

Anabolic

Metabolic pathways that require energy to build complex molecules from simpler ones.

Catabolic

Metabolic pathways that release energy by breaking down complex molecules into simpler units.

Thermodynamics

The branch of science governed by two laws explaining how energy is stored, used, and transferred.

Aerobic Respiration

A type of cellular respiration that requires oxygen and involves three main steps occurring in specific locations of the cell.

Anaerobic Respiration

The process of obtaining energy from food without the use of oxygen.

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce their own food using light energy or other inorganic sources.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that must obtain energy by consuming other living things.

Cladogram

A diagram used to show evolutionary relationships based on phylogenetics.

Lecture Exam Time Limit

Students are allotted exactly $85$ minutes to complete the written portion of the exam.

Exam Grading Turnaround

The typical time frame for the instructor to post final grades in Canvas is $7-10$ days.

Lab Practical Station Timing

Individual stations in the lab exam are timed at approximately $2-2.5$ minutes each, containing $3-4$ questions per station.