Biology B-Test 1st Semester

A comprehensive vocabulary review of 40 key concepts, definitions, geological eras, and evolutionary terms for Biology Test 1.

Characteristics of living things

Cells, DNA, Metabolism, Homeostasis, Grow and develop, Respond to environment, Reproduce, and Variation.

Classical definition of Life

Living things are complex, able to grow, develop and respond to stimuli.

Cellular definition of Life

Living things are made of cells.

Evolutionary definition of Life

Living things capable of variation, heredity, evolution and adaptation.

Conditions for life

Key chemical elements (CHONPS), Liquid Water, Source of energy, and Suitable conditions.

Abiogenesis

Idea that the first living systems arose from non-living matter through natural chemical processes on the early Earth – in many small steps, not one jump.

LUCA

The most recent common ancestor of all life alive today. Lived about $4\text{ billion}$ years ago.

3 domains of life

Archae, Eukarya, and Bacteria.

Eons

Hadean, Archaen, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic.

Hadean

Eon with no life, volcanoes, lava and collisions, no oxygen, and named after Hades.

Archaen

Eon marked by the first life prokaryotes.

Proterozoic

Longest eon, occurring after the Great Oxidation Event, featuring the first Eukaryotes.

Phanerozoic

Eon of visible life, occurring after the Cambrian Explosion to today.

Phanerozoic Eras

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.

Paleozoic

Era of the Phanerozoic associated with the Cambrian Explosion.

Mesozoic

Era of the Phanerozoic associated with Dinosaurs and Pangea.

Cenozoic

Era of the Phanerozoic featuring mammals, birds, and humans, extending to today.

Great Oxidation Event

Killed many anaerobic organisms and helped develop many aerobic organisms. Cyanobacteria formed oxygen. Formed ozone layer

Cambrian Explosion

Fast burst of diversification when almost all major animal body plans appeared; occurred in the Paleozoic.

Order of organisms appearing

Fish - Plants - Insects - Four-legged animals - Reptiles - Mammals - Birds - Flowers - Primates - Hominids - Us.

Mass Extinction

Period when a big part of a species ($75\%$) disappears worldwide in a short time.

Causes of mass extinctions

Volcanic eruptions, Asteroids, Global cooling, Oxygen loss, and Change in atmosphere.

Big 5 Mass Extinctions

End-Ordovician, Late Devonian, End-Permian (Great Dying and most deadly), End-Triassic, and End-Cretaceous (K-Pg).

End-Permian (Great Dying)

One of the Big 5 mass extinctions, also referred to as the Great Dying.

End-Cretaceous (K-Pg)

One of the Big 5 mass extinctions.

Mutation

Random, permanent change in the base sequence of DNA; the only source of new alleles.

Fossil

Preserved remains (bones) or traces (footprints) of an organism that lived long ago.

Species

Group of organisms that can interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring.

Binomial Nomenclature

Every species has a scientific name of two parts: genus + species (Homo sapiens).

Taxonomic Ranks

Domain - Kingdom - Phylum - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species (mnemonic: Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup).

Cladogram

Branching diagram that groups organisms by shared derived traits inherited from a common ancestor; shows who is more closely related to whom.

Borderline life cases:

• Fire: Uses energy

• Seed: Dormant

• Virus: No genetic information and need of host

• Robot: Complex behaviour

How was Luca:

• Anaerobic: No oxygen

• Thermophilic: High temperatures

• Hydrogen: Chemoautotroph

Miller-Urey Experiment:

• Flask with heated water: Early ocean

• Gases: Early atmosphere

• Sparks: Lightning

• Condenser: Rain

• Suggested Abiogenesis

Bacteria:

Prokaryotic (no nucleus)

Archaea:

• Prokaryotic (no nucleus)

• Look like bacteria but are different

Eukarya:

• Eukaryotic

• Protists, fungi, plants, etc.

Cenote:

Natural sinkhole formed when limestone rock collapses and uncovers groundwater.

After a Mass Extinction:

• Sudden drop in diversity

• Long recovery

• Burst of new species

Industrial Melism:

Dark forms of a species more common in polluted areas.

Types of the peppered moth:

• Typica: Light camouflaged on lichen

• Carbonaria: Dark camouflaged on blackened bark

Background Extinction:

Normal slow loss of species that happens all the time.

Derived Trait:

New trait marked by a dash on the line.

Types of distribution:

• Normal

• Skewed

• Bimodal

• Too small a sample

• Separate categories

• Cut off on one side