Chapter 1: Studying Life Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering biological levels of organization, cell types, genetics, evolution, phylogenetic trees, scientific methodology, and experimental design.

Biology

The scientific study of living and fossil organisms.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms that constituted all life for a few billion years and lack membrane-enclosed organelles, comprising Bacteria and Archaea.

Eukarya

A domain of life composed of cells containing membrane-enclosed organelles and a nucleus that holds genetic information.

Photosynthesis

The biological process that transforms sunlight energy into chemical energy, leading to the accumulation of $O_2$ in Earth's early atmosphere.

Cyanobacteria

Photosynthetic prokaryotes that transformed Earth's atmosphere by generating $O_2$.

Cell Specialization

The process in multicellular organisms where cells differentiate for specific functions, allowing organisms to grow larger and adapt efficiently.

Tissue

An organizational level consisting of similar cells grouped together to perform a specialized function.

Organs

Structures composed of different tissue types working together to perform specific functions.

Organ Systems

Groupings of individual organs that operate together to fulfill biological processes.

Homeostasis

The self-regulation of an organism to maintain a narrow range of internal environmental conditions.

Genome

The sum total of all the DNA molecules contained within an organism.

Genes

Discrete units of inheritance shown by Gregor Mendel to determine physical traits.

Populations

Groups of individuals belonging to the same species that interbreed within a defined area.

Evolution

The change in the genetic makeup of populations over time, serving as the major unifying principle of biology.

Artificial Selection

The selective breeding of plants and animals by humans to obtain specific desired traits.

Natural Selection

The mechanism proposed by Darwin where natural environmental factors drive evolution in populations.

Binomial

The distinct scientific name assigned to each species, consisting of a genus and a species name.

Genus

A taxonomic group comprising species that share a recent common ancestor.

Root (Phylogenetic Tree)

The ancestral lineage at the far left of a phylogenetic tree representing the common ancestor of the group.

Nodes (Phylogenetic Tree)

The branch points on a phylogenetic tree that indicate a division of one lineage into two speciation events.

Scientific Methodology

A process of investigation involving observation, asking questions, forming hypotheses, making predictions, testing through experiments, and using statistical analysis.

Controlled Experiment

An experiment in which one factor is manipulated while all other variables are kept constant.

Comparative Experiment

An experiment that compares data collected from different populations that naturally differ in multiple ways.

Coral Bleaching

A stress response in corals measured as the ratio of chlorophyll in corals exposed to heat stress compared to controls.