Bio Exam 1

Properties of Life

order, sensitivity or response to
stimuli, reproduction, adaptation, growth and
development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy
processing

Order

Atoms → Molecules → Cells → Organs → Organisms

Sensitivity/ Response to Stimuli

Living organisms must respond to changes in their environment

Reproduction

Living organisms must be able to pass along their genetic information to offspring

Adaptation

allow organisms to survive in specific environments – exhibit a “fit” (natural selection)

Growth & Development

Grow according to their DNA and genes

Regulation

Require regulatory mechanisms to function everyday, like
circulating blood or digesting food

Homeostasis

Need to maintain this at all times, which includes pH,
temperature, and nutrient levels.

Energy Processing

All organisms need energy to perform metabolic functions.

Heterotrophs

Other organisms

Autotrophs

sun

Atoms

building blocks of life, joining together with chemical bonds to form molecules; smallest unit of an element

Prokaryotic

Archaea and Bacteria

Eukaryotic

Eukarya

Phylogenetic trees

ways of representing evolutionary relationships between different organisms

y axis

the factor that’s measured

x axis

the factor you intentionally change, control, or select

Macromolecules

Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, proteins

Atomic number

number of protons

Atomic Mass (Mass Number)

Protons + Neutrons

Isotope

Different number of neutrons

Covalent Bond

Strongest and most common bond in living organisms, electron shared between two atoms, forming a molecule.

Hydrogen bonds

Why H2O molecules stick together

Ionic bonds

Cation + Anion – Opposites attract!

Water

60-70% of your body, forms polar covalent bonds, ultimate solvent

Hydrogen bonds

allow water to stabilize temperature – absorbs and releases heat energy slowly

Specific Heat Capacity

Amount of heat energy needed to raise one unit of mass of a substance by one unit in temperature

Heat of Vaporization

How much heat energy it takes to turn one unit of liquid
to a gas; related to boiling point

water is???

the universal solvent – a substance which can dissolve another substance; it’s cohesive, which rises surface tension

Low pH = Lots of H+

Acidic

High pH = Low H+

Basic