Environmental Bio

What are the levels of biological organization starting from molecules up to the biosphere?

Molecule, Organelle, Cellular, Tissue, Organ, System, Organism, Population, Ecosystem, Biosphere.

What is the smallest unit of life?

The cell.

What are prokaryotic cells?

Smaller, single-celled organisms with no nucleus or internal membrane-bound organelles, such as Bacteria and Archaea.

What distinguishes eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic cells?

Eukaryotic cells have a true nucleus and internal membrane-bound organelles.

What are organic compounds composed of?

Complex molecules containing Carbon (C) bonded to Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), Sulfur (S), or Phosphorus (P).

What are the major groups of macromolecules?

Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids.

What are polymers?

Long chains of repeating units called monomers, joined by covalent bonds.

What is the function of DNA?

DNA stores inherited genetic information.

What type of RNA transfers genetic information from DNA to ribosomes?

mRNA (messenger RNA).

What phases make up interphase in the cell cycle?

G1 (cell growth), S phase (DNA Replication), and G2 (preparation for division).

What are the five stages of mitosis?

Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase.

What is binary fission?

Asexual reproduction used by bacteria, archaea, and unicellular eukaryotes where a single cell splits into two identical daughter cells.

What is the outcome of meiosis?

It reduces chromosome number from diploid (2n) to haploid (n) to produce 4 unique daughter cells (gametes).

What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction?

Asexual reproduction involves one parent producing clones, whereas sexual reproduction involves two parents and creates genetic variation.

What is independent assortment in genetics?

Random alignment and placing of homologous pairs during meiosis.

Who was Aristotle in the context of evolutionary thought?

An early Greek philosopher who believed species were fixed and unchanging.

What did Carolus Linnaeus contribute to biology?

He developed taxonomy to classify life's diversity.

What is catastrophism as proposed by Georges Cuvier?

The idea that sudden catastrophic events, not gradual evolution, cause mass extinctions.

What is uniformitarianism?

The concept that Earth's features are the result of gradual processes over time, proposed by James Hutton and Charles Lyell.

Who is Erasmus Darwin and what was his idea about evolution?

He suggested all warm-blooded animals evolved from a single common ancestor driven by lust, hunger, and security.

What is Francis Galton known for?

His work in eugenics and behavioral genetics.