Biology Unit 1: The Science of Biology

biotic

living

abiotic

nonliving

homeostasis

body's maintenance of set-point conditions

metabolism

the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life

stimulus

a thing or event that evokes a specific reaction in an organ or tissue

response

any behavior of a living organism that results from an external or internal stimulus

adaptation

a characteristic that enables an organism to better survive or reproduce in its environment

reproduction

the production of offspring

evolution

a change in the gene pool of a population over a long period of time

hierarchy

an arrangement or classification of things according to inclusiveness

cell

smallest unit of life

prokaryote

a single-celled organism that does not have a nucleus nor membrane-bound organelles; bacterium

eukaryote

an organism made of one or more cells that contain a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles

nucleus

large double-membrane-bound organelle in eukaryotic cells that contains genetic material; "control center"

ribosome

small structure found in all cells that is where proteins are made

virus

an extremely small particle that has genetic material inside a protein coat

atom

smallest unit of of matter that has properties of an element ex. Carbon

molecule

group of atoms bonded together ex. Water

organelle

a specialized structure within a cell ex. mitochondria

tissue

group of cells working together to perform a certain function ex. muscle tissue

organ

a group of tissues working together ex. heart or a leaf

organ system

a group of organs working together to perform a certain function ex. circulatory system

organism

a living thing ex. a frog

population

a group of individuals of the same species living in the same place at the same time ex. frogs in a pond

community

interacting group of various species ex. living things in a pond

ecosystem

living and nonliving things functioning together as a unit ex. deciduous forest

biosphere

the regions of earth occupied by living organisms

cytoplasm

jelly like fluid within a cell

DNA

genetic material

bacteria

prokaryotic kingdom ex. E Coli

protist

eukaryotic, the mishmosh kingdom... if something does not fall into the other four kingdoms it goes into this ex. amoeba and algae

fungi

eukaryotic decomposer kingdom ex. mushroom

plant

a multicellular producer capable of doing photosynthesis ex. tree

animal

an eukaryotic multicellular consumer ex. human

cell membrane

the phospholipid boundary found in all cells that helps the cell maintain homeostasis by regulating the movement of substances in and out of the cell

concentration

the relative amount of a given substance contained within a solution or in a particular volume of space

passive transport

net movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration without the use of energy.

active transport

movement of molecules from low to high concentration that requires energy

claim

statement about the results of an investigation

evidence

scientific data and analysis used to support the claim

reasoning

justifies why the evidence matters using scientific principles and vocabulary

hypothesis

a testable statement and possible answer to a scientific question that can be answered through observation and expeirmentation

independent variable

the one variable that is changed in an experiment

dependent variable

the variable that is affected by the independent variable; measured or observed

control group

the group that is not exposed to the independent variable and is used as a baseline for comparison

constants

all the variables in an experiment that remain the same

experimental group

the group that is exposed to the independent variable