Comprehensive Biology Review: Origin of Life to Animal Nervous Systems

Flashcards covering the origin of life, evolutionary principles, eukaryotic development, plant and animal diversity, and nervous system functions.

Abiogenesis

The process by which life likely arose from nonliving chemical compounds on early Earth.

RNA World Hypothesis

The theory that RNA was the first self-replicating molecule because it can both store genetic information and catalyze chemical reactions.

Natural selection

The process where individuals with beneficial inherited traits reproduce more successfully, causing those traits to become more common over time.

Fitness

A measure of reproductive success, defined by the number of offspring an organism leaves.

Microevolution

Small-scale genetic changes that occurs within populations.

Macroevolution

Large-scale evolutionary changes, including the process of speciation.

Speciation

The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.

Clade

A group of organisms that includes a single common ancestor and all of its descendants.

Cladogram

A diagram used to show evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on their shared characteristics.

Node

A point on a cladogram that represents a speciation event.

Endocytosis

The process by which cells engulf particles or other organisms from their environment.

Phagocytosis

A specific form of endocytosis used by cells for feeding.

Endosymbiotic Theory

The theory that eukaryotic complexity evolved through symbiosis, specifically that mitochondria evolved from proteobacteria and chloroplasts from cyanobacteria.

Cadherins and Integrins

Specific adhesion molecules that allow animal cells to stick together.

Pectins

Adhesion molecules used by plant cells to stick together.

Gap junctions

Protein structures in animal cells that allow for cell-to-cell communication.

Plasmodesmata

Channels in plant cell walls that allow for communication and exchange of signals between cells.

Bulk Transport

Systems, such as circulatory or vascular systems, that move substances rapidly across long distances when diffusion is no longer effective.

Alternation of Generations

A life cycle found in plants where the organism alternates between a haploid gametophyte and a diploid sporophyte phase.

Gametophyte

The haploid generation of a plant that produces gametes.

Sporophyte

The diploid generation of a plant that produces spores.

Bryophytes

Small, non-vascular plants like mosses that lack vascular tissue and depend on water for fertilization.

Xylem

Vascular tissue in plants responsible for the transport of water.

Phloem

Vascular tissue in plants responsible for the transport of sugars.

Gymnosperms

Woody plants that produce 'naked' seeds not enclosed in a fruit.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that produce fruits for seed dispersal and represent the most diverse plant group.

Hyphae

The threadlike filaments that make up the body of a fungus.

Mycelium

A network of hyphae that serves as the main feeding structure of a fungus.

Mycorrhizae

A mutualistic symbiotic relationship between fungi and the roots of plants.

Lichens

A symbiotic association between a fungus and either algae or cyanobacteria.

Choanoflagellates

A group of organisms that are identified as the closest living relatives to animals.

Protostomes

A major group of bilaterian animals including mollusks, annelids, and arthropods.

Deuterostomes

A major group of bilaterian animals including echinoderms and chordates.

Cephalization

The evolutionary trend of concentrating sensory organs and nervous system components at the head of an organism.

Action Potentials

The rapid changes in membrane voltage ($depolarization$ and $repolarization$) used by neurons to transmit signals.

Myelin

A fatty substance that insulates axons to increase the speed of signal transmission.