Biology Non Major Module 1+2

Integumentary

Protects the body and helps regulate body temperature

Skeletal

Supports and protects the body and produces blood cells

Muscular

Produces movement and heat

Nervous

Detects information and coordinates rapid responses

Endocrine

Uses hormones to regulate body processes

Cardiovascular

Transports gases, nutrients, hormones, and wastes

Lymphatic and immune

Returns fluid to the blood and helps defend against disease

Respiratory

Exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide

Digestive

Breaks down food and absorbs nutrients

Urinary

Removes wastes and regulates water, salts, and pH

Reproductive

Produces sex cells and supports reproduction

All groups of living organisms share several key characteristics or functions:

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

Atom

A basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively large electrons

Molecule

A phospholipid, composed of many atoms

Organelles

Structures that performs functions within a cell.

Cells

Human blood cells

Tissue

Human skin tissue

Organs and Organ systems

Organs such as the stomach and intestine

Organisms, populations, and communities

In a park, each person is an organism. Together, all the people make a population. All the plant and animal species in the park comprise a community.

Ecosystem

The ecosystem of Central Park in New York includes living organisms and environment in which they live

The biosphere

Encompasses all the ecosystems on Earth

Which of the following statements is false?

1. Tissues exist within organs which exist within organ systems.

2. Communities exist within populations which exist within ecosystems.

3. Organelles exist within cells which exist within tissues.

4. Communities exist within ecosystems which exist in the biosphere.

Homeostasis and Feedback

At the organ-system level, multiple organs work together to perform essential functions. The human body has 11 major organ systems, each with specialized functions. Together, these systems help maintain the conditions necessary for survival. Homeostasis is the maintenance of relatively stable internal conditions despite changes inside or outside the body. These conditions fluctuate within acceptable ranges rather than remaining perfectly constant.

Negative Feedback

counteracts a change and returns a condition toward its normal range. Examples include regulating body temperature and blood glucose.

Positive feedback

increases a change until a particular process is completed. Examples include contractions during childbirth and blood clotting.

Ectotherm

“Cold-Blooded”

Endotherm

Warm-Blooded

Homeostasis

Steady state

When body temperature rises, sweating helps cool the body. Is this positive or negative feedback? Explain how you know.

Negative feedback

Integumentary System

is the body system that is most visible! It includes your skin, hair, nails, sweat glands, and oil glands. It functions as the body's first line of defense against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Skeletal system

is made of bones, cartilage, joints, and ligaments. This system supports the body, protects our organs, serves as a site of blood cell production, stores calcium, and helps our bodies move.

Muscular System

Is involved in movement-not just movement of your body or part of your body-but also movement of blood, gases, food, urine, wastes, and even babies! It also helps control body temperature.  We shiver by moving muscles that create friction which produces heat!

Nervous System

is the primary system that senses, interprets, and responds to stimuli. It includes your brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Also, coordinates the body's response to changes in its internal and external environment.  

the “tiny organs” of the cell are called:

Organelles

Negative feedback loops are dangerous and should rarely occur in the body.

1. True

2. False

False

Feedback loops are a control system to help an organism maintain homeostasis.  A negative feedback loop counteracts a change in the body to bring it back to "normal". A positive feedback loop amplifies the change (i.e. contractions during labor). The words "positive" and "negative" are not in reference to good or bad in this case - we rely on both mechanisms to maintain homeostasis.

Which sequence correctly shows biological organization from smallest to largest?

Cell → tissue → organ → organ system → organism

Organisms regulate their internal environment to maintain a stable, constant state. This is knows as _____.

Homeostasis

Response to stimuli is a characteristic of life.

1. True

2. False

True

An example is a human touching a hot stove and pulling their hand back. Another is a venus flytrap closing once an insect has landed on it.

Which body system is responsible for gas exchange (Oxygen in and carbon dioxide out)?

Respiratory system

Scientific investigations begin with a _______

Observation

Observations get scientific inquiry started. An observation is something we experience with our senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) and those experiences lead us to ask questions that we can then try to understand through an experiment.

Quantitative data comes in the form of numbers whereas qualitative data comes in the form of words. true or false

True

Quantitative --> sounds like quantity --> data in the form of numbers

Qualitative --> sounds like quality --> data is in the form of words and descriptions (the higher quality the descriptions, the better the data!)

"Doing" science looks exactly the same for every person who does science. True or false

False.

There are many different ways to "do" science. Jane Goodall studied wild chimpanzees through observation whereas Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist who measured radiation intensity.

Data = Evidence, therefore these terms can be used interchangeably within the scientific communityl True or false

False.

Data does not equal evidence. Data refers to the raw, unanalyzed information that was collected during an investigation/experiment. Evidence is data that has been analyzed and contextualized to test a claim. We often look for trends in data that  can eventually be used as evidence to support or not support a hypothesis.

The best scientific questions are yes/no questions. True or false

False

Scientific questions are open-ended and seek to answer questions about the natural world.

The fossil record is evidence for evolution. True or false

True.

The fossil record can show a chronological and progressive sequence of life forms in the rock layer. However, not all fossils are trapped inside solid rock - some are preserved in amber, ice/permafrost,  or tar pits. Trace fossils also provide non-body clues like footprints, burrows, or even fossilized dung!

Select all of the following that are true about evolution.

Correct: Evolution occurs in populations.

Correct: Evolution involves changes in inherited traits.

Correct: Evolution occurs over generations of time.

Incorrect: Evolution happens at the level of individual organisms.

A human working out and getting really strong is an example of evolution.

Evolution can happen in on individual's lifetime.

The tailbone found in whales is an example of a vestigial structure. T/F

True

Homologous structures are anatomic features in various species that share common evolutionary origin. Vestigial structures are a type of homology that re reduced, non-functional, or significantly shrunken remnants of body parts that were fully functional in an organism's ancestors.

Natural selection:

Individuals with certain inherited traits survive and reproduce more successfully, causing those traits to become more common over generations.

Adaptations offer an advantage that increases biological fitness.

Genetic Drift:

Allele frequencies change due to a random/chance event, like a natural disaster.

A random chance event impacts the allele frequencies in a  population

Gene flow:

Alleles move between populations when individuals migrate and reproduce.

allele frequencies change due to migration

Mutation:

Random changes in DNA create new alleles and introduce new genetic variation into a population.

An error during DNA replication produces new genetic variation in a population

An __ is an inherited trait that improves an organism's biological fitness in a particular environment.

Adaptation

Adaptations are inherited, NOT acquired. Going to the gym and getting strong is not an adaptation. A dark exoskeleton (born with due to your genetic makeup) is an adaptation. Biological fitness represents an organism's ability to survive and reproduce, passing its genes on to the next generation.

Quantitative data

are numerical measurements or counts. Examples include temperature, mass, time, number of organisms, and change in plant height.

Qualitative data

are nonnumerical observations or categories. Examples include color, texture, behavior, shape, and descriptions of an organism’s condition.

Data

are the observations and measurements collected during an investigation.

Evidence

consists of the data that are relevant to evaluating a particular claim or explanation.

bar graph

is useful for comparing categories or groups

line graph

is useful for showing change over time or another continuous variable.

A scatterplot

is useful for examining a relationship between two quantitative variables.

Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER):

• Claim: A statement that answers a question or explains what happened.

• Evidence: Relevant observations, measurements, or other data that support the claim.

• Reasoning: An explanation of how the evidence supports the claim using scientific ideas or principles.

Fossils

provide evidence that organisms living in the past differed from organisms living today. The fossil record documents changes in populations and lineages over time and can reveal transitional forms and patterns of extinction and diversification.. 

Anatomy and Embryology

Similarities in body structures and patterns of development can reflect shared ancestry. Homologous and vestigial structures are especially useful examples.

Biogeography

The geographic distribution of organisms often reflects their evolutionary history, including isolation, migration, and changes in continents over geological time. For example, Darwin's observations of finches on different Galápagos Islands helped scientists understand how populations can diverge over time.

Molecular Biology

Similarities in DNA and proteins provide evidence of common ancestry. In general, organisms with more similar DNA sequences share a more recent common ancestor.

The ________ ________ tells you how many protons and neutrons an atom has.

atomic mass

The unequal sharing of electrons between two atoms forms a _______ bond.

polar covalent

Nonpolar covalent bond =

equal sharing of electrons. Example: Carbon-Hydrogen bond

Polar covalent bond =

unequal sharing of electrons due to an atom (O, N, F, or Cl) being more electronegative (greedy for electrons). Example: O-H bond where O is more electronegative.

Protons are the subatomic particles directly involved in bond formation. True or false

false

O₂ is an example of a molecule, but not a compound.

true