Biology Key Terms: Hypotheses, Variables, Taxonomy, Evolution, and Ecology

Hypothesis

statement that can be tested

manipulated variable

what is being changed in the experiment

responding variable

variable that changes in response to the manipulated variable

control group

group that is not changed for comparison purposes

constant variable

things that are the same in all groups

theory

a broad explanation for natural phenomenon, have been tested many times

smoker

cigarette smoking increases the risk of lung cancer; manipulated variable?

lung cancer

cigarette smoking increases the risk of lung cancer; responding variable?

non-smokers

cigarette smoking increases the risk of lung cancer; control group?

smokers

cigarette smoking increases the risk of lung cancer; experimental group?

breakfast

eating breakfast increases performance in school; manipulated variable?

grades (performance)

eating breakfast increases performance in school; responding variable?

non-breakfast eaters

eating breakfast increases performance in school; control group?

breakfast eaters

eating breakfast increases performance in school; experimental group?

color

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red; manipulated variable

#hummingbirds attracted

hummingbirds are attracted to the color red; responding variable?

none(is it possible to have no color)

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red(control group)

different colors

hummingbirds are attracted to the color red; experimental group?

binomial nomenclature

two name, naming system; 1st word capitalized- genus, 2nd word lower case- species

common ancestor

organism that other organisms are historically related to

derived character

characteristics or trait that seperates organisms on a phylogenetic tree

eukaryote

has a nucleus, has membrane bound organelle, has multiple linear chromosomes

outgroup

organisms in a phylogenetic tree that branches off first; least closely related

phylogenetic tree

diagram that shows evolutionary relatedness/relationships

Prokaryote

no nucleus, no membrane bound organelles, single circular chromosomes

taxonomy

a hierarchical system for naming and classify organisms; discipline in biology that studies how organisms are related

a hierarchical system for naming and classify organisms; discipline in biology that studies how organisms are related

What is taxonomy? how do we classify living organisms?

binomial nomenclature- two name naming system consisting of the the first name - genus (uppercase) and species (lowercase)

what system did Linnaeus develop? be able to identify the two parts

grow, reproduce, acquire and use energy, respond to the environment, made of cells. (must have all 5 to be considered living)

What characteristics does an organism have to have in order to be considered?

genus- Stagmomantis; specie- carolins

The scientific name for a prying mantis is "Stagmomantis carolina"

anatomy- organisms physical structure/shape

behavior- actions that separate organisms; ex. mating dances

genetics (DNA) - differences/similarities in DNA sequence

what characteristics are used to classify organisms?

how we classify living things

grow, reproduce, acquire and use energy, respond to the environment, made of cells. (must have all 5 to be considered living)

Albedo effect

the amount of radiation an object reflects

carbon sink

an artificial or natural reservior that collects and stores carbon containing compounds

carrying capacity

the maximum number of individuals of a species that a particular environment can support

density

the number of individuals per unit of area or volume

density dependent limiting factor

affect population growth when the population density reaches a certain limit

density-independent limiting factor

affect a population regardless of its density

distribution

the way the individuals of a population are spread out over the population's range

exponential growth

growth at a constant rate of increase per unit of time; j-curve

greenhouse effect

solar radiation passes through Earth's atmosphere and is absorbed by greenhouse gases which then reflect it back in all directions, increasing temperature

greenhouse gases

any gas that absorbs infrared radiation and traps heat in the atmosphere

logistic growth

growth that increases at a constant amount per unit of time; growth slows then stops

population

group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same geographic area; need to define geographic boundaries

Give examples of both density dependent and independent limiting factors.

Dependent - competition, predation and herbivory, parasitism and disease, stress from overcrowding

independent - unusual weather like floods, droughts, cold spells, and heat waves natural hazards like wildfires, volcanoes, earthquakes, and meteor impacts

What is the primary cause of global rise in temperature (global warming)? What wouldhelp mitigate this temperature increase?

human activity - excess emissions of greenhouse gases from sectors such as transportation, industry, agriculture, electricity..

Mitigation - clean energy, waste reduction, higher standards to reduce carbon emissions (public & private sector)...

What is the greenhouse effect? What would Earth be like without any greenhouse effect?

solar radiation passes through Earth's atmosphere and is absorbed by greenhousegases which then reflect it back in all directions, increasing temperatureEarth would be too cold to inhabit without any greenhouse effect

trait

observable characteristics

evolution

change in frequency of a trait in a population over time

natural selection

the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive, reproduce, and pass on their traits to offspring

gene pool

consists of all the alleles in all the individuals that make up a population

genetic drift

the random change in allele frequency cause by chance occurrences like natural disasters; surviving gene pool may be different than original population

bottleneck effect

change in allele frequency following a drastic reduction in population size

founders effect

change in allele frequency due to migration of a small subgroup of a population

environmental selective pressure

something in the environment that causes individuals with certain traits to be more successful

fitness

ability to survive and reproduce; number of offspring produced

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

5 conditions in which a population will not have a change in trait frequencies

Experimental group

group that has the manipulated variable; a variable is being changed and the response is measured

variables

a quantity that is being measured an studied in a scientific investigation

controlled experiment

contains all of the key pieces of good experimental design: manipulated variable ,responding variable, constant variables, control group, experimental group - limits human/experimental error

autotroph

organism that produces its own energy source

genus

group of closely related species

Hetrotroph

organisms that obtain energy from other species

species

a group of similar organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring that can interbreed

taxa

ranking level in Linneas' organization system; group intro which organisms are classified

List the eight taxa in order from largest to smallest

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Photoautotroph

converts light energy to chemical energy

chemoautotroph

converts one kind of chemical energy into another

Ingestive heterotroph

eats other organisms in order to obtain energy

absorbative heterotroph

give off special chemicals to digest food and then absorb energy

birth rate

number of individuals born in a population

clumped distribution

in social animals- family groups or ij colonies, during swarms, or when food and shelter are patchy

death rate

the number of individuals that die in a population

distribution

the way individuals of a population are spread out over the population's range

growth rate

describes whether the population's size is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant; affected by birthrate and death rate

random distribution

the individuals show no regular pattern in how they are distributed; little social interaction between individuals

symbiosis

a close, long-term interaction between two different species

uniform distribution

the population shows a uniform spacing between individuals; territorial or are competing