Characteristics of Life (Reese Steidl)

Biology

the study of living things

Biotic

living things

Abiotic

non-living things

What does HARD CORE stand for?

Homeostasis, Adapt and Evolve, Responds to Stimuli, Develop and Grow, Cell(s), Organized, Reproduce, Energy

Cell

the simplest organism that can do all 8 characteristics of life

unicellular

made up of 1 cell

Multicellular

made up of 2+ cells

Eukaryotes

has a nucleus, can be anything but bacteria, uni or multicellular

Prokaryotes

no nucleus, all bacteria, unicellular

Archaea

bacteria that lives in extremes

Cell Differentiation

the process by which a stem cell matures into specialized cells with specific jobs

Population

a group of organisms of the same species in the same place at the same time

Community

a group of organisms of varying species in the same place at the same time

Ecosystem

an environment with biotic and abiotic factors

Ecology

the study of biotic and abiotic factors and their interactions

Biosphere

any part of the Earth where life can be found

Growth

increase in size

Development

physical change in form

Metamorphosis

quick and drastic physical changes after birth/hatching

Stimulus

any detectable change in the environment

Response

reaction to the stimulus

Tropism

growth or movement in response to stimuli

Positive Tropism

growth towards stimuli

Negative Tropism

growth away from stimuli

Homeostasis

the ability of an organism to maintain its internal conditions despite changes in the environment

Endotherms

spends more energy keeping a small body temperature range, warm blooded, “regulator”

Exotherms

can acclimate to a large temperature range in their environment, uses less energy, cold blooded, “conformer”

Negative Feedback Loop

organism does the opposite to get back to normal (ie. human body temperature)

Positive Feedback Loop

organism does more of the same thing to get back to normal (ie. a woman’s body going into labor)

Reproduction

the production of offspring

Hybrid

the offspring of two different species

Sterile

unable to reproduce

Sexual Reproduction

when 2 sex cells from 2 different parents are combined, which mixes the gametes/DNA to create a unique offspring

Asexual Reproduction

offspring are identical clones of the parent

Budding

a new organism grows on the parent and separates when mature

Binary Fission

to break 1 cell in 2 (only unicellular)

Nucleiod

where DNA material is stored in unicellular organisms

Fragmentation

when a piece of the parent is broken off and is capable of growing into a new organism

Regeneration

an organism grows back a limb

Gametes

sex cells

Fertilization

when sperm and egg come together

zygote

1^st cell (unicellular) after fertilization

Meiosis

inside sex organs (how I/Me got here)

Mitosis

somatic cells (how toes are formed)

Somatic cells

all cells except sex cells

Pollen

plant sperm

Anther

male plant reproductive organ

Pollenation

when pollen reaches an egg in a plant’s ovary

Hermaphrodite

any organism with male and female organs (could be same vine or flower)

Seeds

Plant embryos

Fruit

mature plant ovary

Autotrophs

organisms capable of synthesizing their own food from inorganic sources using light and/or energy

Chemosynthesis

a process by which some organisms like bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates

Photosynthisis

the process in which autotrophs use to create “food” (glucose) using light energy

Heterotroph

organisms that cannot make their own food and must get glucose from other organisms

Cellular Respiration

breaking down food into smaller pieces

Respiration

the process of breathing in oxygen and releasing CO₂

Producers

extracts energy from the nonliving environment

Consumers

obtains energy and nutrients from eating other organisms

Decomposers

consumers that obtain nutrients from dead organisms and organic waste

Biomagnification

process that causes higher amounts of pollutants to accumulate in organisms higher in the food chain

Adaptation

is a genetic mutation allowing an organism to survive and reproduce (can be a trait or behavior)

Genetic Mutation

a change in DNA an organism is born with

Evolution

the change in inherited traits in a population of organisms over generations

The Theory of Evolution

a well-substantiated explanation of the natural world based on facts and evidence that have been confirmed through testing

Acclimation

adjusting to your environment that occurs within the lifetime of the individual organisms

Natural Selection

Biology decides who lives and reproduces

Competition

the fight between living things for resources, mates, territory

Artificial Selection

Humans decide who lives/dies and reproduces with who

Speciation

The formation of new species through Evolution

Species

all organisms that can mate and produce fertile offspring