Biology I - Chapter 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering core themes, concepts, and definitions from Chapter 1 of Campbell Biology.

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Emergent Properties

New properties that appear as you move up biological levels, created by parts interacting together.

example: Individual heart cells can't pump blood, but an intact heart can.

Reductionism

An approach in biology that reduces complex biological systems to simpler, more manageable components to make them easier to study.

Systems Biology

An approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on interactions among the system's parts.

Levels of Biological Organization

The structural hierarchy of life ranging from atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems up to organisms, populations, biological communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere.

Eukaryotic Cell

A cell subdivided by internal membranes into various membrane-enclosed organelles, including a membrane-bound nucleus that houses its DNA.

Prokaryotic Cell

A simpler and generally smaller cell type characteristic of bacteria and archaea that lacks a membrane-enclosed nucleus or membrane-enclosed organelles.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

The heritable genetic material structured as a double helix of nucleotide chains (A, T, C, G) that directs the development, maintenance, and activities of living organisms.

Gene

A unit of inheritance consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence along a DNA strand that encodes the information needed to build cellular molecules such as proteins.

Gene Expression

The entire process by which nucleotide information in a gene is converted into a functional cellular product, usually by transcribing DNA into RNA and translating RNA into a protein.

Genome

The entire library of genetic instructions that an organism inherits.

Genomics

The large-scale study of whole sets of genes within and between species and their interactions.

Bioinformatics

The application of computational tools and algorithms to store, organize, process, and analyze large volumes of biological data.

Negative Feedback

A biological self-regulatory mechanism in which the accumulation of an end product slows down or inhibits the pathway that produces it.

Positive Feedback

A regulatory mechanism in which an end product of a biological process speeds up or enhances its own production.

Taxonomy

The branch of biology that names and classifies species into a hierarchical order based on shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships.

Three Domains of Life

The highest taxonomic rank consisting of Domain Bacteria, Domain Archaea (both containing single-celled prokaryotes), and Domain Eukarya (containing organisms with eukaryotic cells).

Natural Selection

An evolutionary process proposed by Charles Darwin in which the natural environment selects for individuals with advantageous inherited traits, leading to increased adaptation and reproductive success in a population over time.

Controlled Experiment

An experiment designed to compare an experimental group with a control group, differing only in the single factor being tested so that unwanted variables are canceled out.

Scientific Theory

An explanation of natural phenomena that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates testable new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of cumulative evidence.

Model Organisms

Species chosen for scientific research because they are easy to grow in the laboratory and lend themselves well to answering biological questions applicable to a wider range of organisms.