Introduction to College Biology - Lecture 1 (Ch. 1) Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Lecture 1 notes.

Biology

The science of life; the study of living organisms and their processes.

Life

The condition that distinguishes organisms from nonliving matter, usually involving organization, energy use, growth, and reproduction.

Organization

The ordered structure of life from atoms to the biosphere and the levels in between.

Energy processing

How living things acquire, transform, and use energy to maintain life and grow.

Evolutionary adaptation

Heritable traits that increase an organism's fitness in a particular environment.

Adaptation

A trait or process that helps an organism survive or reproduce in a specific environment; can vary among individuals.

Respond to environment

The ability of living things to sense and react to changes in their surroundings.

Growth and development

Growth = increase in size; development = changes in form and function over an organism’s life.

Regulation (homeostasis)

Maintenance of a stable internal environment despite external changes.

Homeostasis

Stable internal conditions maintained by regulatory processes (steady state).

Reproduction

Production of offspring; can occur through asexual or sexual means.

Asexual reproduction

Reproduction without gametes; offspring are genetically similar to the parent.

Sexual reproduction

Reproduction involving the joining of gametes to produce genetically varied offspring.

Abiotic

Non-living components of an environment (e.g., wind, water, soil).

Biotic

Living components of an environment (e.g., plants, animals, microbes).

Biosphere

All life on Earth and its physical environment; the global ecosystem.

Ecosystem

The living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components interacting in a particular area.

Population

A group of interacting individuals of one species.

Community

All interacting populations within an ecosystem.

Organ system

A group of organs that work together to perform a large function.

Organ

A structure made of tissues that performs a specific task.

Tissue

An integrated group of similar cells that cooperate to perform a function.

Cell

The basic unit of life; the smallest unit that can perform all life processes; enclosed by a membrane.

Organelle

A component of the cell that performs a specific function.

Nucleus

A membrane-bound organelle in eukaryotic cells that contains the cell’s DNA.

Nucleoid

Region in prokaryotes where DNA is concentrated; not enclosed by a membrane.

Prokaryotic cell

Cell type lacking a nucleus; DNA is in the nucleoid and lacks most membrane-bound organelles.

Eukaryotic cell

Cell type with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

Molecule

A group of atoms bonded together.

Atom

The fundamental unit of matter.