Chapter 1: Biology Today Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering basic characteristics of life, classification domains and kingdoms, ecosystem levels, scientific experimentation, and key biological theories from Chapter 1.

Energy

The capacity to do work.

Genes (DNA)

Molecules containing the information needed for heredity and metabolism.

Metabolism

All the chemical reactions that occur in the cell.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain relatively constant internal conditions, such as maintaining a human body temperature between $98\text{ to }99^\text{o}\text{F}$ despite environmental exposures ranging from $55\text{ to }140^\text{o}\text{F}$.

Evolution

The process by which a species changes through time.

Taxonomy

The science of identifying and classifying organisms according to specific criteria using categories such as Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Domain Archaea

Also known as Archaeabacteria; domain consisting of single-celled (unicellular), prokaryotic organisms that live under extreme environmental conditions.

Domain Eubacteria

Domain consisting of unicellular, prokaryotic 'true' bacteria that live in water, soil, or within a host (e.g., Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus).

Domain Eukarya

Domain consisting of eukaryotic organisms, most of which are multicellular except Protista, divided into 4 kingdoms.

Protists (Kingdom Protista)

Kingdom under Domain Eukarya containing mostly single-celled organisms with $30{,}000$ species, such as amoebas, dinoflagellates (red tide), and slime molds.

Fungi (Kingdom Fungi)

Kingdom under Domain Eukarya containing $70{,}000$ known multicellular species (e.g., mushrooms) and unicellular species (e.g., yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans).

Plants (Kingdom Plantae)

Kingdom under Domain Eukarya consisting of $248{,}000$ known autotrophic, multicellular species.

Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

Kingdom under Domain Eukarya containing very diverse multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, where less than $1\text{\%}$ are birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians, and includes $800{,}000$ insects with $350{,}000$ species of beetles.

Binomial Nomenclature

The Latin-based process of naming an organism using its genus and a specific epithet (e.g., Quercus alba for white oak) to ensure universal standard naming.

Species

A group of genetically similar organisms that can successfully breed and have fertile offspring.

Population

A group of the same species occupying a given area, sharing the same resources and gene pool.

Community

A group of different species interacting together in the same environment.

Ecosystem

A system formed by biotic elements (communities) and abiotic elements, characterized by chemical cycling and energy flow.

Biosphere

The zone of life in the air, water, and land that surrounds the planet.

Control Group

A component of an experimental design that goes through all the steps of the experiment but is not exposed to the factor being tested.

Data

The results of an experiment, which undergo statistical evaluation.

Mean

The arithmetic average of a sample.

Standard Deviation

An estimate of the variation in experimental data from the mean.

Theory of Evolution

Biological theory proposed by Charles Darwin in $1859$ in 'On the Origin of Species' stating that species change through Natural Selection.

Cell Theory

Biological theory stating that all organisms are composed of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and all cells come from preexisting cells.

Gene Theory

Biological theory stating that organisms contain coded genetic information in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that dictates their function, form, and behavior.