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Flashcards covering the five qualities of life, levels of biological organization, energy acquisition, reproduction, development, and evolution based on the provided lecture notes. Also includes definitions for key terms like viruses, bacteria, metabolism, and natural selection.

Life (scientific definition)

A combination of five qualities: organization, energy use, maintenance of internal constancy (homeostasis), reproduction/growth/development, and evolution.

Organization (of life)

The hierarchical pattern of living matter where parts are arranged from atoms to the biosphere.

Energy Use (characteristic of life)

The process by which organisms acquire and transform energy from their environment to sustain life processes.

Homeostasis

The state of internal constancy that cells and organisms maintain, even when external environmental conditions change.

Reproduction, Growth, and Development (characteristic of life)

The processes by which organisms make new individuals similar to themselves, increase in size, and mature into adults.

Evolution

A change in the genetic makeup of a population over multiple generations, leading to adapted traits.

Virus

A non-cellular entity consisting of a protein shell surrounding DNA or RNA; most biologists do not consider it alive because it does not grow, use energy, or maintain homeostasis independently.

Bacterium

A single-celled organism complete with a membrane, DNA, and proteins.

Atom

The smallest scale particle that composes all living structures, bonding together to form molecules.

Molecule

Formed when atoms bond together; these can form organelles.

Organelle

Compartments within cells that carry out specialized functions.

Cell

The fundamental unit of life; many organisms are single-celled, while multicellular organisms have cells organized into tissues.

Tissue

Specialized cells organized together to perform a specific function in multicellular organisms.

Organ

A structure made up of multiple tissues, performing complex functions.

Organ System

Multiple organs linked together to carry out a major bodily function.

Organism

An individual living thing, which may consist of one cell or many cells organized into tissues, organs, and organ systems.

Population

Members of the same species occupying the same place at the same time.

Community

The populations of different species interacting in a region.

Ecosystem

Includes both the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components of an area.

Biosphere

Consists of all parts of the planet that can support life.

Emergent Properties

New functions that arise from interactions among a system’s components, meaning the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Metabolism

The countless chemical reactions inside cells that sustain life, allowing organisms to acquire and use energy and nutrients.

Primary Producers (Autotrophs)

Organisms that make their own food by extracting energy and nutrients from nonliving sources.

Consumers (Heterotrophs)

Organisms that obtain energy and nutrients by eating other organisms, living or dead.

Decomposers

Heterotrophs that absorb energy and nutrients from wastes or dead organisms, recycling nutrients to the nonliving environment.

Reproduction

The process by which organisms create new individuals similar to themselves, transmitting DNA from parent to offspring.

Asexual Reproduction

A type of reproduction where genetic information comes from only one parent, producing virtually identical offspring.

Sexual Reproduction

A type of reproduction where genetic material from two parents unites to form an offspring with a new combination of inherited traits.

Development

The many changes that occur as an organism matures, including growth and cell specialization.

Adaptation

An inherited characteristic or behavior that enables an organism to survive and reproduce successfully in its environment.

Natural Selection

The enhanced reproductive success of certain individuals from a population based on inherited characteristics, leading to increased frequency of adaptive traits.

Mutation

A change in an organism’s DNA sequence, which generates genetic variation.

Growth (biology)

An increase in an organism's size, generally through the accumulation of cells.