Biology and Society Test 1

Biology

The branch of science studying life

Society

An organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or progression a group effort to characterize reality

Element

substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions

Compound

Substance consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio

Molecule

Association of two or more atoms

All organisms are made of ___________

Cells

Organism

Individual, consists of one or more cells

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in an area

Community

Group of populations of different species in an area

Ecosystem

Community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact

Biosphere

All regions of Earth that hold life

Eight characteristics of life

Require energy, responsive to their environment, growth and change, ability to reproduce, passing traits to offspring, maintain homeostasis, being made of cells, adaptation through evolution

energy

the capacity to do work

nutrient

substance that is necessary for survival that an organism cannot make itself

homeostasis

process by which an organism keeps its internal conditions within a range that favors survival by sensing and responding to change

stimulus

change in internal or external environment

receptor(sensor)

detects stimuli

set point

the deserted value of a particular variable

Effector

a muscle or gland that causes a response to alter conditions back to a set point

Prokaryotes

Single celled organisms which DNA is not contained in a nucleus

Bacteria

most numerous organisms on Earth

Archaea

more closely related to eukaryotes than to bacteria

eukaryotes

Organisms whose DNA is contained within a nucleus

Protists

evolved from prokaryotes

Animal Characteristics

heterotrophs, motile, reproduce sexually, multicellular eukaryotes, have tissues

species

group of a population whose members can breed and produce fertile offspring

Taxon

group of organisms that share a unique set of traits

Taxon order

domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Phylogeny

evolutionary history of a species or group of species that can be inferred from the fossil record, morphological homologies and molecular homologies

homologies

similarities due to shared ancestry, evolving from the same structure in a common ancester

scientific method order

observation, questions, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion

variable

characteristic that differs among individuals or over time

experimental group

group of individuals who have certain characteristics or receive a certain treatment

control group

group not exposed to the independent variable being tested

data

the test results from experiment/research

inductive reasoning

make specific observations and draw a general theory

deductive reasoning

make a specific conclusion following a general theory

sampling error

difference between results obtained as a subset and results from a whole

probability

a chance that a particular outcome will occur

statistically significant

a result that is not likely to have occurred by chance

descriptive investigation

used to draw a conclusion or inference

comparative investigation

used to determine relationships

experimental investigation

used to determine cause and effect

biome

biogeographical unit consisting of community that has formed in response to the shared physical environment and shared regional climate

weather

short term conditions like temperature, humidity, precipitation, sunlight, cloud cover, and wind speed

climate

long term weather conditions like average daily temperature for an extended period of time

macro climate

patterns on global, regional, and landscape level

30 degrees north and south latitude

air cooled and dried out, cool air sinks, deserts form

60 degrees north and south latitude

air has become warm and moist

rain shadow

dry region on the downwind side of a coastal mountain range

Major terrestrial biomes

tundra, desert, chaparral, grasslands, forests

How much land does forest biomes cover?

1/3

How much of Earths land biomass is forest biomes?

70%

Why do tropical forests hold so much life?

More energy goes to the equator so more life can be supported there

How much of land do grasslands cover?

25%

Temperate grasslands

occurs where summers are hot and winters are cold

savanna

tropical grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs

aquatic biome

largest portion of biosphere

marine biomes

75% of earths surface, 3% salt concentrations

freshwater biomes

0.1% salt concentration

lake

standing body of freshwater

wetland

shallow basins, flooded riverbanks, or coasts of large lakes

estuary

semi enclosed ecosystem where nutrient rich river water mixes with a larger body of water

tidepools

rocky and sandy shores periodically submerged and exposed by the tides

coral reefs

formation composed of secretions of coral polyps

pollutant

a natural or human made substance that is released into the environment in greater than natural amounts

phenology

seasonal timing of plant and animal life history events

conservation biology

field of applied biology tat surveys biodiversity and seeks ways to maintain and use it

biodiversity

how diverse a species is in a certain area

indicator species

species that are particularly sensitive to environmental changes and can be monitored to assess whether an ecosystem is threatened

biodiversity hotspots

home to many endemic species that have lost much of their native vegetation

endemic species

species evolved in one place and found nowhere else

mass extinction

an event in which many kinds of organisms become extinct in a relatively short period

ecology

study of interactions among organisms and between organism and their environment

community structure

types of species and their abundance, as well as their interactions

community ecology

study of interaction between all populations of all the species in one area

species richness

number of species present

species evenness

relative abundance of each species

direct species interactions

how one species interacts with another species

6 types of direct species interactions

interspecific competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism

interspecific competition

competition between members of different species, harms both participants

interference competition

members of one species actively prevent members of another species from using a resource

exploitation competition

neither species tries to fend off one another

competitive exclusion

species that require the same limited resources and access them in the same way. They cannot coexist indefinitely in the same environment

predation

one free living species feeds on and typically kills another

warning coloration

distinctive color or pattern that makes a well defended prey species easy to recognize

mimicry

two species come to resemble one another

Batesian mimicry

a species that lacks a defense mimics a better defended species

Mullerian mimicry

two species share similar anti-predator characteristics and co-mimic each other

camouflage

body shape, pattern, or behavior that allows an individual to blend into its surroundings

herbivory

an animal feeds on a plant which may or may not die as a result

parasite

species that withdraws nutrients from another species, usually without killing it

parasite adaptations

traits for location hosts and feeding undetected

brood parasite

lays eggs in another animals nest and tricks it into raising their young

parasitoids

insect that lays eggs in or on another insect

commensalism

species interaction that benefits one species and neither helps nor harms the other

mutualism

species interactions that benefits both species

ecological succession

a change in community structure, in which the array of species shifts gradually

primary succession

occurs in habitats that lack soil and have few or no existing species

secondary succession

occurs after a disturbance removes the natural array of species but not the soil