mastering biology chapter 1

universal genetic code

-All organisms use DNA molecules to carry genetic information from generation to generation
-DNA & RNA store information necessary to live, grow & reproduce

nucleotide

-Building block of DNA
-Consists of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base & a phosphate group.

Response to stimuli

Organisms adjust & respond to changes in their internal/external environments

growth

increase in size

development

process of change during an organism's life to produce a more complex organism

Energy Processing

-The use of chemical energy to power an organism's activities & chemical reactions
-Organisms obtain & use materials/energy

Autotroph

-An organism that makes its own food
-Captures energy from the sunlight/chemicals
Uses this energy to produce their own food from inorganic compounds

Photoautotrophs

Organisms that use light to produce food

Chemoautotrophs

Organisms that use chemicals (i.e. iron & sulfur) to produce food

Heterotrophs

-Organisms that obtains energy from the foods it consumes

metabolism

-All the chemical reactions within an organism

anabolism

building up reactions (i.e. anabolic steroids)

catabolism

breakdown reactions (i.e. catastrophes)

evolutionary adaptation

-An accumulation of inherited characteristics that enhance an organisms' ability to survive & reproduce in specific environments
-Over generations, living things evolve

Reproduction

-The reproduction of offspring through sexual/asexual processes
-All living things make new similar living things

asexual reproduction

-Type of reproduction in which a single parent reproduces by itself
-Produces offspring exactly the same as itself

sexual reproduction

-Type of reproduction in which cells from 2 parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism
-Combination of information from both parents results in diversity

gamete

reproductive cell (i.e. sperm/egg cell)

zygote

fertilized egg

Haploid

An organism/cell having only 1 complete set of chromosomes.

Diploid

An organism/cell having 2 sets of chromosomes

Homeostasis

-Process by which organisms maintain stable conditions during changes in the environment
-Ensures that an organism's body functions at optimal condition

atom

basic unit of a chemical element

molecule

-group of atoms bonded together
-represents the smallest unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction

organelle

cellular structure specialized to perform a distinct function

cells

-Basic unit of structure and function in all living things
-Compose unicellular/multicellular organisms

tissue

material in plants/animals consisting of specialized cells and their products

organ

-self-contained
-does a specific job in an organism
-made up of certain tissues

organ system

group of organs that work together to perform one or more functions

organism

an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form

population

all organisms that constitute a specific species in a specified habitat

community

all the populations in a given area

ecosystem

a system formed by the interaction of a community (biotic factors) with their physical environment (abiotic factors)

biome

naturally occurring community of flora & fauna occupying a major habitat

biosphere

parts of the land, sea, & atmosphere in which organisms are able to live

title

-Concise statement placed above a graph
-Depicts what a graph is about

independent variable

-The experimental factor that is manipulated
-Placed on the x-axis

dependent variable

-Variable directly affected by the independent variable
-Placed on the y-axis

Scales for each variable

-Starts with 0
-Climbs in consistent intervals

key

distinguishes different data sets from one another in multi-line graphs

multi-line graph

-Useful for showing sets of data that change over time
-Presents a large quantity of data in a small space

pie chart

A chart that shows the relationship of a part to a whole

bar graph

A graph that uses horizontal or vertical bars to display data

metric system (international system of units)

a system of measurement based on the number 10

meter (m)

the base unit of length in SI

liter (L)

Basic unit of volume in the metric system

gram (g)

the basic unit of mass in the metric system

Celsius

the basic unit of temperature in the metric system

kilo (k)

1,000

hecto (h)

100

deka (dk or da)

10

deci (d)

1/10 or 0.1

centi (c)

1/100 or .01

milli (m)

1/1000 or 0.001