Chapter 1 Vocabulary: The Process of Science and Life

A vocabulary set covering key concepts from Chapter 1, including life properties, domains, hierarchy, genetic information, the scientific method, and major ecological and evolutionary principles.

Life

The condition that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving matter, characterized by properties such as order, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, regulation, response to the environment, and evolutionary adaptation; the cell is the basic unit of life.

Properties of life

The characteristics that define living systems: order, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, regulation, response to the environment, and evolutionary adaptation.

Cell

The structural and functional unit of life; the basic unit of organization of all organisms.

Emergent properties

New properties that arise from the interactions of parts within a system and are not predictable from the properties of the individual parts.

Domain

A broad taxonomic category that groups life into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Taxonomy

The science of naming and classifying organisms into broader groups.

Hierarchy of organization

The series of structural levels in biology, from molecules to the biosphere (e.g., molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere).

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic material that stores information and provides the blueprint for proteins.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid; transcribed from DNA and translated into proteins.

Protein

A molecule that performs most structural and functional roles in cells; produced by translation of RNA.

Information flow

The transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein, regulating gene expression and cellular activities.

Central dogma

The concept that genetic information typically flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation or educated guess that can be tested by experiments or observations.

Prediction

A testable statement derived from a hypothesis about what will happen under certain conditions.

Independent variable

The variable deliberately changed or manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent variable

The variable measured in an experiment; its value depends on the independent variable.

Controlled experiment

An experiment that compares an experimental group with a control group to isolate the effect of a single variable.

Theory

A broad, well-supported explanation of natural phenomena, backed by a large body of evidence.

Observation

The act of noticing and recording events or phenomena as they occur.

Scientific method

An evidence-based process of inquiry that includes observations, hypotheses, predictions, testing, and data analysis.

Producers

Organisms that convert light energy into chemical energy via photosynthesis and form the base of many ecosystems.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead matter and recycle nutrients back into the environment.

Flow of energy

Energy enters as sunlight, is converted to chemical energy by producers, flows to consumers, and is lost as heat.

Cycling of matter

The circulation of chemicals through the atmosphere, soil, producers, consumers, and decomposers, returning nutrients to the environment.

Evolution

The process of change in heritable traits of populations over generations, explaining unity and diversity of life.

Natural selection

A mechanism of evolution where differential reproductive success alters trait frequencies in a population.

Artificial selection

Human-driven selection of organisms for desirable traits, shaping crops, livestock, and pets.

Structure and function

The principle that the form of a biological structure is related to its function.