General Biology: Characteristics of Life and Organization

This set of flashcards covers the fundamental definitions of biology, the characteristics of life represented by the mnemonic DORHDERA, branches of biological science, and the 12 levels of biological organization.

Biology (Etymology)

Derived from the Greek words /bios/ meaning /life/ and /logos/ meaning /study/.

Biology

The study of living things and their vital processes.

Life

The ability of an organism to carry out processes that maintain, grow, and sustain itself over time.

DORHDERA

A mnemonic representing the characteristics of life: Development and Growth, Organization, Response to Stimuli, Homeostasis, DNA (Heredity), Energy Use (Metabolism), Reproduction, and Adaptation/Evolution.

Development and Growth

A characteristic where living things grow in size and develop from a simpler form into a more complex organism, such as a human changing from embryo to adulthood.

Organization

A characteristic indicating that all living things are highly organized and made of cells, which form tissues, organs, and organ systems working together.

Response to Stimuli

A characteristic where organisms respond to changes in their environment, such as pulling a hand away when touching something hot.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment.

DNA (Heredity)

Material in living things that carries genetic information passed from parents to offspring.

Energy Use (Metabolism)

The process by which organisms get energy from food, sunlight, or chemicals and use it for life processes to survive.

Reproduction

A characteristic where living things produce new organisms of their own kind, either sexually or asexually, to continue the species.

Adaptation/Evolution

A process where organisms change over time to survive better in their environment, passing beneficial traits to future generations.

Levels of Organization

The hierarchy consisting of $12$ levels: Atom, Molecule, Organelle, Cell, Tissue, Organs, Organ system, Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, and Biosphere.

Cell

The fourth level of life organization and the basic unit that living things are made of.

Population

The ninth level of organization in the hierarchy of life.

Biosphere

The twelfth and highest level of organization of life.

Microbiology

A branch of biology identified in the Cipher Quest activity.

Zoology

A branch of biology focused on the study of animals mentioned in the Cipher Quest activity.

Neuroscience

A branch of biology focused on the nervous system identified in the Cipher Quest activity.

Paleontology

A branch of biology focused on prehistoric life and fossils identified in the Cipher Quest activity.

Ecology

A branch of biology focused on organisms and their environment identified in the Cipher Quest activity.

Genetics

A branch of biology focused on heredity and DNA identified in the Cipher Quest activity.

Marine Biology

A branch of biology focused on ocean life identified in the Cipher Quest activity.

Cell Biology

A branch of biology focused on the study of cells identified in the Cipher Quest activity.