Biology 103: Exploring Life at the Cellular Level

Vocabulary flashcards covering vertical and horizontal organization, characteristics of life, cell structure, taxonomy, and cellular functions from Biology 103.

Biology

The science of living things.

Order

A fundamental characteristic displayed by all living things, characterized by structured organization.

Evolution

The characteristic of living organisms involving response to the environment and the ability to adapt.

Metabolism

The capacity of living organisms for energy processing and regulation.

Information Processing and Control

The capacity of living organisms for growth, development, and reproduction.

Vertical Organization

The hierarchical scale through which biologists explore life from global to microscopic levels: Biosphere, Ecosystems, Communities, Populations, Organisms, Organs and Organ Systems, Tissues, Cells, Organelles, and Molecules.

Cell

The fundamental unit of structure and function for all living organisms, representing the level at which life emerges.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms whose cells do not contain a nucleus to enclose their DNA.

Eukaryotic Cell

A cell that contains membrane-bound organelles and a nucleus containing DNA, which can be a single organism or part of a multicellular organism.

Horizontal Organization

The classification framework where each organism is individually categorized across taxonomic levels: Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, and Domain.

Phylogenetic Tree of Life

A diagrammatic representation classifying organisms relative to each other, divided into three main domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya.

Cross-Section of a Plant Cell

A diagram of a plant cell featuring structures such as the cell wall, cell membrane, vacuole, nucleus, nucleolus, nuclear membrane, chloroplast, mitochondrion, cytoplasm, amyloplast, centrosome, rough ER, smooth ER, ribosomes, and Golgi body.

Cross-Section of an Animal Cell

A diagram of an animal cell featuring structures such as the cell membrane, cytoplasm, lysosome, nucleus, nucleolus, nuclear membrane, vacuole, mitochondrion, centrosome, rough ER, smooth ER, ribosomes, and Golgi body.

Eukaryotic Cell vs. Prokaryotic Cell

A micrograph comparison showing a larger eukaryotic cell containing a nucleus with DNA and organelles alongside a smaller prokaryotic cell containing DNA without a nucleus.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

The horizontal organization of life demonstrated using Ursus americanus (American black bear), progressing from Species up to Domain.

Biosphere Spheres

A diagram illustrating the interconnected global systems comprising the Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, and Ecosphere within the Biosphere.

Primary Functions of Cells

The two main activities carried out by cells: doing work (chemical, mechanical, transport) and passing on information to progeny about how to perform that work.