Bio Unit 1: Chemistry and Cells

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Five Unifying Themed of Biology

-Organization

-Information

-Energy and Matter

-Interactions

-Evolution

Reductionism

A scientific approach that reduces complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study.

Emergent Properties

Novel properties in levels of biological organization that are absent from the preceding level.

Systems Biology

The exploration of the network of interactions that u derline the emergent Properties of a system.

10 Levels of Biological Organization

-Biosphere (all life on earth and all places where life exists)

-Evosystem (all living things in a particular area and all nonliving components with which they interact)

-Community (all organisms inhabiting an ecosystem)

-Population (all individuals of a specific species within a specific area)

-Organism (an individual living thing)

-Organ (a body part made up of tissues to perform a specific function in the body)

-Tissue (a group of cells that work together to perform a specialized function)

-Cell (life's fundamental and smallest living unit)

-Organelle (the functional components present int cells)

-Molecule (a chemical structure consisting of two or more atoms)

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic material carried by chromosomes.

Genes

Each section of the DNA carried by a chromosome. Genes are units of inheritance.

Gene Expression

The entire process by which the information in a gene directs the production of a cellular product.

Genome

The entire array of genetic instructions that an organism inherits.

Genomics

Field of study where researchets study while sets of genes in one or more organisms.

Proteonomics

The study of sets of proteins and their properties.

Climate Change

A directional change to the global climate that lasts for three decades or more.

Evolution

A process of biological change in which species accumulate differences from their ancestors as they adapt to different environments over time.

Estimated number of species

10 million to 100 million

Three Domains of Life

-Domain Bacteria (consists of prokaryotic organisms, bacteria being the most widespread kind)

-Domain Archaea (prokaryotes made to live in Earth's extreme environments)

-Domain Eukarya (all eukaryotic organisms, separated into 3 kingdoms: kingdoms plantae, fungi, and animalia)

Decent with Modification

The accumulation of different traits from ancestors as a species adapts to a different environment over time. Natural Selection is a primary cause for this.

Theory of Natural Selection

Individuals inherit traits that are better suited to the local environment and are more likely to survive and reproduce because of these traits. Over generations, a higher and higher proportion of individuals in a population will have the advantageous trait.

Three related observations: individuals vary in traits that appear to be inherited, populations produce more offspring than can survive, and species are suited to their environments.

Process of Inquiry

The search for information and explanations to natural phenomena. Includes making observations, forming logical explanations ( hypotheses) an testing them.

Data

Recorded observations

Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning

Inductive: from specific observations, we derive generalizations.

Deductive: From generalizations, we extrapolate specific results we expect.

Controlled Experiment

An experiment that is designed to compare an experimental group with a control group.

Variables

A feature or quantity that varies in an experiment.

They can either be dependant, or independent.

Theory

A broader hypothesis that results in many new testable hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence. They will either be thrown out or altered if new data comes out that doesn't fit the theory.