BIO101 Unit 1 Chapter 1

What is evolution?

The process of change that produces both unity and diversity of life across generations.

How does evolution explain similarities among organisms?

Shared ancestry produces common structures and functions.

How does evolution explain differences among organisms?

Different populations accumulate adaptations suited to their environments.

What were Darwin’s three key observations?

Variation is heritable; more offspring are produced than can survive; species show adaptations to their environment.

What is natural selection?

A process where individuals with advantageous heritable traits survive and reproduce more successfully.

What conditions are required for natural selection?

Variation, heritable traits, time, environmental pressure.

What are the three domains of life?

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Which domains contain prokaryotes?

Bacteria and Archaea.

Which domain contains organisms with membrane-bound organelles?

Eukarya

What are emergent properties?

New traits or abilities that appear with increasing complexity in biological systems.

Why do emergent properties occur?

Due to the interactions and organization of component parts.

Give an example of an emergent property.

Tissue function emerging from interactions between specialized cells.

What characteristics are shared by all cells?

Plasma membrane, DNA, ribosomes, and ability to carry out metabolism.

What is a key difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus; prokaryotic cells do not.

What is one similarity between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

Both use DNA as genetic material.

Why is structure related to function in biology?

Biological structures evolve to best perform their specific tasks.

Give an example of structure-function relationship.

The biconcave shape of red blood cells increases oxygen-carrying efficiency.

What is the Central Dogma of Biology?

DNA → RNA → Protein.

What is the function of DNA?

Stores hereditary instructions for building proteins.

What is the basic structure of DNA?

A double helix composed of two antiparallel nucleotide strands.

Why do living organisms need energy?

To perform work like growth, movement, and cellular processes.

How does energy flow through an ecosystem?

Sun → producers → consumers → decomposers

What is a feedback mechanism?

A regulatory system where the output affects the process.

What is negative feedback?

A mechanism in which the accumulation of an end product slows the process.

What is positive feedback?

A mechanism where the end product speeds up the process.

What is inductive reasoning?

Logical reasoning that moves from specific observations to general principles.

What is deductive reasoning?

Reasoning from general principles to specific predictions.

What makes a hypothesis valid?

It must be testable and falsifiable.

What are the steps of the scientific method?

Observation → Question → Hypothesis → Prediction → Experiment → Results → Conclusion.