Biology Lecture 1 & Scientific Method Review

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture transcript covering credible source evaluation, domain extensions, key biological terms, species diversity, and the scientific method.

.gov

Government website references used as credible sources of information.

.edu

Educational university-based or college-based web references.

.org

Website domain extension representing organizations, which are often non-profits.

West Virginia Approvers Coalition

A 30-year-old environmental policy non-profit organization highlighted as an example of a credible non-profit entity.

1,700,000

The total number of species currently identified, as cited in the lecture Kahoot review.

Keystone species

A species that many other species heavily depend upon to keep an ecosystem balanced, such as corals supporting aquatic ecosystems.

Amphibians

Animals that breathe through their skin, making them exceptionally susceptible to changes in air and water quality.

Sixth mass extinction event

An ongoing extinction event likely caused primarily by habitat destruction and climate change.

Bacteria

Simple, often single-celled organisms that lack a defined cell nucleus.

Archaea

Simple, single-celled prokaryotic organisms lacking a nucleus that thrive in harsh environments like natural hot springs.

Tissue

A group of similar cells acting together as a single unit, such as the onion epidermis examined in lab.

Organelle

Subcellular compartments, such as the mitochondria or nucleus, that function similarly to organs within a cell.

Scientific method

A continual iterative process involving observation, asking questions, hypothesizing, testing, analyzing data, and revising unsupported hypotheses.

Deductive reasoning

A top-to-bottom reasoning approach starting from a established law or theory to predict specific results and test hypotheses.

Inductive reasoning

A reasoning approach starting with specific observations to explore phenomena and form broader generalizations.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation of a broad range of phenomena based on extensive quantitative prediction-based science.