Bio Unit 1: Characteristics of Life, Viruses, and Methods of Science

organism

a system considered analogous in structure or function to a living body

Unicellular

made of one cell

multicellular

consisting of many cells

prokaryote

simple cells; a unicellular organism having cells lacking membrane-bound organelles; bacteria are the prime example but also included are blue-green algae and actinomycetes and mycoplasma

organelle

an organized or specialized part of a cell; analogous to an organ

cell

a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement

organ

a part of the body that preforms a certain function

Organ system

a group of organs that work together in the body to perform a complex function, such as pumping blood or processing and utilizing nutrients; 11 major organ systems in human body

metabolism

all of the chemical reactions that take place within an organism

Cellular respiration

the process through which cells convert sugars into energy

producer

living things that capture energy through the sun and convert it to food

consumers

living things that must eat their food to survive

homeostasis

maintaining a stable internal environment; ex: sweating when it's hot

Stimulus

any change in an organisms environment

response

the behavior that is manifested by a living organism which is the result of an external or internal stimulus.

growth

increase in the number, size, and/or volume of cells

development

change in function of cells; ex: cell division, tadpole-->frog cycle

reproduction

the process of generating offspring

sexual reproduction

2 parents, offspring have 50% DNA from each parent; ex: animals and plants

asexual reproduction

1 parent divides into 2, all offspring are identical to parent; ex: bacteria, some plants

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid; a set of instructions your cells use to make protein

hypothesis

a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations; always testable; if/then/because statement

Scientific Law

generalized observations about a relationship between two or more natural phenomena; describes the what

scientific theory

a theory that explains scientific observations and law; describes the why

Controlled variable

everything that is kept the same within an experiment

independent variable

what the scientist intentionally changes/what is being tested

Dependent variable

what the scientist is measuring/collecting data about

Experimental group

the group within an experiment that receives a certain treatment or that have a certain characteristic; the group you manipulate/apply the independent variable to

Control group

the group within an experiment that is identical to the experimental group but without exposure to the independent variable

virus

an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat

Levels at which Life is Organized

cell-->tissue-->organ-->organ system-->organism

eukaryote

more complex than prokaryotic cells, contain a nucleus with DNA, contains membrane bound organelles