BIO103: Concepts in Human Biology - Lecture Notes Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from BIO103: Concepts in Human Biology lecture notes, including course policies, student expectations, and fundamental concepts of human biology, classification, and levels of organization.

BIO103: Concepts in Human Biology

The name of the course.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain a consistent internal environment in response to changing internal or external conditions.

Dynamic Constancy

The state maintained by homeostatic mechanisms that regulate internal conditions such as temperature, water/salt levels, glucose, pH, O2, and CO2 in the fluids surrounding cells.

3 Domains of Life

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Eukarya

A domain of life characterized by cells that have a membrane-bound nucleus.

Bacteria and Archaea

Domains of life characterized by cells that lack a membrane-bound nucleus.

Protista

A kingdom within Eukarya including unicellular and simple multicellular eukaryotic organisms like protozoa, algae, and slime molds.

Plantae

A kingdom within Eukarya including multicellular, eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms.

Animalia

A kingdom within Eukarya including multicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms.

Fungi

A kingdom within Eukarya including eukaryotic decomposers such as molds, yeasts, and mushrooms.

Species

The smallest unit of classification; a population of organisms with similar physical and functional characteristics that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Genus

The second smallest unit of classification, comprising one or more populations of closely related species.

Homo sapiens

The genus and species classification for all living human beings.

Bipedalism

A defining feature of humans, referring to the ability to stand upright and walk on two legs.

Opposable Thumbs

A defining feature of humans, enabling the ability to grasp objects between the thumb and tips of fingers.

Chemical level of organization

The smallest level of biological organization, referring to molecular structures.

Cellular level of organization

Formed by many types of molecules combined in specific ways to create cellular structures.

Tissue level of organization

Consists of two or more cell types that cooperate to perform a common function, including cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix.

Organ level of organization

Made up of two or more tissue types combined to form a distinct structure with a recognizable shape and specialized task.

Organ system level of organization

Composed of two or more organs that function together to carry out a major physiological process, such as the digestive system.

Organism level of organization

The highest level, where all organ systems function together to make up a complete living human body.