Biology Ecosystems and Evolution Review

Flashcards covering key concepts from lecture notes including ecosystem carbon dynamics, evolutionary theory, biological nomenclature, domains of life, and natural selection.

Autotrophs

Organisms, such as plants, that produce their own food using photosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that consume the food produced by plants and interact with their surrounding environment.

Greenhouse gas

A gas in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), methane ($CH_4$), or fluorocarbons, that traps heat and raises atmospheric temperatures.

Theory of evolution

The scientific explanation in secular biology for both the unity and diversity of living organisms through common ancestry and environmental adaptation.

Binomial nomenclature

A classification system that assigns every living organism a two-part name consisting of a genus (generic name) and a species (specific name).

International Committee on Nomenclature

An organization that evaluates evidence submitted by researchers to approve and standardize names for newly discovered species.

Insects

The largest category or class of living organisms, with millions of species existing and new ones being continuously discovered.

Three domains of life

The primary classification of life in secular biology consisting of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Archaea

Small, bacteria-like organisms that live and reproduce in extreme environments, such as water at boiling temperatures of $100^\text{C}$, high salt levels, or extreme pH levels.

Extremophile

An organism that thrives in extreme environmental conditions, such as very high temperatures, high salinity, or extreme pH.

Kingdom Plantae

A kingdom within the domain Eukarya comprised of autotrophic organisms that produce their own food.

Kingdom Fungi

A kingdom within the domain Eukarya comprised of organisms that absorb nutrients from their environment.

Kingdom Animalia

A kingdom within the domain Eukarya comprised of organisms that ingest their food.

Protists

A separate group of organisms, formerly classified as a kingdom, that exhibit similarities to both plants and animals.

Paramecium

A single-cellular aquatic organism that moves using tiny cilia similar in structure to the cilia found in human respiratory tracts.

Theory of natural selection

The principle proposed by Charles Darwin stating that natural environmental parameters determine the survival and reproduction of organisms with advantageous traits.

The Origin of Species

The publication by Charles Darwin detailing the theory of natural selection and evolutionary adaptation.