Ch 1: Biology in the 21st Century Pt. 1
Different types of life live almost everywhere on earth.
Biosphere: All living things and all the places they are found on earth.
Includes the environment, atmosphere, and organisms found in the area.
All parts of the biosphere are connected.
Biodiversity: The variety of life across the biosphere.
Greater biodiversity is found near the equator because more living things can live in warmer climates than in cold climates.
Species: A type of living thing that can reproduce by breeding among themselves.
2 million out of the estimated 10 million species on earth have been identified.
Every year, biologists discover 10,000 new species
Biology: The scientific study of all forms of life.
Organism: Any individual living thing.
Cells: The basic unit of life.
All organisms are made up of one or more cells.
Living things use chemical energy to survive.
Chemical energy is received through absorbing sunlight or eating other organisms.
Metabolism: All of the chemical processes that build up or break down materials.
Metabolism in organisms needs energy.
All organisms need to react to their environment to survive.
Physical reactions called stimuli include light, temperature, and touch.
Organisms pass down genetic material when they reproduce.
DNA: The genetic material found in all organisms.
Full name is deoxyribonucleic acid.
Single-celled organisms reproduce by dividing into two.
Multicellular organisms reproduce from two parents.
Organisms develop according to instructions carried by DNA and RNA.
System: An organized group of related parts that form a whole.
The whole system’s characteristics come from the interaction of the different parts.
Two organisms that interact with each other can be a system.
Ecosystem: A physical environment with different species that interact with other species and nonliving things.
Different biologists study different systems.
Structure correlates with function
Parts of a cell have structured in certain ways to have different uses.
Different types of cells themselves are structured to fit certain purposes.
Parts of living things are structured to work in a way that is most beneficial.
Homeostasis: The maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism.
Important for cell function to have regulated conditions.
Homeostasis is usually maintained with Negative feedback
Negative feedback causes a response that should return the system to its original state when a change in a system occurs.
For instance, when it’s cold, a response humans have is to shiver, which is a technique to warm the body.
Evolution: The change of genetic material in living things over time.
Long-term response to an environment.
Evolution can occur through natural selection and adaptation.
Natural Selection is when organisms with a certain genetic trait survive and reproduce better than organisms without the trait.
Adaptation: An inherited trait that gives an advantage to organisms with that trait.
Adaptations occur through MANY generations as traits are passed down.
One species might branch into two when the different traits become more common in the species’ population.
Shared traits in organisms are a result of common evolutionary descent.
Natural selection can lead to the evolution of new species.
Science is a human process of trying to understand the world around us.
Scientific Inquiry is based on curiosity and skepticism, and also requires evidence.
Skepticism uses critical thinking to analyze results.
Observation: using senses and tools to study the world
Observation is important for categorizing and studying organisms.
Data: Information that is collected through observation.
The two general types of data are qualitative data and quantitative data.
Qualitative data is used to report what happens with sights, sounds, and smells.
Quantitative data can be measured or counted to report how something happens.
Hypothesis: A proposed answer for a scientific question.
Scientists use observations and data to form hypotheses.
If the hypothesis is valid, predictions can be made of what will happen in a situation.
A hypothesis can either be nonsignificant or statistically significant after seeing if the data supports the hypothesis.
A nonsignificant outcome would mean the data shows little or no effect.
A statistically significant outcome would mean the data shows an effect that isn’t just a chance.
When data does not support a hypothesis, the hypothesis is rejected.
Peer Review is when results are evaluated by other scientists.
Experiments: a process where scientists study factors (independent and dependent variables) to find cause-and-effect relationships.
Independent variable: A factor that is changed in an experiment.
Dependent variable: A factor that changes based on the independent variable.
This is what is measured and observed during an experiment to see the impacts of the independent variable.
Constants: The conditions in the experiment that don’t change
Scientists use a control group/condition to study the independent variable.
A control group or control condition doesn’t change.
Theory: a proposed explanation for observations and results supported by evidence.
Theories can never be truly proved and can change over time through new evidence.
Different types of life live almost everywhere on earth.
Biosphere: All living things and all the places they are found on earth.
Includes the environment, atmosphere, and organisms found in the area.
All parts of the biosphere are connected.
Biodiversity: The variety of life across the biosphere.
Greater biodiversity is found near the equator because more living things can live in warmer climates than in cold climates.
Species: A type of living thing that can reproduce by breeding among themselves.
2 million out of the estimated 10 million species on earth have been identified.
Every year, biologists discover 10,000 new species
Biology: The scientific study of all forms of life.
Organism: Any individual living thing.
Cells: The basic unit of life.
All organisms are made up of one or more cells.
Living things use chemical energy to survive.
Chemical energy is received through absorbing sunlight or eating other organisms.
Metabolism: All of the chemical processes that build up or break down materials.
Metabolism in organisms needs energy.
All organisms need to react to their environment to survive.
Physical reactions called stimuli include light, temperature, and touch.
Organisms pass down genetic material when they reproduce.
DNA: The genetic material found in all organisms.
Full name is deoxyribonucleic acid.
Single-celled organisms reproduce by dividing into two.
Multicellular organisms reproduce from two parents.
Organisms develop according to instructions carried by DNA and RNA.
System: An organized group of related parts that form a whole.
The whole system’s characteristics come from the interaction of the different parts.
Two organisms that interact with each other can be a system.
Ecosystem: A physical environment with different species that interact with other species and nonliving things.
Different biologists study different systems.
Structure correlates with function
Parts of a cell have structured in certain ways to have different uses.
Different types of cells themselves are structured to fit certain purposes.
Parts of living things are structured to work in a way that is most beneficial.
Homeostasis: The maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism.
Important for cell function to have regulated conditions.
Homeostasis is usually maintained with Negative feedback
Negative feedback causes a response that should return the system to its original state when a change in a system occurs.
For instance, when it’s cold, a response humans have is to shiver, which is a technique to warm the body.
Evolution: The change of genetic material in living things over time.
Long-term response to an environment.
Evolution can occur through natural selection and adaptation.
Natural Selection is when organisms with a certain genetic trait survive and reproduce better than organisms without the trait.
Adaptation: An inherited trait that gives an advantage to organisms with that trait.
Adaptations occur through MANY generations as traits are passed down.
One species might branch into two when the different traits become more common in the species’ population.
Shared traits in organisms are a result of common evolutionary descent.
Natural selection can lead to the evolution of new species.
Science is a human process of trying to understand the world around us.
Scientific Inquiry is based on curiosity and skepticism, and also requires evidence.
Skepticism uses critical thinking to analyze results.
Observation: using senses and tools to study the world
Observation is important for categorizing and studying organisms.
Data: Information that is collected through observation.
The two general types of data are qualitative data and quantitative data.
Qualitative data is used to report what happens with sights, sounds, and smells.
Quantitative data can be measured or counted to report how something happens.
Hypothesis: A proposed answer for a scientific question.
Scientists use observations and data to form hypotheses.
If the hypothesis is valid, predictions can be made of what will happen in a situation.
A hypothesis can either be nonsignificant or statistically significant after seeing if the data supports the hypothesis.
A nonsignificant outcome would mean the data shows little or no effect.
A statistically significant outcome would mean the data shows an effect that isn’t just a chance.
When data does not support a hypothesis, the hypothesis is rejected.
Peer Review is when results are evaluated by other scientists.
Experiments: a process where scientists study factors (independent and dependent variables) to find cause-and-effect relationships.
Independent variable: A factor that is changed in an experiment.
Dependent variable: A factor that changes based on the independent variable.
This is what is measured and observed during an experiment to see the impacts of the independent variable.
Constants: The conditions in the experiment that don’t change
Scientists use a control group/condition to study the independent variable.
A control group or control condition doesn’t change.
Theory: a proposed explanation for observations and results supported by evidence.
Theories can never be truly proved and can change over time through new evidence.
