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1610 Ch. 1 Terms
1610 Biology: Ch. 1 Terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| autotroph | An organism that synthesizes complex organic compounds from simple inorganic raw materials; also called producer or primary producer. |
| mutation | Any change in DNA; may include a change in the nucleotide base pairs of a gene, rearrangement of genes within the chromosomes so that their interactions produce different effects, or a change in the chromosomes themselves. |
| organ | A specialized structure made up of tissues and adapted to perform a specific function or group of functions. |
| emergent property | Characteristics of an object, process, or behavior that could not be predicted from its component parts; emergent properties can be identified at each level as we move up the hierarchy of biological organization. |
| genome | Originally, all the genetic material in a cell or individual organism. The term is used in more than one way depending on context. |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid, Double-stranded nucleic acid; contains genetic information coded in specific sequences of its constituent nucleiotides. |
| nucleus | A cell organelle in eukaryotes that contains the DNA and serves as the control center of the cell. |
| asexual reproduction | Reproduction in which there is no fusion of gametes and in which the genetic makeup of parent and of offspring is usually identical. |
| ecosystem | The interacting system that encompasses a community and its nonliving, physical environment. |
| protein | A large, complex organic compound composed of covalently linked amino acid subunits; contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. |
| systematics | The scientific study of the diversity of organisms and their evolutionary relationships. |
| binomial system of nomenclature | System of naming a species by the combination of the genus name and a specific epithet. |
| class | A taxonomic category made up of related orders. |
| taxon | A formal taxonomic group at any level, e.g., phylum or genus. |
| Eukarya | An organism whose cells have nuclei and other membrane-enclosed organelles. Includes protist, fungi, plants, and animals. |
| Protista | One of the vast kingdom of eukaryotic organisms, primarilly unicellular or simple multicellular; mostly aquatic. |
| gene pool | All the alleles of all the genes present in the freely interbreeding population. |
| photosynthesis | The biological process that captures light energy and transforms it into the chemical energy of organic molecules (e.g., carbohydrates), which are manufactured from carbon dioxide and water. |
| hypothesis | A testable statement about the nature of an observation or relationship. |
| control group | In a scientific experiment, a group in which the experimental variable is kept constant. The control provides a standard of comparison used to verify the results of the experiment. |
| genomics | The emerging field of biology that studies the entire DNA sequence of an organism's genome to identify all the genes, determine their RNA or proteins products, and ascertain how the genes are regulated. |
| organelle | One of the specialized structures within the cell, such as the mitochondria, Golgi complex, ribosomes, or contractile vacuole; many are membrane-enclosed. |
| metabolism | The sum of all the chemical processes that occur within a cell or organism; the transformations by which energy and matter are made available for use by the organism. |
| sexual reproduction | A type of reproduction in which two gametes fuse to form a zygote. |
| atom | The smallest quantity of an element that retains chemical properties of that element. |
| organism | Any living system consisting of one or more cells. |
| biosphere | All of Earth's living organism's, collectively. |
| cell signaling | Mechanisms of communication between cells. Cells signal one another with secreted signaling molecule, or a signaling molecule on one cell combines with a receptor on another cell. |
| taxonomy | The science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms. |
| species epithet | The second part of the name of a species; designates a specific species belonging to that genus. |
| phylum | A taxonomic grouping of related, similar classes; a category beneath the kingdom and above the class. |
| Eubacteria | spherical or rod-shaped bacteria of the order Eubacteriales, characterized by simple, undifferentiated cells with rigid walls; true bacteria. |
| Animalia | the taxonomic kingdom comprising all animals. |
| evolution | Any cumulative genetic changes in a population from generation to generation. Leads to differences in populations and explains the origin of all the organisms that exist today or have ever existed. |
| cellular respiration | Cellular respiration is the process by which the cells generate ATP though a series of redox reactions. In aerobic respiration he terminal electron acceptor is molecular oxygen. |
| consumer | aka heterotroph, an organism that cannot synthesize its own food from inorganic raw materials and therefore must obtain energy and body-building materials from the organisms. |
| deductive reasoning | The reasoning that operates from generalities to specifics and can make relationships among data more apparent. |
| theory | A widely accepted explanation supported by a large body of observations and experiments. A good theory relates facts that appear unrelated; it predicts new facts and suggest new relationships. |
| cell | The basic structural and functional unit of life, which consists of living material enclosed by a membrane. |
| prokaryotic cell | A cell that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-enclosed organelles; includes the bacteria and archaea. |
| homeostasis | The balanced internal environment of the body; the automatic tendency of an organism to maintain such a steady state. |
| adaptations | (1) An evolutionary modification that improves an organisms chances of survival and reproductive success. (2) A decline in the response of response of a receptor subjected o repeated or prolonged stimulation. |
| molecule | The smallest particle of a covalently bonded element or compound; two or more atoms joined by covalent bonds. |
| population | A group of organisms of the same species that live in a defined geographic area at the same time. |
| ecology | A discipline of biology that studies the interrelations among relations among living things and their environments. |
| hormone | an inorganic chemical messenger in multicellular organisms that is produced in one part of the body and often transported to another part where it signals cells to alter some aspect of metabolism |
| species | One or more populations whose members are capable of interbreeding in nature to produce fertile offspring and do not interbreed with other members. |
| family | A taxonomic category made up of related genera. |
| kingdom | A broad taxonomic category made up of related phyla; many biologists currently recognize six kingdoms of living organisms. |
| Archaea | Prokaryotic organisms with a number of features, such as the absense of peptidoglycan in their cell walls, that set them apart from the bacteria. One of the two prokaryotic domains. |
| Fungi | A heterotrophic eukaryote with chitinous cell walls and a body usually in the form of a mycelium of branched, threadlike hyphae. Most are decomposers; some are parasitic. |
| natural selection | the tendency of organisms that have favorable adaptations to their environment to survive and become the parents of the next generation. Evolution occurs when natural selection results in changes in allele frequencies in a population. |
| producer | aka autotroph; An organism that synthesizes complex organic compounds from simple inorganic raw materials. |
| heterotroph | An organism that cannot synthesize its own food from inorganic raw materials and therefore must obtain energy and body-building materials from other organisms. |
| inductive reasoning | The reasoning that uses specific examples to draw a general conclusion or discover a general principle. |
| plasma membrane | The selectively permeable surface membrane that encloses the cell contents and through which all materials entering or leaving the cell must pass. |
| eukaryotic cell | An organism whose cells have nuclei and other membrane-enclosed organelles. Includes protists, fungi, plants, and animals. |
| cilia | minute hairlike organelles, identical in structure to flagella, that line the surfaces of certain cells and beat in rhythmic waves, providing locomotion to ciliate protozoans and moving liquids along internal epithelial tissue in animals. |
| flagella | A long, whiplike structure extending from certain cells and used in locomotion. |
| reductionism | The gain of one ore more electrons (or hydrogen atoms) by an atom, ion, molecule. |
| tissue | A group of closely associated, similiar cells that work together to carry out specific functions. |
| community | An association of populations of different species living together in a defined habitat with some degree of interdepence. |
| gene | A segment of DNA that serves as a unit of hereditary information; includes a transcribable DNA sequence (plus associated sequences regulating its transcription) that yields a protein or RNA products with a specific function. |
| neurotransmittor | A chemical signalused by neurons to transmit impulses across a synapse. |
| genus | A taxonomic category made up of related species. |
| order | A taxonomic category made up of related families. |
| domain | (1) A structural and functional region of a protein. (2) The broadest taxonomic category; each domain includes one or more kingdoms. |
| Archaebacteria | a group of microorganisms that have RNA sequences, coenzymes, and a cell wall composition that are different from all other organisms. |
| Plantae | the taxonomic kingdom comprising all plants. |
| decomposer | Microbial heterotrophs that break down dead organic material and use the decomposition products as a source of energy. |
| experimental group | A group of subjects that are exposed to the variable of a control experiment. |
Created by:
Grace Perry
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