Chapter 1: Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

Evolution

The process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today.

Organs and Organ Systems

- A body part that carries out a particular function in the body - Each a team of organs that cooperate in a larger function

Eukaryotic Cell

- All other forms of life, including plants and animals, are composed of eukaryotic cells - They are subdivided by internal membranes into various membrane-enclosed organelles

DNA

- DeoxyriboNucleic Acid - Substance of genes

Molecules

Chemical structure consisting of two or more small chemical units called atoms

Technology

Generally applies scientific knowledge for some specific purpose

Global climate change

Global warming

Controlled experiment

One that is designed to co;pare an experimental group with a control group

Communities

Organisms inhabiting particular ecosystem

Archaea

Prokaryotic cells

Bacteria

Prokaryotic cells

Emergent Properties

Properties that are not present at the preceding level They are not unique to life

Data

Recorded observations

Natural Selection

The natural environment "selection" for the propagation of certain traits among naturally occurring variant traits in the population

Themes

- New Properties Emerge at Each Level in the Biological Hierarchy - Organisms Interact w/ Other Organisms and the Physical Environment - Life Requires Energy Transfer and Transformation - Structure and Function Are Correlated at All Levels of Biological Organization - The Cell Is an Organism's Basic Unit of Structure and Function - The Continuity of Life is Based on Heritable Information in the Form of DNA - Feedback Mechanism Regulate Biological Systems - Evolution, the Overarching Theme of Biology

Prokaryotic Cell

- Simpler and smaller than eukaryotic cells - The DNA is not separated from the rest of the cell by enclosure in a membrane-bounded nucleus

Properties of life

- order - evolutionary adaptation - response to the environment - reproduction - growth and development - energy processing - regulation

Levels of Biological Organization

1. Biosphere 2. Ecosystems 3. Communities 4. Populations 5.Organisms 6. Organs and Organ Systems 7. Tissues 8. Cells 9. Organelles 10. Molecules

Deductive reasoning

A generally used after the hypothesis bas been developed and involves logic that flows in the opposite direction, from the general to the specific

Tissues

A group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function

Theory

A much broader in scope that a hypothesis; generally enough to spin off many new, specific hypothesis that can be tested; generally supported by a much greater body of evidence

Model organism

A species that is easy to grow in the lab and lends itself particularly well to the questions being investigated

Hypothesis

A tentative answer to a well framed question- an explanation on trial

Biosphere

All life on Earth and all the places where life exists

Eukarya

All the eukaryote (organisms with eukaryotic cells) grouped in this domain, which includes kingdoms Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia

Population

All the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specified area

Ecosystems

All the living things in a particular area, long with all the nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts

Negative feedback

An accumulation of an end product of a process slows that process

Systems Biology

An approach to attempt to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions among system's parts

Positive feedback

An end product speeds un its own production

Organisms

Individual living things

Cells

Life's fundamental unit of structure and function

Genome

The entire "library" of genetic instructions that an organism inherits

Gene Expression

The entire process, by which the information in a gene directs the production of a cellular product

Biology

The scientific study of life.

Inquiry

The search for information and explanation

Genomics

The study of whole sets of genes of a species as well as comparing genomes between species

Genes

The units of inheritance that transmit information from parents to offspring

Bioinformatics

The use of computational tools to store, organize, and analyze the huge volume of data that result from high-throughput methods

Organelles

The various functional components present in cells

Science

The way of knowing; an approach to understanding the natural world

Inductive reasoning

Type of logic in which collecting and analyzing observations can lead to important conclusions