Biology - Exam 1 Study Guide

Outline the steps of a scientific investigation.

1. Ask a question. 2.Do Background Research 3.Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation. 4.Test the hypothesis with an experiment 5. Draw conclusion 6. communicate the results

Which variable are you changing in an experiment?(tested variable)

Independent variable

What characteristics must a hypothesis have to be useful in science?

Needs to be able to do an experiment and take measurements or make observations to show two variables are related.

What is a Independent Variable?

Something intentionally changed by a scientist. What you are testing. Also called the manipulated variable. you should only have ONE independent variable.

What is a dependent variable?

Something that might be affected by the change in the independent variable. It is dependent on the independent variable. What your observing or measuring

Describe the levels of organization of a complex, multicellular organism such as a mouse, starting with the cell.

The Cell - then Tissue -then Organ - then Organ System - to Finally Organism (the mouse)

What is homeostasis?

process of maintaining stable internal conditions or environment.

What are the six groups of kingdoms?

- Plant - Animal - Bacteria - Archaea - Protists - Fungi

What is an ecosystem?

A biotic (living) community plus the abiotic (non-living) features. Community plus environment

Which level of organization is a worm?

An organism

What are variables?

Any factor that can have an effect on the outcome of the experiment

In order for an organism to be considered living it must?

At some point in their life they had all the characteristics

Which variable is used as the bases to compare your results?

Control ( C for control and the C for comparison) to check by saying your independent variable is what caused this change I saw because of my control.

What are control experiments?

Controlled variables are the variables you will ensure are the same in each test group.

How many variables should be tested in an experiment? At one time?

One variable should be tested at one time!!

Which level of organization is being displace?

Organ system

Which comes next in the sequence cell, tissue, then ?

Organ, Organ System, Organism

Which of the following carries out life functions within cells?

Organelles ("tiny organs" inside a cell)

Why do scientists communicate their results?

Scientists communicate their results to share their observations and experiments with the world. This allows others to have the results as well as repeat the experiment to build on the scientists results or verify them.

What is a community?

Several populations (multiple species) living together; populations interact.

A group of similar cells working together to perform a specific function is called?

Tissue

What is qualitative data?

Uses the 5 sense; sight, smell, touch, taste, and touch Example: The leaves are green; this is spicy

Give an example of a scientific question that could be investigated with an experiment. Then give an example of a question that could not be investigated.

What do ants like to eat? This can be experimented by placing out three different types like butter, chocolate, and chicken in front of an ant hill and after a couple hours observe how many ants chose which food option. What's the best sport? This question is a personal question which could be opinionated and not could not be investigated.

Give three examples of the (abiotic) nonliving environment.

Wind, temperature, and water

What is an experiment?

a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

What is a scientific hypothesis?

a simple, testable statement of a prediction based on available information. (If___, then___)

The ability to maintain internal balance?

homeostasis

What are the three types of variables?

independent, dependent, controlled

What is quantitative data?

involves numbers and measurements.

The term biotic refers to ______ parts of an environment?

living

Can a hypothesis be proven true?

no - we can only determine the level of uncertainty around the hypothesis

What is making the next generation known as?

reproduction

What is a population?

same type of organism living together; same species

What is a cell?

smallest unit of life

abiotic factors (non-living) in an environment include what?

temperature

What is biodiversity?

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

What is the smallest living level of organization?

cell

What are the six characteristics of all living things?

- It responds to the environment. - It grows and develops. - It produces offspring. - It maintains homeostasis. - It uses and requires energy - It consists of cells

EXAMPLE: Identify the independent and dependent variables in the following experiment: A scientist grew bacteria on gel in her lab. She wanted to find out if the bacteria would grow faster on gel A or gel B. She placed a few bacteria on gel A and a few on gel B. After 24 hours, she observed how many bacteria were present on each type of gel.

Dependent variable: The scientist measured how long it took for bacteria to grow on each type of gel. Independent variable: If the bacteria would grow faster on gel A or gel B?

Which characteristic of life is responsible for maintaining all of the other characteristics?

Energy