Chapter 1 Lecture Vocabulary

Eukaryote

A eukaryote is any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes. Eukaryotes belong to the taxon Eukarya or Eukaryota.

Fungi

A fungus is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes unicellular microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as multicellular fungi that produce familiar fruiting forms known as mushrooms.

Prokaryote

A prokaryote is a single-celled organism that lacks a membrane-bound nucleus (karyon), mitochondria, or any other membrane-bound organelles.

Scientific hypothesis

A scientific hypothesis is the initial building block in the scientific method. Many describe it as an "educated guess," based on prior knowledge and observation.

Falsifiable

A statement is called falsifiable if it is possible to conceive an observation or an argument which proves the statement in question to be false. In this sense, falsify is synonymous with nullify, meaning not "to commit fraud" but "show to be false".

Protista

A taxonomic kingdom comprised of protists, characterized by being eukaryotic and mostly single-celled. Kingdom Protista is one of the five biological kingdoms in the formerly used taxonomic classification of organisms (proposed by Robert Whittaker). Protists are grouped into animal-like (protozoa), plant-like (single-celled and some multicellular, eukaryotic algae), and fungus-like (i.e. slime molds and water molds).

Emergent properties (give examples)

An emergent property is a property which a collection or complex system has, but which the individual members do not have. A failure to realize that a property is emergent, or supervenient, leads to the fallacy of division. * In biology, for example, heart is made of heart cells, heart cells on their own don't have the property of pumping blood. You will need the whole heart to be able to pump blood. Claiming that an individual heart cell can pump blood because the heart can would be an example of fallacy of division. * In chemistry, for example, the taste of saltiness is a property of salt, but that does not mean that it is also a property of sodium and chlorine, the two elements which make up salt. Thus, saltiness is an emergent or a supervenient property of salt. Claiming that chlorine must be salty because salt is salty would be an example of the fallacy of division.

Theory

An explanation or model that covers a substantial group of occurrences in nature and has been confirmed by a substantial number of experiments and observations. A theory is more general and better verified than a hypothesis.

Animalia

Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia. All animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently, at some point in their lives.

Bacteria

Bacteria constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a number of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Bacteria were among the first life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats. Bacteria inhabit soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and the deep portions of Earth's crust. Bacteria also live in symbiotic and parasitic relationships with plants and animals. They are also known to have flourished in manned spacecraft.

Eukarya

One of the three domains or super kingdoms, into which all living organisms are classified, the other two being Bacteria and Archaea. The Eukarya includes all organisms with cells possessing a membrane bounded nucleus in which the DNA is complexed with histomes, and organized into chromosomes. Eukaryotic cells also have an extensive cytoskeleton of protein filaments and tubules and many cellular functions are sequestered into membrane bounded organelles in the cytoplasm, such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi apparatus. The eukaryotes comprise protozoans, algae, fungi, the slime molds, plants, and animals.

Archaea

The Archaea constitute a domain or kingdom of single-celled microorganisms. These microbes are prokaryotes, meaning that they have no cell nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelles in their cells. Archaea have more complex RNA polymerases than Bacteria, similar to Eukarya. Unlike bacteria, archaea cell walls do not contain peptidoglycan. Archaea have different membrane lipid bonding from bacteria and eukarya.

Plantae

The Kingdom plantae can be defined as multicellular, autotrophic eukaryotes, which conduct photosynthesis. All member of this family comprises of true nucleus and advanced membrane bound organelles.

Species binomen

The first part of the name identifies the genus to which the species belongs; the second part identifies the species within the genus. For example, humans belong to the genus Homo and within this genus to the species Homo sapiens.