Biology Unit 1

Stratigraphy

(indirect) geologists study the strata or layers of the earth to create a rough outline of the earth's geologic history

Bacteria

(microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission

Plate Tectonics and its influence on evolution

230 mya, one gigantic continent called Pangaea. Since then, the land has broken apart and reformed into the current arrangement of continents. Process is called Continental Drift, which is now understood as the Theory of Plate Tectonics.

Big Darwin contributions

A biologist who developed theory of evolution of species (1859). He argued that all living species evolved into their present form through the ability to adapt in a struggle for survival. (natural selection)

Hominids

A species on the human branch of the evolutionary tree; a member of the family Hominidae, including Homo sapiens and our ancestors

Bacteria vs antibiotics

Antibiotics killed off majority of bacteria (affective). The bacteria that does not die reproduces. Overtime the majority of the population is the bacteria that is resistant to the antibiotic, making the antibiotic not affective.

Domains

Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Broadest category

Fitness

Basically how well an organism is equipped to survive in its natural environment

Acquired Characteristics

Characteristics of an organism gained during its lifetime, not determined genetically and therefore not transmitted to the offspring

Biological Classification System

Developed by biologists to name, organize, and categorize organisms, Domain (Eukaryota), Kingdom (Animalia), Phylum (Chordata), Class (Mammalia), Order (Primate), Family (Hominidae), Genus (Homo), Species (sapiens)

Kingdom

Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

The Fossil Record

The fossil record not only provides information about once-living organisms, it also provides an account of how the earth itself changed across very long periods of time. The energy of the earth itself drives large-scale geological changes These changes occur over long periods of time that typify geological change.

Human Evolution

The long-term biological maturation of the human species; geographically, all evidence points towards East Africa as the source of humankind; our species, Homo sapiens, emigrated from this hearth to eventually populate the rest of the ecumene.

Homology

a characteristic that is similar among different organisms because they evolved from a common ancestor

Evolution

a collection of facts, observations, and hypotheses about the history of life (a change over a period of time)

Binomial Nomenclature

a system for giving each organism a two-word scientific name that consists of the genus name followed by the species name

Evolution of plants

algae(protist)--> moss,(water conducting vascular tissue) --> ferns,(seeds)--> cone bearing plants, --> angiosperms (flowering seeds enclosed in fruit) flowering plants

Mutation

changes in the nucleotide sequence of DNA, is the ultimate source of new alleles

Heritable Characteristics

characteristics or physical traits that can be passed down from one generation to the next (acquired from birth) ex: blood type, thumbshape, eye color

antibiotics

chemicals that inhibit the growth of or kill other microorganisms

Direct dating techniques

determining the age of the fossil straight from the fossil source. Radioactive dating (using radioactive isotopes and seeing how much they have decayed to find when they were alive)

Evolutionary Trees

diagrams that show relationships between different species and common ancestors, how organisms changed over time

Family

group of related genera

Comparative Anatomy and Embryology

growth, development, and body structures of major groups of organisms

Galapagos Islands and finch evolution

how the finches in the islands developed the deeper beak to survive in the changing environment- evolved based on natural selection

Species

most specific, share characteristics and interbreed, population of organisms

Mechanisms for Evolutionary Change

natural selection, adaptation, variation, populations, geographical range

Natural Selection

process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest. a mechanism of evolution

Artificial Selection

selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with desired genetic traits

Phylum

several classes

Order

several families of similar organisms

Class

several orders

All living things

share evolution, homeostasis, energy, matter, organization, continuity, development, ecology

Embryology

similar embryos, diverse organisms

Genus

small group of organisms that are similar

Paleontologists

specialize in the study of fossils and the history of the earth. In order to understand biological change, you must understand geologic change. Fossils are bones and other traces of ancient organisms.

Vestigial Structures

structures that are functional in some species, but seemingly useless in others. "a remnant of" (ex: goose bumps on humans)

Homologous Structures

structures that develop from similar tissues in the early developmental stages of the organism (common origin, but not necessarily common function) (Human arm & horse leg, forelimbs of bat & eagle)

Physical Anthropologist

studies biological evolution of humans, studies all aspects of present and past humans- genes, bones, structure

Evolutionary Biologists

study how living organisms change physically over time

Developmental Biologist

study the stages of growth and development that living organisms pass through as they grow from fertilized egg to mature adult and beyond (DNA and embryo similarity)

photosynthesizers

take in carbon dioxide, water, and solar energy to create nutrients usable for the organism itself

Adaptation

the process of becoming adapted to an environment; an anatomical, physiological, or behavioral change that improves a population's ability to survive. inherited characteristic that improves an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. (occur because of changes in environment)

process of evolutionary change results in a diversity of organisms

the same species splits and lives in two different environments, develop differently over long periods of time

Taxonomy

the science of naming organisms

Comparative Biochemistry (DNA)

the studies of organisms on a biochemical level, such as the structure of genes or protein or hemoglobin. the fewer differences that there are in these structures, the more closely related they are. Shows common ancestry and evolution. All living things share some genes.

Humans influence on evolution

using artificial selection to create unnatural offspring and changing the environment- greenhouse gases, global warming