GBIO 106 Ch. 1
Rank the steps of the generalized scientific method in order from first at the top to last at the bottom.
1. Observe and ask questions about something in the natural world. 2. Create a hypothesis to explain your observations and make predictions. 3. Carry out experiment(s) to test the hypothesis and collect data. 4. Analyze your data and draw conclusions.
What statements are true about double-blind studies?
A double-blind study helps avoid bias in medical research; neither the researchers nor the participants know who received the placebo and who received the treatment substance.
What describes a community?
All the populations of different species that live in an area.
What are the small chemical units that can combine to form molecules?
Atom
What two scientists independently developed the idea of natural selection?
Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
What domain is characterized by having unicellular and multicellular organisms whose cells contain a nucleus?
Eukarya
What are Domain names in the taxonomic hierarchy of life?
Eukarya, Bacteria, Archaea
What is true about asexual reproduction?
Genetic information comes from only one parent; offspring are virtually identical to each other.
Which of the following is an example of a prediction resulting from the hypothesis, "The room is dark because the light bulb is burned out"?
If I put in a new light bulb, the room will not be dark.
What are the qualities of a valid hypothesis?
It can be rejected; it must be testable.
What happens to a theory when future observations do not support its predictions?
It weakens
What are all the characteristics of life?
Organization; homeostasis, or maintenance of internal constancy; energy use; evolution; reproduction, growth, and development
Match each eukaryotic group or kingdom with its appropriate description.
Plantae: Multicellular; almost all are autotrophic organisms Animalia: Heterotrophs; obtain food by ingestion Fungi: Heterotrophs; obtain food by external digestion Protista: Unicellular and multicellular organisms; autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms
Match each category of organisms with their method of obtaining energy.
Producer: autotroph that obtains energy and nutrients from nonliving sources. Consumer: heterotroph that obtains energy and nutrients by eating other organisms Decomposer: heterotroph that obtains energy and nutrients from wastes and dead organisms.
What questions are difficult or impossible to answer using science?
Questions about ethics, questions about beauty and questions about morality
Categorize each statement into the type of reproduction it describes.
Sexual reproduction: results in genetic diversity; offspring has mix of genes from two parents Asexual reproduction: offspring virtually identical; genes from only one parent
What ways can the human body maintain a body temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius while outside on a cold day.
Shivering; diverting blood from the body surface
What are the established scientific ideas that were later revised due to technological inventions and new data analysis methods?
The Earth is flat; the Earth is the center of the universe; all organisms are either plants or animals.
What are examples of characteristics in organisms that make them well-suited to the environments?
The long beaks of hummingbird pollinators match the shape of tubular flowers; beavers have large front teeth that are excellent at gnawing wood; an insect is shaped like the leaf of the tree it lives on.
What is taxonomy?
The science of naming and classifying organisms
The variable of an experiment is
a changeable element of an experiment
Which of the following describes a control group?
a group that receives a placebo or no treatment
Flowers shaped for their pollinators, specific camouflaged color patterns of animals, and a beaver's enormous front teeth for gnawing are all examples of
adaptations
In a scientific experiment, a placebo is
an inert treatment given to the control group.
A scientist who is unaware of his or her biases might be slow to accept
an unexpected result
Emergent properties show that biological function and structure
are interdependent.
Investigators in a scientific study should keep an open mind and not allow ________________ to cloud their studies.
biases
What can be limitations to scientific inquiry?
biases of scientists; misinterpretations of results; reluctance to accept unexpected conclusions
The ________________ includes all parts of Earth and its atmosphere where life can survive.
biosphere
Which of the following characteristics can scientists use to compare evolutionary relationships between organisms?
cellular attributes; genetic characteristics; biochemical aspects; anatomical features
What is evolution?
changes in genetic makeup of a population over multiple generations
The cell's genetic instructions are encoded in a molecule called _______________, and these instructions are used to produce proteins and allow the cell to carry out specialized functions.
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
An area of forest, including the organisms that occupy it and the nonliving components of its area, is an example of a(n)
ecosystem
Place each example into its correct category of data collection.
experimentation: administering chemicals from tobacco to cells and recording the results; test of a hypothesis under controlled conditions discovery: studying trends in diseases to reveal that the incidence of diabetes is correlated with incidence of obesity; carefully observing animals in nature without manipulation to them or their setting.
Some theories, such as the theory of gravity, are so widely accepted that they are regarded as
facts
Organisms are linked with one another through _____________________, in which producers are eaten by heterotrophs, which are in turn eaten by other heterotrophs, all of which can be decomposed by fungi and bacteria.
food webs
The complex properties seen in living things are evidence that biological structure is closely tied to
function.
Each type of organism is assigned a unique, two-part scientific name, which consists of the ___________________________ of the organism.
genus and specific descriptor
What describes the state of internal constancy maintained by an organism?
homeostasis
A tentative and testable explanation for an observation is called a(n) _________________ and is an essential early step of a scientific study.
hypothesis
If the results of an experiment are completely unexpected, what might scientists do?
make new observations and hypotheses
Biologists begin a study by asking questions and
making observations
The chemical reactions that occur within cells and allow organisms to build molecules and use energy for their activities are collectively called
metabolism
What is a group of joined atoms, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)?
molecule
What has been made possible by the development of scientific technology?
new scientific discoveries; advances in medicine; ability to study the natural world in new ways
After compiling results from experiments or studies, researchers may use tests to determine statistical significance of the results, which is to see if there is a low probability that the results
occurred purely by chance.
What is a structure consisting of tissues organized to interact and carry out specific functions?
organ
A living thing or individual is also called a(n)
organism
Match each example to its correct level of biological organization.
organism: bacterial cell community: the plants, animals, and microorganisms that inhabit a particular field molecule: DNA ecosystem: organisms, water, air, and nutrients in a desert area organ system: heart and blood vessels atom: carbon
In a process called _______________, scientists evaluate the validity of the research in a scientific paper that has been submitted for publication.
peer review
The production of new organisms that are similar to existing organisms is a property of life called
reproduction
In most organisms, only some of the offspring that are produced will survive to reproduce because
resources are limited.
The number of individuals examined in an experiment is called the
sample size.
In _________________ reproduction, offspring are produced that contain a combination of genetic material from two parents.
sexual
What organisms are able to reproduce asexually?
some plants; sponges; fungi
An organ ______________ is composed of several organs that are connected and working together.
system
A theory is _________________, meaning that it remains accepted but is potentially falsifiable if future tests or observations disprove it.
testable
What are characteristics of a scientific theory?
testable; falsifiable; widely accepted and supported; explains many observations
Evolution has been operating on organisms since
the first cells formed
The scientific definition of theory is "a ________________," whereas the nonscientific definition of theory is "a _________________."
well-tested explanation; guess
Match the following types of variables to their correct definition.
Independent variable: the manipulated portion of the experiment Dependent variable: the response that an investigator measures Standardized variable: a parameter of the experiment that is held constant
What statement describes a cell?
The smallest unit that can be called life
True or false: Natural selection is a mechanism of evolution.
True
What process describes the cell division and growth of specialized tissues that produces a multicellular organism from a single, fertilized egg?
development
New complex functions and characteristics that arise when smaller components of an organism interact are called
emergent properties
All living things are composed of one or more cells, use _________________ to grow and reproduce, and maintain a state of internal constancy.
energy
Darwin and Wallace used the theory of _________________ to hypothesize that a very long-tongued insect must exist that can pollinate flowers of the Angraecum sesquipedale on Madagascar.
evolution
In the scientific method, a(n) ________________ is an investigation carried out under controlled conditions to test a hypothesis.
experiment
The low, medium, and high concentrations of vaccine in the experiment shown comprise the _______________ variable.
independent
The traits of individuals that have higher reproductive success in a particular environment become more common within a population due to
natural selection
_____________________ are membrane-bounded compartments within eukaryotic cells that carry out specialized functions; one example is a chloroplast.
organelles
Consider a species of frog that lives in many ponds throughout central California. A group of the frogs in one of the ponds, NOT including the other species of organisms living there, is an example of a(n)
population
Natural ____________________ is a mechanism of evolution in which certain individuals from a population exhibit enhanced reproductive success based on inherited characteristics.
selection
Advances in __________________, such as DNA sequencers and radio-tracking devices, have enhanced biological discovery.
technology
Biologists ask questions about
the natural world and living things.
What is one way that organisms in the domain Bacteria differ from organisms in the domain Archaea?
the presence of DNA sequence differences
The discovery in 1903 of a moth species with a tongue long enough to reach the deep nectaries of an orchid species discovered earlier on Madagascar demonstrates that
the work of scientists can be collaborative.
Organs are made up of
tissues
