Module 2: Life Science

Population

All the individuals of a species living within a specific area.

What are the two general approaches anatomists take to the study of the body's structures?

Regional and systemic.

Atom

Smallest and most fundamental unit of matter consisting of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.

Name examples of major organs in the lymphatic system.

Spleen, red bone marrow, lymph nodes, tonsils.

Histology

The study of tissues.

Heredity

The sum of all biological processes by which characteristics are transmitted from parents to their offspring.

Phylum

The third highest taxonomic rank, below Kingdom and above Class.

Endotherm

An animal that is dependent on or capable of the internal generation of heat, a warm-blooded animal.

What is the proper way to write a scientific name?

Capitalize Genus, leave species in lower case and write both terms in italics. Also, note that scientific names are written in the universal language of Latin.

Describe the criteria that distinguish living from non-living organisms.

Cellular composition and the ability to pass genes onto offspring.

Metabolism

Chemical reactions that produce, maintain, and destroy substances, make energy available, and excrete waste.

Give two examples of normal physiological processes that use a positive feedback loop.

Childbirth and blood clotting resulting from a penetrating wound.

Organs

Collections of tissues grouped together based on a common function.

What two important criteria, used by scientists to define life, have been left out of many dictionaries?

Composed of cells (cellular) and pass on genes to offspring (heredity)

Ecosystem

Consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic parts of that environment.

Tissues

Groups of similar cells carrying out the same function.

List the characteristics that define a living organism.

Metabolism, growth, response to environment/stimulation, reproduction, cellular composition, heredity.

Respiratory System

Nasal passage, trachea, lungs; removes carbon dioxide from the body; delivers oxygen to the blood.

Cell

The basic membrane-bound unit that contains the fundamental molecules of life and of which all living things are composed.

Gene

The basic physical and functional unit of heredity made up of DNA.

species

The basic unit of classification and lowest taxonomic rank.

The control center is typically which organ of the body?

The brain.

Biosphere

The collection of all ecosystems including land, water, and portions of the atmosphere.

Effector

The component in a feedback system that causes a change to reverse the situation and return the value to the normal range.

Control Center

The component in a feedback system that compares the value to the normal range.

Sensor (Receptor)

The component in a feedback system that monitors a physiological value.

Dissection

The dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history and the relationships among a species or group of species.

Order

The fifth highest taxonomic rank, below Class and above Family.

What type of scientist analyzes biological evidence left at a crime scene for use as evidence in court?

The forensic scientist.

Identify the four components of a negative feedback loop and explain what would happen if secretion of a body chemical controlled by a negative feedback system became too great.

The four components of a negative feedback loop are: stimulus, sensor, control center, and effector. If too great a quantity of the chemical were excreted, sensors would activate a control center, which would in turn activate an effector. In this case, the effector (the secreting cells) would be adjusted downward.

Class

The fourth highest taxonomic rank, below Phylum and above Order.

Domain

The highest of all taxonomic ranks in the classification of life.

Sister Taxa

When two lineages stem from the same branch point.

The word "anatomy" comes from a Greek root word that means what?

"To cut apart"

Skeletal System

· Cartilage, bones, joints; supports the body; enables movement (with muscular system).

Integumentary System

· Hair, skin, nails; encloses internal body structures; site of many sensory receptors.

-Cyte

· the root word used to denote a cell.

Who invented the Linnaean system?

A Swedish naturalist named Carl Linnaeus.

Molecule

A chemical structure consisting of at least two atoms held together by a chemical bond.

Discuss the need for a comprehensive classification system.

A comprehensive classification system helps science to map the history of evolution from single-celled organisms to the diversity of life on the planet; contributes to our understanding of how life has evolved over time.

Stimulus

A detectable change in the physical or chemical structure of an organism's internal or external environment.

Phylogenetic Tree

A diagram used to reflect evolutionary relationships between organisms.

Growth

A gradual increase in size, perhaps to a maximum.

Organ Systems

A higher level of organization that consists of functionally related organs.

Positive Feedback

A mechanism that intensifies a change in the body's physiological condition rather than reversing it.

Negative Feedback

A mechanism that reverses a deviation from the set point.

Rooted

A phylogenetic tree that has a single ancestral taxon or common ancestor at its base from which all organisms represented descend from.

Taxon

A taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class.

Ectotherm

An animal that is dependent on external sources of body heat, a cold-blooded animal.

Homeostatic Imbalance

An inability of the body to restore to a functional, stable internal environment.

Virus

An infectious agent of small size and composition that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria.

Which contains members that are the most like one another: a phylum or an order?

An order. Members of the same order are more similar to one another than members of the same phylum. An order is a more specific and narrow group of individuals.

Gametes

An organism's reproductive cells.

Hierarchical System

An organizational structure in which items are ranked according to levels of importance; at the lowest level each member belongs to a series of nested groups.

What is the relationship between anatomy and physiology?

Anatomy studies the structures of the body and physiology studies the functions of the body.

What regulatory processes would your body use if you were trapped by a blizzard in an unheated, uninsulated cabin in the woods?

Any prolonged exposure to extreme cold would activate the brain's heat-gain center. This would reduce blood flow to your skin, and shunt blood returning from your limbs away from the digits and into a network of deep veins. Your brain's heat-gain center would also increase your muscle contraction, causing you to shiver. This increases the energy consumption of skeletal muscle and generates more heat. Your body would also produce thyroid hormone and epinephrine, chemicals that promote increased metabolism and heat production.

What are the three domains?

Archaea Bacteria Eukarya

Response to Environment/Stimulation

As the environment of the living organism changes the living organism tries to adapt to survive or it will die.

In terms of hierarchy of life, put the following in order from smallest to largest: organelle, molecule, organ, cell, population, atom, tissue, organism.

Atom, molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organism.

List the levels of living things from simplest to most complex.

Atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organism, populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere.

Describe educational background and duties of the forensic scientist.

Biologists as well as chemists and biochemists can be forensic scientists. Forensic scientists provide scientific evidence for use in courts, and their job involves examining trace material associated with crimes.

Define biology. What distinguishes this field compared to other subjects that focus on life?

Biology is the scientific study of living things. Using hypothesis-based investigation is the defining feature of biology compared to other life studies.

What makes homeostasis an equilibrium?

Body functions are kept within a normal range with some fluctuations around a set point for the processes.

Name examples of major organs in the nervous system.

Brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

Nervous System

Brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves; detects and processes sensory information; activates bodily responses.

How was anatomy first studied?

By observing the exterior of the body and observing the wounds of soldiers and other injuries; later physicians could dissect bodies of the dead.

What macromolecule contains the instructions for the functioning of the organism that contains it?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Classify modern humans at each of the taxonomic levels.

Domain - Eukarya Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Cordata Subphylum - Vertebrata Class - Mammalia Order - Primates Family - Hominidae Genus - Homo species - sapiens

List the different levels of the taxonomic classification system.

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species

Mnemonic Device for Linnaean System

Dragons - Domain Kissed - Kingdom Princesses - Phylum Curiously - Class Once - Order Fairies - Family Gently - Genus Sang - species

Male Reproductive System

Epididymis, testes; produces sex hormones and gametes; delivers gametes to females.

What are the four basic tissue types?

Epithelial (lining) Connective (connecting) Muscular (moving) Nervous (signaling)

Relate homeostatic imbalance to disease.

Failure to maintain homeostasis disrupts normal body function and may result in a disease state or pathological condition.

Form is closely related to what in all living things?

Function

Cardiovascular System

Heart, blood vessels; delivers oxygen and nutrients to tissues; equalizes temperature in the body.

Name examples of major organs in the endocrine system.

Hormone producing glands such as the thyroid gland.

Organisms

Individual living entities.

What makes homeostasis dynamic?

It is constantly adjusting to the changes that the systems encounter.

Why might we consider a virus to be technically non-living?

It is not composed of cells. Modern cell theory states that all living organisms are composed of cells.

Urinary System

Kidneys, urinary bladder; controls water balance in the body; removes wastes from the blood and excretes them.

Within each domain is a second level called what?

Kingdom

Place the following in the correct order from broadest to most narrow: class, family, kingdom, order, phylum.

Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family.

Macromolecule

Large molecules that are typically formed by combining smaller units called monomers.

Define what it is to be a living organism based on classic dictionary definitions. Include a list of the criteria often used to distinguish living and non-living organisms.

Living organisms do metabolism, growth, response to environment or stimulation, and reproduction.

Define what it is to be a living organism.

Living organisms have a metabolism, adapt to their environments, grow and reproduce, are composed of cells, can pass their genes to offspring, and maintain homeostasis.

Understand the role of hierarchy in the study of biology, starting with the atom and ending with the biosphere.

Living things are highly organized and structured, following a hierarchy on a scale from small (or simple) to large (or complex). While the first few building blocks are sub-cellular, and therefore not living, they play important roles both alone and together.

Female Reproductive System

Mammary glands, ovaries, uterus; produces sex hormones and gametes; supports embryo/fetus until birth; produces milk for infant.

What is the difference between a positive feedback loop and a negative feedback loop?

Negative feedback loops work to prevent an excessive response to the stimulus whereas positive feedback loops intensify the response until an end point is reached.

Categorize fire and viruses as either living or non-living.

Non-living, they do not have their own cellular structures.

Abiotic

Not derived from living organisms.

Why do scientists consider phylogenetic trees to be a hypothesis of the evolutionary past?

One cannot go back through time to confirm the proposed relationships.

In what order are humans classified?

Order Primates.

Eukaryotes

Organisms that have membrane-bound organelles and nuclei.

Within kingdoms the subsequent categories of increasing specificity are what?

Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and species.

What do physiologists study?

Physiology is the study of function. Physiologists can apply their knowledge to cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems to gain a comprehensive look at mechanisms that underlie the activity of life.

Endocrine System

Pituitary gland, thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, testes, ovaries; secretes hormones; regulates bodily processes.

Biotechnology

The application of the knowledge of biology to create useful products.

Which criteria for defining a living organism are satisfied by fire? Which are not satisfied by fire? Thus, is fire a living organism?

Satisfied: metabolism, growth, response to environment or stimulation, and reproduction. Not satisfied: composed of cells (cellular) and pass on genes to offspring (heredity). Thus, fire is not a living organism.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms that lack organelles surrounded by a membrane and do not have nuclei surrounded by nuclear membranes.

Muscular System

Skeletal muscles, tendons; enables movement (with skeletal system); helps maintain body temperature.

Name examples of major organs in the integumentary system.

Skin, hair, nails

Organelles

Small structures that exist within cells and perform specialized functions.

What are the four basic components of a feedback system?

Stimulus, Sensor, Control Center, Effector

Digestive System

Stomach, liver, gall bladder, large intestine, small intestine; processes food for use by the body; removes wastes from undigested food.

Molecular Biology

Studies biological processes at the molecular level, including interactions among molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, as well as the way they are regulated.

Describe how systematics and taxonomy relate to phylogeny.

Systematics is the study of the kinds and diversity of organisms and the relationships among them. Taxonomy is the practice of identifying, describing, naming, and classifying organisms. By considering the trees generated by different sets of data scientists can put together the phylogeny of a species.

What is the plural of taxon?

Taxa

Maintaining homeostasis requires the body to do what?

That the body continuously monitor its internal conditions.

What is the taxonomic classification system called?

The Linnaean System.

Forensic Science

The application of science to answer questions related to law.

In the taxonomic classification system, the narrowest level is the one that includes what?

The least number of organisms or the most specific level of organisms and is listed last.

Reproduction

The living organism can give rise to another, similar form of life.

In the taxonomic classification system, the broadest level is the one that includes what?

The most organisms and is listed first.

Set Point

The physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates.

Branch Point

The point where a split occurs in a tree representing where a single lineage evolved into new distinct ones.

Normal Range

The restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable.

Taxonomy

The science of naming and grouping species to construct an internationally shared classification system.

Kingdom

The second highest taxonomic rank, just below Domain.

Community

The set of populations inhabiting a particular area.

Genus

The seventh highest taxonomic rank, below Family and above species.

Family

The sixth highest taxonomic rank, below Order and above Genus.

Cells

The smallest fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms.

What is the smallest unit of life?

The smallest unit of matter is the atom, whereas the smallest unit of life is the cell. All living things are composed of cells.

Homeostasis

The state of steady internal conditions maintained by living things.

Ecology

The study of all types of interactions among organisms and their environments, including populations, ecosystems, and biospheres.

Zoology

The study of animals.

Cytology

The study of cells.

Regional Anatomy

The study of interrelationships of all the structures in a specific body region, such as the abdomen.

Paleontology

The study of life's history using fossils.

Biology

The study of life.

Systematics

The study of organisms with the purpose of deriving their relationships.

Botany

The study of plants.

Microbiology

The study of structure and function of microorganisms.

Systemic Anatomy

The study of structures that make up a discrete body system - a group of structures that work together to perform a unique body function.

Neurobiology

The study of the biology of the nervous system.

Anatomy

The study of the body's structures.

Physiology

The study of the chemistry and physics of the structures of the body and the ways in which they work together to support the functions of life.

Gross/Macroscopic Anatomy

The study of the larger structures of the body visible without the aid of magnification.

Microscopic Anatomy

The study of the smaller structures of the body that can only be observed with the aid of magnification.

Binomial Nomenclature

The two-name system used to refer to organisms by their scientific names using Genus and species.

Lymphatic System

Thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, lymphatic vessels; returns fluid to blood; defends against pathogens.

What are organs composed of? What are cells composed of? What are tissues composed of?

Tissues, organelles, cells

Suppose you were placed in a hot environment, such as the desert during the summer. What are some ways in which your body tries to cool you off?

Your body sweats creating an "evaporative cooling" effect and your brain triggers a thirst response to encourage you to drink water.