Biology 1 The Study Of Life

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adaptation

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A feature of an organism, in terms of its structure, function, or behavior, that is suitable to the environment and increases the organism's reproductive success

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animal

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Multicellular, heterotrophic organism belonging to the animal kingdom

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Archaea

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One of the three domains of life; contains prokaryotic cells that often live in extreme habitats and have unique genetic, biochemical, and physiological characteristics

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Bacteria

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One of the three domains of life; contains prokaryotic cells that differ from achaea because they have their own unique genetic, biochemical, and physiological characteristics

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behavior

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Observable, coordinated responses to environmental stimuli

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biodiversity

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Total number of species, the variability of their genes, and the communities in which they live

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biology

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Scientific study of life

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biosphere

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That portion of Earth's surface (air, water, land) where living things exist

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cell

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Structural and functional unit of an organism; the smallest structure capable of performing all the functions necessary for life

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class

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One of the categories, or taxa, used by taxonomists to group species; the category above order level

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community

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Assemblage of populations interacting with one another within the same environment

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conclusion

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Statement made following an experiment as to whether the results support the hypothesis

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control

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Sample that goes through all the steps of an experiment but does not contain the variable being tested; a standard against which the results of an experiment are checked

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data

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Facts or pieces of information collected through observation and/or experimentation

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deductive reasoning

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Process of logic and reasoning using "if...then" statements

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development

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Series of stages by which a zygote becomes an organism or by which an organism changes during its life span; includes puberty and aging, for example

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domain

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Largest of the categories, or taxa, used by taxonomists to group speices; the three domains are Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya

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ecosystem

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Biological community together with the associated abiotic environment; characterized by energy flow and chemical cycling

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energy

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Capacity to do work and bring about change; occurs in a variety of forms

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Eukarya

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One of the three domains of life, consisting of eukaryotes, which are organisms in the kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia

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eukaryotic cell (eukaryote)

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type of cell tha thas a membrane-bounded nucleus and organelles; found in organisms within the domain Eukarya

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evolution

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Changes that occur in the members of a species with the passage of time, often resulting in increased adaptation of organisms to the environment

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experimental design

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A test that controls the conditions under which experimental observations are made. This should control all factors except the one that researchers are interested in.

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experimental variable

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A treatment that is varied in an experiment to test a hypothesis.

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family

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One of the categories, or taxa, used by taxonomists to group species; the taxon above the genus level

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fungus (fungi)

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Saprotrophic decomposer; the body is made up of filaments called hyphae that form a amss called a mycelium; e.g. mushrooms and molds

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gene

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Unit of hereditary existing as alleles on the chromosomes; in diploid organisms, typically two alleles are inherited - one from each parent

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genus

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One of the categories, or taxa, used by taxonomists to group species; contains those species that are most closely related through evolution

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homeostasis

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Maintenance of normal internal conditions in a cell or an organism by means of self-regulating mechanisms

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hypothesis

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Supposition formulated after making an observation; it can be tested by obtaining more data, often by experimentation

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inductive reasoning

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Using specific observations and the process of logic and reasoning to arrive at a hypothesis

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kingdom

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The taxonomic grouping above phylum. There are six of these: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaea, and Bacteria

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law

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Theory that is generally accepted by an overwhelming number of scientists

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metabolism

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All of the chemical changes that occur within a cell

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model

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In an experiment, an organism that serves as a representative for the organism of interest.

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natural selection

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Mechanism of evolution caused by environmental selection of organisms most fit to reproduce; results in adaptation tot he environment

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observation

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Step in the scientific method by which data are collected before a conclusion is drawn

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order

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One of the categories, or taxa, used by taxonomists to group species; the taxon above the family level.

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organ

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Combination of two or more different tisues performing a common function

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organism

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Individual living thing

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organ system

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Group of related organs working together

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phenomenon

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Something that scientist observes in nature

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phylum

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One of the categories, or taxa, used by taxonomists to group species; the taxon above the class level

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plant

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Multicellular, usually photsynthetic organism belonging to the plant kingdom

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population

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Group of organisms of the same species occupying a certain area and sharing a common gene pool

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prediction

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Results from a hypothesis and is usually stated in an "if...then" way.

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principle

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Theory that is generally accepted by an overwhelming number of scientists; also called a law

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prokaryote

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Lacking a membrane-bounded nucleus and organelles; a prokaryotic cell is the cell type within the domains Bacteria and Archaea

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protist

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Member of the kingdom Protist, one of the six kingdoms in the classification of organisms

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response variable

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A variable that is measured in an experiment due to a treatment

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scientific theory

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Concept supported by a broad range of observation, experiments, and conclusions

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species

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Group of similarly constructed organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring; organisms that share a common gene pool

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systematics

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The discipline of identifying and classifying organisms according to their evolutionary relationships

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technology

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The science or study of the practical or industrial arts

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tissue

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Group of similar cells that perform a common function