Penn Foster Biology Chapter 1

Front 1

animal

Back 1

Multicelled, motile heterotroph that has embryonic stages and usually tissues, organs, and organ systems.

Front 2

archaea

Back 2

Evolutionarily distinct domain of prokaryotic organisms.

Front 3

atom

Back 3

Fundamental form of matter that has mass and takes up space, and cannot be broken apart by everyday means.

Front 4

bacteria

Back 4

The most widespread and diverse group of prokaryotic organisms.

Front 5

biosphere

Back 5

All regions of the Earth’s waters, crust, and atmosphere where organisms live.

Front 6

cell

Back 6

Smallest living unit, with a capacity to survive and reproduce on its own.

Front 7

classification system

Back 7

A way of organizing and retrieving information about species.

Front 8

community

Back 8

All species living and interacting in some habitat.

Front 9

control group

Back 9

A group used as a standard for comparison with an experimental group.

Front 10

deoxyribonucleic acid

Back 10

See DNA.

Front 11

DNA

Back 11

Deoxyribonucleic acid. Carries the primary hereditary information for all living organisms and many viruses.

Front 12

ecosystem

Back 12

An array of species and their physical environment.

Front 13

energy

Back 13

Capacity to do work.

Front 14

Eukarya

Back 14

Domain of eukaryotic cells; all protists, plants, fungi, and animals.

Front 15

experimental group

Back 15

A group upon which an experiment is performed, and compared with a control group.

Front 16

fungus

Back 16

fungi; Eukaryotic heterotroph that obtains nutrients by extracellular digestion and absorption; notable for prolific spore formation.

Front 17

hypothesis

Back 17

In science, a possible explanation of a phenomenon, one that has the potential to be proven false by experimental tests.

Front 18

molecule

Back 18

Two or more atoms of the same or different elements joined by chemical bonds.

Front 19

mutation

Back 19

Heritable change in DNA.

Front 20

natural selection

Back 20

Microevolutionary process; the outcome of differences in survival and reproduction among individuals that differ in the details of their heritable traits.

Front 21

organ

Back 21

Two or more tissues arrayed in a specific pattern and interacting in some task.

Front 22

organ system

Back 22

Two or more organs interacting chemically, physically, or both in a task.

Front 23

plant

Back 23

A multicelled photoautotroph with well-developed roots and shoots.

Front 24

population

Back 24

Group of individuals of the same species in a specified area.

Front 25

prediction

Back 25

Statement about what you expect to observe in nature.

Front 26

protist

Back 26

One of the mainly single-celled species of eukaryotes traditionally grouped in the catch-all “kingdom Protista.” Currently being classified into groupings that reflect evolutionary relationships.

Front 27

scientific theory

Back 27

An explanation of the cause of a range of related phenomena; has been rigorously tested but is still open to revision.

Front 28

species

Back 28

One kind of organism. Of species that reproduce sexually, one or more groups of natural populations in which individuals interbreed and are reproductively isolated from other such groups.

Front 29

test, scientific

Back 29

A means to determine the accuracy of a prediction, as by conducting experiments, making observations, or developing models.

Front 30

tissue

Back 30

Of multicelled organisms, a group of cells and intercellular substances that function together in one or more specialized tasks.

Front 31

variable

Back 31

A specific aspect of an object or event that may differ over time and among individuals. In an experimental test, a single variable is directly manipulated in an attempt to support or disprove a prediction.