Chapter 1 Flashcards
Biology
the study of life
Taxonomy
the science of describing and naming organisms
Classification
putting similar organisms into orderly groups based on similar characteristics
Domains
The broadest category, based on cell type
Order the classification system
Domain>Kingdom>Phylum>Class>Order>Family>Genus>Species
Bacteria
○ Prokaryotic
○ No nucleus
○ Unicellular
Archaea
○ Prokaryotic
○ No nucleus
○ Unicellular
○ Survive in inhospitable environments
Eukarya
○ Eukaryotic ○ Have nucleus ○ Most are multicellular ○ Made up of 4 kingdoms § Animal § Plant § Protista § Fungi
Kingdoms
based on their ability to make food and the number of cells in their body
Autotrophs
Uses simple inorganic substances and either light energy (photosynthesis) or chemical energy (chemosynthesis) to synthesize food
Heterotrophs
Obtains energy through intake & digestion of organic substances (animal/plant tissue)
LUCA
Last Universal Common Ancestor
Characteristics of living things
- Organization
- Energy use
- Homeostasis (maintenance of internal constancy)
- Reproduction, growth and development
- Evolution
- Heredity (all living things have DNA)
Emergent Properties
new functions that arise from interactions among a system’s components
Deductive reasoning
- Start with theory
- Confirm a hypothesis
- Typically quantitative research
Inductive reasoning
- Start with data
- Infer conclusions from data
- Typically qualitative research
Scientific Method
- Observation
- Hypothesis
- Prediction
- Experiment
- Conclusion
Scientific Inquiry
the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work
Evolution
the change in genetic composition in a population over successive generations
Natural selection
the mechanism by which evolution occurs; variations in the population which spread or are eliminated based on how well they manage to survive in the environment
Georges Buffon (1707-1788)
Suggested that the earth was much older than 6000 years, noticed similarities between humans and apes and suggested common ancestor
Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)
credited with developing science of paleontology, by documenting fossil discoveries showed that extinction had occurred, found deeper layers of rock had species most dissimilar to modern life
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829)
first to recognize key role environment played in evolution, “Theory of Acquired Characteristics” noticed giraffes with long necks best suited to survive drought, believed species became more complex over time and simple species were being created by spontaneous generation
Charles Lyell (1797-1835)
geologist, proposed that gradual geological processes have shaped earths surface, inferring earth must be older than believed
