Unit 1 Vocabulary

Question 1

Theory

Answer 1

a proposed explanation for broad patterns in nature

Question 2

Prediction

Answer 2

a testable outcome of the hypothesis (if it is to be proven valid)

Question 3

Hypothesis

Answer 3

• a proposed explanation

- merit requires more work by the researcher to confirm or disprove.

Question 4

Cell

Answer 4

a highly organized compartment bound by a then, flexible plasma membrane that contains concentrated chemicals in aqueous solution

Question 5

Cell Theory

Answer 5

1. All organisms are made of cells

2. Cells come from preexisting cells

Question 6

Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Answer 6

1. All species are related by common ancestry

2. All species have changed over time in response to natural selection

Question 7

Evolution

Answer 7

a change in characteristics of a population over time

Question 8

Natural Selection

Answer 8

1. Variation in heritable traits among individuals within a population
2. Certain versions of heritable traits allow individuals to survive/reproduce better in a particular environmental condition.

Question 9

Population

Answer 9

a population is all of the organisms of the same group or species who live in the same geographical area and are capable of interbreeding

Question 10

Species

Answer 10

a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring

Question 11

Fitness

Answer 11

the ability to produce offspring

Question 12

Adaptation

Answer 12

a trait that increases the fitness of an individual in a particular environment

Question 13

Tree of Life

Answer 13

a diagram depicting the genealogical relationships of all living organisms on Earth, with a single ancestral species at the base

Question 14

Phylogenetic tree

Answer 14

a diagram that depicts the evolutionary history of a group of species and the relationships among them

Question 15

Artificial Selection

Answer 15

changes in populations that occur when humans select certain individuals to produce the most offspring

Question 16

Speciation

Answer 16

the divergence process in which natural selection has caused populations of one species to diverge and form a new species

Question 17

Eukaryotes

Answer 17

• cells have a prominent component called the nucleus

- many are multicellular

Question 18

Prokaryotes

Answer 18

• cells lack a nucleus

- the vast majority are unicellular

Question 19

Taxonomy

Answer 19

the effort to name and classify organisms

Question 20

Taxon

Answer 20

any named group

Question 21

Domain

Answer 21

• a new taxonomic category

- the three domains of life are the Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya

Question 22

Phylum

Answer 22

the term used to refer to major lineages within each domain

Question 23

Null hypothesis

Answer 23

specifies what we should observe when the hypothesis being tested isn’t correct