p.1
Unifying Themes in Biology
What is biology?
The scientific study of life.
p.1
Unifying Themes in Biology
What is one question that biology seeks to answer regarding development?
How does a single cell develop into an organism?
p.1
Unifying Themes in Biology
What is a key question about human cognition in biology?
How does the human mind work?
p.1
Unifying Themes in Biology
What do living things do in communities?
Interact with each other.
p.1
Levels of Biological Organization
What are the levels of biological organization from largest to smallest?
Biosphere, Ecosystems, Communities, Populations, Organisms, Organs and Organ Systems, Tissues, Cells, Organelles, Molecules.
p.5
Classification of Life Forms
How do members of the Kingdom Fungi obtain nutrients?
They absorb nutrients from outside their bodies.
p.3
Interactions in Biological Systems
What is crucial for the smooth operation of living organisms?
Interactions between organs, tissues, cells, and molecules.
p.2
Cell Structure and Function
What distinguishes eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic cells?
Eukaryotic cells have membrane-enclosed organelles, including a nucleus, while prokaryotic cells do not.
p.5
Classification of Life Forms
What characterizes the Kingdom Plantae?
Multicellular eukaryotes that carry out photosynthesis.
p.5
Classification of Life Forms
What are protists primarily characterized as?
Mostly unicellular eukaryotes and some simple multicellular relatives.
p.4
Evolution and Natural Selection
What does evolution imply about organisms living today?
They are modified descendants of common ancestors.
p.3
Interactions in Biological Systems
What is feedback regulation?
The output or product of a process regulates the process.
p.1
Levels of Biological Organization
How do biological systems compare to non-living systems in terms of complexity?
Biological systems are far more complex.
p.3
Interactions in Biological Systems
What are the two types of feedback regulation?
Negative feedback (more common) and positive feedback.
p.4
Classification of Life Forms
What environments do some prokaryotes in Domain Archaea inhabit?
Extreme environments, such as salty lakes and boiling hot springs.
p.2
Genetic Information and Genomics
How does DNA influence organisms?
DNA controls the development and maintenance of organisms.
p.4
Unity and Diversity of Life
What has been evolving on Earth for billions of years?
Life, resulting in a vast diversity of past and present organisms.
p.4
Evolution and Natural Selection
What is the significance of the statement 'Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution'?
It emphasizes the foundational role of evolution in understanding biology.
p.4
Classification of Life Forms
What are the three domains of life?
Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
p.6
Evolution and Natural Selection
How does the natural environment influence traits according to Darwin?
The natural environment consistently 'selects' for the propagation of certain traits.
p.3
Energy Transfer and Transformation
What happens to some energy in an ecosystem?
Some of it is lost to the surroundings as heat.
p.5
Evolution and Natural Selection
What does natural selection cause in species over time?
Descent with modification as species adapt to different environments.
p.2
Genetic Information and Genomics
What is proteomics?
The study of whole sets of proteins encoded by the genome, known as proteomes.
p.3
Energy Transfer and Transformation
How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
It usually enters as light and exits as heat.
p.3
Interactions in Biological Systems
What do ecosystems involve in terms of interactions?
An organism's interactions with other organisms and the physical environment.
p.2
Genetic Information and Genomics
What does genomics study?
Sets of genes within and between species.
p.4
Classification of Life Forms
How many species of organisms have biologists identified and named?
About 1.8 million species.
p.6
Evolution and Natural Selection
What is the significance of inherited traits in natural selection?
Individuals with inherited traits better suited to the environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
p.2
Genetic Information and Genomics
What is a gene?
A unit of inheritance that encodes information for building molecules within the cell.
p.4
Evolution and Natural Selection
What provides evidence for the evolution of life on Earth?
Fossils and other evidence documenting changes over billions of years.
p.6
Evolution and Natural Selection
What are the three key observations made by Charles Darwin regarding populations?
1. Individuals in a population vary in their heritable traits. 2. More offspring are produced than survive, leading to competition. 3. Species generally adapt to suit their environment.
p.1
Levels of Biological Organization
What is Systems Biology?
The exploration of a biological system by analyzing the interactions among its parts.
p.6
Evolution and Natural Selection
How are evolutionary relationships often illustrated?
With treelike diagrams that show ancestors and their descendants.
p.5
Classification of Life Forms
What is a defining feature of the Kingdom Animalia?
Multicellular eukaryotes that ingest other organisms.
p.4
Classification of Life Forms
What is taxonomy?
The study of classification of organisms.
p.2
Genetic Information and Genomics
What is a genome?
A 'library' of genetic instructions, typically containing two sets of chromosomes in a human cell.
p.4
Classification of Life Forms
What characterizes Domain Bacteria?
They are the most diverse and widespread prokaryotes, classified into multiple kingdoms.
p.6
Evolution and Natural Selection
What did Darwin propose about ancestral species and descendant species?
Natural selection could cause an ancestral species to give rise to two or more descendant species.
p.5
Unity and Diversity of Life
What similarity is observed among many animals?
Similar skeletal structures.
p.2
Genetic Information and Genomics
What is DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, which contains genetic material within chromosomes.
p.5
Charles Darwin's Contributions to Biology
What is the title of Charles Darwin's influential work?
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
p.6
Evolution and Natural Selection
What example did Darwin use to illustrate his theory of natural selection?
The finch species of the Galápagos Islands, which are descended from a common ancestor.
