vocabulary review chapter 1. the science of life biology

Vocabulary Vocabulary ReviewReview

Chapter 1Chapter 1

The science of life

Biology

The production of offspring that does

not involve the union of gametes

Asexual reproduction

An organism that uses energy to

synthesize organic molecules from

inorganic substances

Autotroph

Tiny structures that carry out

functions necessary for the cell to stay alive

Organelles

Major subdivisions of all organisms

Domains

High degree of order within an organism’s internal and external

parts and its interactions with the

living world

Organization

Made up of one cell

Unicellular

Made up of more than one cell

Multicellular

Structures that carry out

specialized jobs within an organ

system

Organs

Smallest unit that can perform all life’s processes

Cell

Segment of DNA that contains coding for a polypeptide or

protein; a unit of hereditary information

Gene

An organism that obtains organic

food molecules by eating other

organisms or their by-products

Heterotroph

The stable internal conditions of a

living thing

Homeostasis

A double-helix-shaped nucleic

acid

DNA

The sum of all chemical

processes in living things

Metabolism

Groups of cells that have similar abilities and that allow the organ to

function

Tissue

The production of new offspring

Reproduction

Chemical compounds that provide physical

structure and that bring about

movement, energy use, and other

cellular functionsBiological Molecules

Formation of two new cells from an

existing cell

Cell division

Process by which an organism

becomes a mature adult

Development

Another system of grouping

organisms into six major categories

Kingdom

Brand of biology that studies organisms

interacting with each other and with

the environment

Ecology

Communities of living species and

their physical environments

Ecosystem

Process in which the inherited

characteristics within populations

change over generations

Evolution

Organisms that have certain favorable traits

are better able to survive and reproduce

successfully than organisms that lack

these traits

Natural Selection

Traits that improve an

individual’s ability to survive and

reproduce

Adaptations

The act of perceiving a

natural occurrence that causes

someone to pose a question

Observation

Proposed explanation for the

way a particular aspect of the natural world

functions

Hypothesis

Organized approach to learn how the natural

world works

Scientific Method

Statement that forecasts what

would happen in a test situation if the hypothesis

were true

Prediction

Used to test a hypothesis and its

prediction

Experiment

Provides a normal standard against

which the biologist can compare results of the experimental

group

Control Group

Identical to the control group except for one

factor

Experimental Group

“responding variable”; affected

by the independent

variable

Dependent Variable

“manipulated variable”;

experimenter changes this

variable

Independent variable

Scientists who are experts in the field anonymously read and critique the

research

Peer review

A highly tested, generally accepted

principle that explains a vast

number of observations and experimental data

Theory

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