Biology Chapter 1

the branch of biology that investigates these relationships between organisms and their environments.

the interactions that organisms and nonliving factors have in a particular area.

The cycling of nutrients and flow of energy from sunlight to producers and then on to consumers

are photosynthetic organisms such as plants

are organisms such as animals that feed on plants, either directly or indirectly by eating animals that ate plants

Rain forests, Deserts, Coral Reefs, Pond

lowest level of structure that can perform all activities required for life, including the capacity to reproduce

are composed of cells.

subunits that make up the tissues and organs of multicellular organisms

all reproduction and growth and repair of multicellular organisms

smaller and lack internal membranes and organelles

larger and more complex (are subdivided by internal membranes into many differentfunctional compartments, or organelles

DNA as the chemical material of genes, encoded in a chemical language common to all organisms.

the hallmark of life

branch of biology that names and classifies species

three even-higher levels of classification

recognize two very different groups of organisms that have prokaryotic cells

Archaea are actually more closely related to eukaryotes than to bacteria

includes four kingdoms of eukaryotic organisms

consists of eukaryotic organisms that are generally single celled

produce their own sugars and other foods by photosynthesis and are called autotrophs

are mostly decomposers that absorb nutrients by breaking down dead organisms and organic wastes

obtain food by ingestion and are called heterotrophs

The Origin of Species in 1859

modern species descended from ancestral species

natural selection

Location and evidence to support diversity of animals

Overproduction and the struggle for existence

has the potential to produce far more offspring than the environment can possibly support

leads to a struggle for existence among the varying individuals of a population

consists of individuals of the same species living in a particular location

vary in many heritable traits

will have greater reproductive success

disproportionately represented in succeeding generations of a population

mechanism of evolution

lead to important conclusions based on inductive reasoning

consists of a series of steps

hypothetico-deductive reasoning or hypothesis-driven science

the use of deductive logic to test hypotheses

the reasoning flows from the general to the specific

Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Prediction, and Experiment.

to validate any scientific experiment

a comprehensive explanation and supported by evidence

of its broad application and because it has been validated by a continuum of observations and experiments

in the scientific context of evolution