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General Biology: Unifying Themes and Evolution

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Terms in this set (20)

  • What are the five unifying themes in biology?
    Organization, Information, Energy and Matter, Interactions, and Evolution.
  • What is the smallest unit of life that can perform all activities required for life?
    The cell is the smallest unit of organization that can perform all life activities.
  • What is the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
    Prokaryotic cells lack a nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles; eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles.
  • What is the basic structure of DNA?
    DNA is made of two long chains arranged in a double helix, composed of nucleotides abbreviated A, G, C, and T.
  • What is gene expression?
    Gene expression is the process where DNA is transcribed into RNA and then translated into a protein.
  • How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
    Energy enters as light, is transformed by producers into chemical energy, passed to consumers, and exits as heat.
  • What is feedback regulation in biological systems?
    Feedback regulation is when the output of a process regulates that process, commonly through negative feedback or positive feedback.
  • What are the three domains of life?
    The three domains are Bacteria, Archaea (both prokaryotes), and Eukarya (eukaryotes).
  • What kingdoms are included in the domain Eukarya?
    Eukarya includes Plants, Fungi, Animals, and Protists.
  • What is the core theme of evolution in biology?
    Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life as living organisms are modified descendants of common ancestors.
  • What are the two main points of Darwin's theory of natural selection?
    1. Species show descent with modification from common ancestors. 2. Natural selection is the mechanism driving this descent.
  • What observations did Darwin make about populations?
    Individuals vary in heritable traits; more offspring are produced than survive; competition is inevitable; species suit their environment.
  • How does natural selection lead to evolution?
    Individuals with advantageous traits survive and reproduce more, increasing those traits in the population over time.
  • What is the relationship between structure and function in biology?
    At each biological level, structure provides clues about function, and knowing function helps understand structure.
  • What is the cell theory?
    All living organisms are made of cells, and the cell is the basic unit of structure and function in life.
  • What role do genes play in inheritance?
    Genes are units of inheritance that encode information for building molecules synthesized within the cell.
  • How do ecosystems cycle chemicals?
    Chemicals cycle within ecosystems as they are used by organisms and then recycled back into the environment.
  • What is the difference between negative and positive feedback?
    Negative feedback opposes a stimulus to maintain balance; positive feedback reinforces a stimulus to amplify a response.
  • Why do evolutionary relationships have a treelike form?
    Because species descend from common ancestors and diverge over time, forming branching patterns of descent.
  • What is adaptive radiation as seen in Galápagos finches?
    Adaptive radiation is when an ancestral species gives rise to multiple descendant species adapted to different environments.