USABO Ch one

Question 1

Biology

Answer 1

Scientific study of life

Question 2

Biosphere

Answer 2

Consists of all life on Earth and all the places where life exists.

Question 3

Ecosystem

Answer 3

Consists of all the living things in a particular area along with all the nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts, such as soil, water, atmospheric gases and light.

Question 4

Community

Answer 4

The array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem.

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

Consists of all the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specified area.

Question 6

Organisms

Answer 6

Individual living things

Question 7

Organ

Answer 7

A body part that is made up of multiple tissues and has specific functions in the body.

Question 8

Tissues

Answer 8

A group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function.

Question 9

Cell

Answer 9

Life’s fundamental unit of structure and function.

Question 10

Organelles

Answer 10

The various functional components present in cells. Ex. Chloroplasts

Question 11

Molecule

Answer 11

Chemical structure consisting of two or more units called atoms.

Question 12

Emergent Properties

Answer 12

Novel properties that emerge at each molecular level that are absent from the preceding one.

Question 13

Systems Biology

Answer 13

The exploration of a biological system by analyzing the interactions among its parts.

Question 14

Eukaryotic cell

Answer 14

Contains membrane-enclosed organelles. Example - DNA containing nucleus.

Question 15

Prokaryotic cell

Answer 15

Lacks a nucleus or other membrane-enclosed organelle.

Question 16

DNA

Answer 16

Deoxyribonucleic acid. Within cells, structures called chromosomes contain genetic material in the form of DNA.

Question 17

Genes

Answer 17

A section of the DNA of the chromosome.

Question 18

Gene Expression

Answer 18

The entire process by which the information in a gene directs the manufacture of a cellular product.

Question 19

Genome

Answer 19

The entire library of genetic information that an organism inherits.

Question 20

Proteomics

Answer 20

The study of proteins and their properties.

Question 21

Genomics

Answer 21

The study of whole set of genes (or other DNA) in one or more species.

Question 22

Proteome

Answer 22

The entire set of proteins expressed by a given cell, tissue, or organism.

Question 23

Bioinformatics

Answer 23

The use of computational tools to store, organize, and analyze the huge volume of data that results from high-throughput methods.

Question 24

Producers

Answer 24

Plants and other photosynthetic organisms.

Question 25

Consumers

Answer 25

Organisms, such as animals, that feed on other organisms or their remains.

Question 26

Feedback

Answer 26

The ability of many biological processes to self-regulate by a mechanism.

Question 27

Feedback regulation

Answer 27

In this, the output or product of a process regulates that very process.

Question 28

Negative Feedback

Answer 28

The most common form of regulation in living systems, a loop in which the response reduces the initial stimulus.

Question 29

Positive Feedback

Answer 29

The end product speeds up its own production.

Question 30

Climate change

Answer 30

A directional change to the global climate that lasts for three decades or more.

Question 31

Evolution

Answer 31

The concept that the organisms living on Earth today are the modified descendants of common ancestors.

Question 32

Three domains of life

Answer 32

Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya

Question 33

Domain Bacteria

Answer 33

Most diverse and widespread prokaryotes, classified into multiple kingdoms.

Question 34

Domain Archaea

Answer 34

Includes multiple kingdoms, prokaryotes, live in extreme environments such as salty lakes and boiling hot springs.

Question 35

Domain Eukarya

Answer 35

Eukaryotes. Kingdoms - Plantae, Fungi, Protists and Animalia.

Question 36

Natural Selection

Answer 36

The mechanism of evolutionary adaptation in which the natural environment consistently selects for the propagation of certain traits among naturally occurring variant traits in the population.

Question 37

Inquiry

Answer 37

A search for information and explanations of natural phenomena.

Question 38

Data

Answer 38

Recorded observations.

Question 39

Qualitative data

Answer 39

Data in the form of recorded descriptions rather than numerical measurements.

Question 40

Quantitative data

Answer 40

Numerical measurements often organized into tables and graphs.

Question 41

Inductive reasoning

Answer 41

Collecting and analyzing observations can lead to important conclusions based on this type of logic.

Question 42

Hypothesis

Answer 42

Explanation based on observations and assumptions that leads to a testable prediction.

Question 43

Experiment

Answer 43

Scientific test carried out under controlled conditions.

Question 44

Deductive reasoning

Answer 44

Logic that flows in the opposite direction of the inductive reasoning. From general to specific. (Follows general statement to specific conclusion)

Question 45

Controlled Experiment

Answer 45

Designed to compare an experimental group with a control group.

Question 46

Variables

Answer 46

A feature or quantity that varies in our experiment.

Question 47

Independent variable

Answer 47

The factor being manipulated by the researchers.

Question 48

Dependent variable

Answer 48

The factor being measured that is predicted to be affected by the independent variable.