Bio 189 UNR midterm
1. Biology: the scientific study of life
2. Biologist: a person who studies the natural world we live in
3. Characters of life: order, regulation, growth and development, energy utilization,
response to the environment, reproduction and evolution
4. Organization: Theme 1; the study of life extends from the microscope scale of molecules
and cells to the global scale
5. Levels of organization: biosphere, ecosystem, communities, populations, organisms,
organs, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules
6. Prokaryotic cell: A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-
enclosed organelles; found only in the domains Bacteria and Archaea
7. Eukaryotic cell: A type of cell with a nucleus enclosed by a membrane as well as
membrane-enclosed organelles
8. Structure and function: We find this at each level of biological hierarchy
9. Information: Theme 2; sperm cell + egg cell = nuclei containing DNA -->
10. Gene Expression: cells use information encoded in a gene to synthesize a functional
protein
11. Energy and matter: Theme 3; each organism interacts continuously with its
environment; both organism and environment are affected by interactions and the
dynamics of any ecosystem depend on energy flow and chemical cycling
12. Interactions: Theme 4; when organisms interact with other organisms and the
environment
13. Central Dogma: theory that states that, in cells, information only flows from DNA to
RNA to proteins
14. Evolution: Theme 5; the idea that organisms living on earth today are the modified
descendants of common ancestors; accounts for life's dual nature of unity and diversity
15. Unity: Universal genetic language of DNA (genetic code)
16. Diversity: 1.8 million species
17. 3 domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya
18. Taxonomic rank: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
(dumb kids playing chess on freeways get smushed)
,19. Theory of natural selection: Idea, first proposed by Charles Darwin, that species
survive due to favorable characteristics
20. Descent with modification: evolutionary relationships are often illustrate with tree-
like diagrams that show ancestors and their descendants
21 Natural selection: A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend
to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.
22. Variation: individuals in a population vary in heritable traits
23. Overproduction: a population can produce many more offspring than will survive to
reproduce
24. Adaption: species generally adapt to their environments and they acquire inherited
traits that enhance the individuals ability to survive and reproduce in a particular
environment; change occurs at the population level
25. Hypothesis: a proposed explanation for a set of observations/ tentative answer to a
well formed question/ must be testable and falsifiable
26. Inductive reasoning: A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large
number of specific observations.
27. Deductive reasoning: reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general
principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning;
therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.) 28. Controlled experiment: An
experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time.
29. Independent variable: The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable
whose effect is being studied.
30. Dependent variable: The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response
to manipulations of the independent variable.
31. 4 essential elements to the human body: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen
32. Trace elements: 14 elements, required by an organism in only minute quantities
33. Neutrons: neutral charge, in nucleus
34. Protons: positive charge, in nucleus
35. Electrons: negative charge, outside nucleus
36. Ionic bonds: Atoms strip electrons away from their bonding partners creating ions, or
atoms with more or fewer electrons than usual (anions vs. cations)
, 37. Hydrogen bonds: forms when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to one
electronegative atom is attracted to another electrognegative atom
38. Chemical equilibrium: is reached when the forward and reverse reaction rates of the
chemical reaction are equal
39. Properties of water: cohesion, temperature in moderation, expansion upon freezing
and versatility as a solvent
40. Solvent of life: water is a versatile solvent due to its polarity, it can form aqueous
solutions (solution in which the solvent is water)
41 Hydration shell: a sphere of water molecules, it surrounds each solute ion
42. Hydrophilic: water loving, polar
43. Hydrophobic: Water fearing, nonpolar
44. Acid: increases the hydrogens of a solution, proton donor
45. Base: decreases the hydrogens of a solution, proton acceptor
46. pH scale: the pH of a solution is determined by the relative concentration of hydrogen
ions; acid: pH value < 7; base: pH value > 7
47. Buffers: are substances taht minimize changes in the concentrations of hydrogen and
hydroxide ions in a solution
48. Ocean acidification: decreases ability of corals to form calcified reefs
49. Carbon compounds: carbon atoms from diverse molecules by bonding to 4 other
atoms
50. Isomers: components with the same molecular formula but different structures
51. Structural isomers: differ in covalent partners
52. Cis-trans isomers: differ in arrangement around a double bond
53. Enantiomers: differ in spatial arrangement around an asymmetric carbon, resulting in
molecules that are mirror images
54. Hydroxyl: alcohol
1. Biology: the scientific study of life
2. Biologist: a person who studies the natural world we live in
3. Characters of life: order, regulation, growth and development, energy utilization,
response to the environment, reproduction and evolution
4. Organization: Theme 1; the study of life extends from the microscope scale of molecules
and cells to the global scale
5. Levels of organization: biosphere, ecosystem, communities, populations, organisms,
organs, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules
6. Prokaryotic cell: A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-
enclosed organelles; found only in the domains Bacteria and Archaea
7. Eukaryotic cell: A type of cell with a nucleus enclosed by a membrane as well as
membrane-enclosed organelles
8. Structure and function: We find this at each level of biological hierarchy
9. Information: Theme 2; sperm cell + egg cell = nuclei containing DNA -->
10. Gene Expression: cells use information encoded in a gene to synthesize a functional
protein
11. Energy and matter: Theme 3; each organism interacts continuously with its
environment; both organism and environment are affected by interactions and the
dynamics of any ecosystem depend on energy flow and chemical cycling
12. Interactions: Theme 4; when organisms interact with other organisms and the
environment
13. Central Dogma: theory that states that, in cells, information only flows from DNA to
RNA to proteins
14. Evolution: Theme 5; the idea that organisms living on earth today are the modified
descendants of common ancestors; accounts for life's dual nature of unity and diversity
15. Unity: Universal genetic language of DNA (genetic code)
16. Diversity: 1.8 million species
17. 3 domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya
18. Taxonomic rank: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
(dumb kids playing chess on freeways get smushed)
,19. Theory of natural selection: Idea, first proposed by Charles Darwin, that species
survive due to favorable characteristics
20. Descent with modification: evolutionary relationships are often illustrate with tree-
like diagrams that show ancestors and their descendants
21 Natural selection: A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend
to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.
22. Variation: individuals in a population vary in heritable traits
23. Overproduction: a population can produce many more offspring than will survive to
reproduce
24. Adaption: species generally adapt to their environments and they acquire inherited
traits that enhance the individuals ability to survive and reproduce in a particular
environment; change occurs at the population level
25. Hypothesis: a proposed explanation for a set of observations/ tentative answer to a
well formed question/ must be testable and falsifiable
26. Inductive reasoning: A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large
number of specific observations.
27. Deductive reasoning: reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general
principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning;
therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.) 28. Controlled experiment: An
experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time.
29. Independent variable: The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable
whose effect is being studied.
30. Dependent variable: The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response
to manipulations of the independent variable.
31. 4 essential elements to the human body: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen
32. Trace elements: 14 elements, required by an organism in only minute quantities
33. Neutrons: neutral charge, in nucleus
34. Protons: positive charge, in nucleus
35. Electrons: negative charge, outside nucleus
36. Ionic bonds: Atoms strip electrons away from their bonding partners creating ions, or
atoms with more or fewer electrons than usual (anions vs. cations)
, 37. Hydrogen bonds: forms when a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to one
electronegative atom is attracted to another electrognegative atom
38. Chemical equilibrium: is reached when the forward and reverse reaction rates of the
chemical reaction are equal
39. Properties of water: cohesion, temperature in moderation, expansion upon freezing
and versatility as a solvent
40. Solvent of life: water is a versatile solvent due to its polarity, it can form aqueous
solutions (solution in which the solvent is water)
41 Hydration shell: a sphere of water molecules, it surrounds each solute ion
42. Hydrophilic: water loving, polar
43. Hydrophobic: Water fearing, nonpolar
44. Acid: increases the hydrogens of a solution, proton donor
45. Base: decreases the hydrogens of a solution, proton acceptor
46. pH scale: the pH of a solution is determined by the relative concentration of hydrogen
ions; acid: pH value < 7; base: pH value > 7
47. Buffers: are substances taht minimize changes in the concentrations of hydrogen and
hydroxide ions in a solution
48. Ocean acidification: decreases ability of corals to form calcified reefs
49. Carbon compounds: carbon atoms from diverse molecules by bonding to 4 other
atoms
50. Isomers: components with the same molecular formula but different structures
51. Structural isomers: differ in covalent partners
52. Cis-trans isomers: differ in arrangement around a double bond
53. Enantiomers: differ in spatial arrangement around an asymmetric carbon, resulting in
molecules that are mirror images
54. Hydroxyl: alcohol
