Themes and Concepts of Biology
The smallest unit of life.
Cell
A testable statement or proposed explanation in science.
Hypothesis
The subatomic particle with a positive charge.
This property of water allows it to stick to itself.
Adhesion
These are the building blocks of proteins.
Amino Acids
Organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis.
Autotrophs
The variable manipulated in an experiment.
Independent Variable
This type of bond is formed when two or more atoms share electrons.
Covalent Bond
Water is considered this type of molecule because it has a partial positive and negative charge.
Polar
This macromolecule serves as the main energy source for cells.
Carbohydrates
One characteristic that defines life is the ability of an organism to maintain constant internal conditions.
Homeostasis
This type of reasoning involves forming generalizations based on many observations.
Inductive Reasoning
Different forms of the same element have the same number of protons but different neutrons.
Isotopes
Substances that provide hydrogen ions (H+) and have a lower pH.
Acids
This type of lipid is essential for forming cell membranes.
Phospholipids
This term describes the process by which populations change over time.
Evolution
A form of logical thinking that uses a general principle or law to predict specific results.
Deductive Reasoning
These are the five most common elements in living organisms.
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus
The effect that allows water to move against gravity in plant vessels.
Capillary Action
These molecules are made of nucleotides and store genetic information.
This level of biological organization consists of all ecosystems on Earth.
Biosphere
A suggested explanation for an event that is thoroughly tested and widely accepted.
Scientific Theory
This is the smallest particle of a compound that retains all the chemical properties of the compound.
Molecule
This type of bond between water molecules gives water its unique properties.
Hydrogen Bond
A fat molecule, such as a triglyceride, has two main components.
Glycerol and Fatty Acids