Ch. 1 - Study of Life
What are the seven characteristics of life?
Life is organized, responds to stimuli, maintains homeostasis, grows and develops, reproduces, has the capacity to adapt, and acquires materials and energy
What are protons, neutrons, and electrons?
Protons = positively charged
Electrons = negatively charged
Neutrons = neutral
What is the difference between Nature vs. Nurture?
Nature = genes
Nurture = environmental influences and/or learning
What are the levels of organization?
1. Population
2. Community
3. Ecosystem
4. Biosphere
What is an autotroph?
Producers that transform solar energy into food for themselves and all consumers.
General conclusions --> specific observations is what type of reasoning, inductive or deductive?
Deductive reasoning
What is an isotope?
Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.
What does a proximate question mean?
"What" brings about the particular behavior? "How" does it happen?
What shape of the graph is the exponential growth phase and the logistical growth phase?
J-shaped and S-shaped.
Only what percent of energy is passed on in the energy flow/pyramid?
10%
What is the difference between a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis?
Null = NO difference between control and experimental; experimental variable will have no effect.
Alternative = expect a difference between groups, experimental variable will have an effect.
Describe hydrogen bonding.
Slightly - oxygen attracts to slightly + hydrogen, weak individually but strong together.
What is an innate behavior?
Strong genetic control, always performed in the same way.
What is the first type of survivorship curve mean? (labeled as I)
Most individuals die at the end of life span.
What is a reservoirs (carbon cycle)?
A normally unavailable source to producers such as fossil fuels, minerals in rocks, and sediment in oceans.
What are the four strengths of science?
1. Anti-authoritarian
2. Self-correcting
3. Publicly understandable
4. Predictive
What is the monomer of nucleic acids?
Nucleotides
What is the type of conditioning where there is reward/punishment?
Operant conditioning.
Population size does not matter.
Mainly with excess phosphate (but can apply to nitrogen too), leads to algal blooms.
Describe Law vs. Theory.
Law: describes a pattern in nature; is the "what".
Theory: explanation as to why the pattern exists; the "why".
ex: dropped pen and gravity
What is the protein structure that consists of multiple polypeptide chains?
Quaternary structure.
What was Shadwick's example with the FosB gene?
In mice, a working FosB gene meant a mother mouse engaged in maternal behavior, and a mutated FosB gene meant a mother mouse did not engage in maternal behavior.
What is Commensalism?
One party benefits and the other party is unaffected.
What is nitrogen fixation?
Process by which certain bacteria in the soil or plant roots turn nitrogen from the air into a form that plants can use, like ammonia.