Biology Mrs. Shanna Coan

The study of life Biology

High degree of order within an organism’s internal and external parts Organization

Smallest unit that can perform all life’s processes Cell

Organisms, such as bacteria, that are made up of one cell Unicellular

Organisms, such as humans, that are made up of many cells Multicellular

Carry out special jobs within a system Organ

Groups of cells that have similar abilities Tissue

Tiny structures that carry out functions necessary for a cell to stay alive Organelle

Chemical compounds that provide physical structure and that bring about movement, energy use, and other cellular functions Biological Molecule

Stable level of internal conditions Homeostasis

Sum of the chemical reactions that take in and transform energy Metabolism

Formation of two new cells from an existing cell Cell Division

Process by which an organism becomes a mature adult Development

Process where organisms produce new organisms like themselves Reproduction

Short segment of DNA that contains the instructions for a single trait Gene

Modern taxonomic system, broadest category, contains kingdoms Domain

Highest category of the traditional taxonomic system Kingdom

Branch of biology that studies organisms interacting with their environment Ecology

Communities of living species and their physical environment Ecosystem

Descent with modification Evolution

Organisms with favorable traits are better able to survive and reproduce Natural Selection

Traits that improve an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce Adaptation

Organized approach to solving problems Scientific Method

The act of perceiving a natural occurrence Observation

Educated guess Hypothesis

A statement that forecasts what would happen Prediction

Used to test a hypothesis Experiment

Provides a standard against which a biologist can compare results Control Group

In an experiment, a group that is identical to the control group except for one variable Experimental Group

The factor that is deliberately manipulated in an experiment Independent Variable

The factor that changes as a result of manipulation of one or more other factors Dependent Variable

Explanation for some phenomena based on observation Theory

Scientists who are experts in the field anonymously read and critique research Peer Review

Microscope that shines light through a specimen Compound Light Microscope

Magnifies an image usually 10 times Eyepiece (ocular lens)

Located directly above the slide and magnifies the image (4, 10, 100) Objective Lens

Platform that supports a slide Stage

Light bulb that provides light for viewing the image Light Source

Increase in an objects apparent size Magnification

The structure that holds the set of objective lens Nosepiece

Power to show details clearly Resolution

Produces an enlarged, three-dimensional image of an object using a beam of electrons Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

Transmits a beam of electrons through a very thin slice of specimen and can magnify 200,000 times Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Standard system of measurement Metric System

Fundamental unit of measure that describes length, mass, volume, and other quantities Base Unit