Explain the role of heritable variations in Darwins theory of natural selection. 1

All forms of life share common properties. Biology is the scientific study of life. Properties of life include order, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, response to the environment, regulation, and evolutionary adaptation.

In lifes hierarchy of organization, new properties emerge at each level. Biological organization unfolds as follows: biosphere > ecosystem > community > population > organism > organ system > organ > tissue > cell > organelle > molecule. Emergent properties result from the interactions among component parts.

Cells are the structural and functional units of life. Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-enclosed organelles, including a nucleus containing DNA. Prokaryotic cells are smaller and lack such organelles. Structure is related to function at all levels of biological organization. Systems biology models the complex interactions of biological systems, such as the molecular interactions within a cell.

Organisms interact with their environment, exchanging matter and energy. Ecosystems are characterized by the cycling of chemical nutrients from the atmosphere and soil through producers, consumers, decomposers, and back to the environment. Energy flows one way through an ecosystementering as sunlight, converted to chemical energy by producers, passed on to consumers, and exiting as heat.

The unity of life is based on DNA and a common genetic code. DNA is responsible for heredity and for programming the activities of a cell. A species genes are coded in the sequences of the four building blocks making up DNAs double helix.

The diversity of life can be arranged into three domains. Taxonomy names species and classifies them into a system of broader groups. Domains Bacteria and Archaea consist of prokaryotes. The eukaryotic domain, Eukarya, includes various protists and the kingdoms Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.

Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life. Darwin synthesized the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Scientific inquiry is used to ask and answer questions about nature. Scientists use inductive reasoning to draw general conclusions from many observations. They form hypotheses and use deductive reasoning to make predictions. Data may be qualitative or quantitative. A scientific theory is broad in scope, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence.

Scientists form and test hypotheses and share their results. Predictions can be tested with experiments, and results can either falsify or support the hypothesis. In a controlled experiment, the use of control and experimental groups helps to demonstrate the effect of a single variable. Science is a social process: scientists share information and review each other's results.

Biology, technology, and society are connected in important ways. Technological advances stem from scientific research, and research benefits from new technologies.

Evolution is connected to our everyday lives. Evolutionary theory is useful in medicine, agriculture, forensics, and conservation. Human-caused environmental changes are powerful selective forces that affect the evolution of many species.

Biology can be described as having both a vertical scale and a horizontal scale. Explain what that means.

Which of the following best describes the logic of the scientific process? a. If I generate a testable hypothesis, tests and observations will support it. b. If my prediction is correct, it will lead to a testable hypothesis. c. If my observations are accurate, they will not falsify my hypothesis. d. If my hypothesis is correct, I can make predictions and my results will not falsify my hypothesis. e. If my predictions are good and my tests are right, they will prove my hypothesis.

Single-celled amoebas and bacteria are grouped into different domains because a. amoebas eat bacteria. b. bacteria are not made of cells. c. bacterial cells lack a membrane-enclosed nucleus. d. bacteria decompose amoebas. e. amoebas are motile; bacteria are not.

A biologist studying interactions among the protists in an ecosystem could not be working at which level in lifes hierarchy? (Choose carefully and explain your answer.) a. the population level b. the molecular level c. the community level d. the organism level e. the organ level

Which of the following questions is outside the realm of science? a. Which organisms play the most important role in energy input to a forest? b. What percentage of music majors take a biology course? c. What is the physical nature of the universe? d. What is the influence of the supernatural on current events? e. What is the dominance hierarchy in a troop of ring-tailed lemurs?

Which of the following statements best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science? a. Theories are hypotheses that have been proved. b. Hypotheses are tentative guesses; theories are correct answers to questions about nature. c. Hypotheses usually are narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power. d. Hypotheses and theories are different terms for essentially the same thing in science. e. Theories cannot be falsified; hypotheses can be falsified.

Which of the following best demonstrates the unity among all living organisms? a. descent with modification b. related DNA sequences and common genetic code c. emergent properties d. natural selection e. the three domains

The core idea that makes sense of all of biology is a. the process of science. b. the correlation of function with structure. c. systems biology. d. evolution. e. the emergence of life at the level of the cell. 1

In an ecosystem, how is the movement of energy similar to that of chemical nutrients, and how is it different? 1

Explain the role of heritable variations in Darwins theory of natural selection. 1

Explain what is meant by this statement: The scientific process is not a rigid method. 1

Contrast technology with science. Give an example of each to illustrate the difference. 1

Explain what is meant by this statement: Natural selection is an editing mechanism rather than a creative process. 1

The graph below shows the results of an experiment in which mice learned to run through a maze. a. State the hypothesis and prediction that you think this experiment tested. b. Which was the control group and which the experimental? Why was a control group needed? c. List some variables that must have been controlled so as not to affect the results. d. Do the data support the hypothesis? Explain. 1

In an experiment similar to the mimicry experiment described in Module 1.9, a researcher counted more predator attacks on artificial king snakes in areas with coral snakes than in areas outside the range of coral snakes. From those numbers, the researcher concluded that the mimicry hypothesis is false. Do you think this conclusion is justified? Why or why not? 1

The fruits of wild species of tomato are tiny compared to the giant beefsteak tomatoes available today. This difference in fruit size is almost entirely due to the larger number of cells in the domesticated fruits. Plant biologists have recently discovered genes that are responsible for controlling cell division in tomatoes. Why would such a discovery be important to producers of other kinds of fruits and vegetables? To the study of human development and disease? To our basic understanding of biology? 1

The news media and popular magazines frequently report stories that are connected to biology. In the next 24 hours, record the ones you hear or read about in three different sources and briefly describe the biological connections in each story.

Complete the following map organizing some of biologys major concepts