Chapter 1-1 Summary Notes:

Key Vocabulary Terms:

Organism

Stimulus

Response

Adaptation

Homeostasis

Development

Life Span

Characteristics of Life (Organisms)

  1. Organization: All life is made up of cells. As organisms become more complex (made up of more cells) these cells are organized to perform specific or particular functions (specialization).
  2. Reproduction: Key characteristic of all life.
  3. Response: Living things can respond to conditions (called stimuli) in their environment. If the change makes the organisms more successful in its environment it is called an adaptation. Adaptations give organisms a competitive advantage. These can be structural or behavioral. They can be passed on to their offspring.

    4. a. Homeostasis: is the regulation of an organism’s internal environment by responding and adjusting to changes that occur internally. (examples: )

  4. Growth – addition of body mass
  5. Development: The series of complex changes an organism undergoes as it matures from a single cell to an adult.

Basic Needs of Life:

Energy: Organisms can be thought of as living machines. They need a fuel or energy source to be able to perform the processes of life. The energy in sunlight is the ultimate energy source. It is turned in to usable chemical energy (food) by green plants. It is then available to be used by the plants or other forms of life.

Oxygen: is used by 99% of all life to release the energy in food (respiration).

Water: Makes up 70%+ of all living things body mass. Important in most processes of life.

1-2 Life’s Origin:

Spontaneous Generation:

Biogenesis: The theory that life comes from pre-existing life.

The key idea besides biogenesis is the importance of using controlled experiments to test an explanation of an observation (hypothesis).

1-3: Scientific Method:

Vocabulary Words: Scientific Method, hypothesis, variable, control, theory, and law.

Problem

Observations/gathering knowledge

Hypothesis: an explanation or proposed solution to the stated problem supported by the observations.

Experiment: Test the hypothesis to see if it is correct.

It usually will contain a variable (the factor tested in the experiment)

Analysis of the Results:

Evaluate and report your results- was your hypothesis correct.

Theories and Laws: