1A Themes in Biology

Deoxyribonucleic acid: a long linear polymer shaped like a double helix; contains genetic information cells can use to make proteins; can be replicated and inherited

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.

Descent with modification; a change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation.

A type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with eukaryotic cells (protists, plants, fungi, and animals) are called eukaryotes.

A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea) are called prokaryotes.

The entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystems.

All the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them.

All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction.

A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring.

A creature such as a plant, animal or a single-celled life form, or something that has interdependent parts and that is being compared to a living creature.