CAMPBELL-BIOLOGY-IN-FOCUS
CHAPTERS 1-6 QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS(RATED A+)
adapted - ANSWERMatched to the local environment.
evolution - ANSWERDescent with modification; the idea that living species are
descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones; also
defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from
generation to generation.
biology - ANSWERThe scientific study of life.
reductionism - ANSWERThe approach of reducing complex systems to simpler
components that are more manageable to study.
biosphere - ANSWERThe entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the
planet's ecosystems.
ecosystem - ANSWERAll 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.
community - ANSWERAll the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an
assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for
potential interaction.
population - ANSWERA group of individuals of the same species that live in the
same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring.
organism - ANSWERAn individual living thing.
Active site - ANSWERThe specific portion of an enzyme that binds the substrate by
means of multiple weak interactions and that forms the pocket in which catalysis
occurs.
Allosteric regulation - ANSWERThe binding of a regulatory molecule to a protein at
one site that affects the function of the protein at a different site.
Anabolic pathway - ANSWERA metabolic pathway that consumes energy to
synthesize a complex molecule from simpler compounds.
ATP - ANSWERAn adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate that releases free
energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed. This energy is used to drive
endergonic reactions in cells.
,organ - ANSWERA specialized center of body function composed of several different
types of tissues.
organ system - ANSWERA group of organs that work together in performing vital
body functions.
tissue - ANSWERAn integrated group of cells with a common structure, function, or
both.
cell - ANSWERLife's fundamental unit of structure and function.
organelle - ANSWERAny of several kinds of membrane-enclosed structures with
specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells.
molecule - ANSWERTwo or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.
atom - ANSWERThe smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element.
emergent properties - ANSWERNew properties that arise with each step upward in
the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as
complexity increases.
systems biology - ANSWERAn approach to studying biology that aims to model the
dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions
among the system's parts.
eukaryotic cell - ANSWERA type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and
membrane-enclosed organelles and include protists, plants, fungi, and animals.
prokaryotic cell - ANSWERA type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and
membrane-enclosed organelles and include bacteria and archaea.
DNA - ANSWERA nucleic acid molecule, usually a double-helix, in which each
polynucleotide strand consists of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and
the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T);
capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell's
proteins.
replication - ANSWERThe process of copying DNA before a cell divides.
gene - ANSWERA discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific
nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).
gene expression - ANSWERThe process by which information encoded in DNA
directs the synthesis of proteins or, in some cases, RNAs that are not translated into
proteins and instead function as RNAs.
, genome - ANSWERThe genetic material of an organism or virus; the complete
complement of an organism's or virus's genes along with its noncoding nucleic acid
sequences.
genomics - ANSWERThe study of whole sets of genes and their interactions within a
species, as well as genome comparisons between species.
bioinformatics - ANSWERThe use of computers, software, and mathematical models
to process and integrate biological information from large data sets.
Bacteria - ANSWEROne of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Archaea.
Archaea - ANSWEROne of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Bacteria.
Eukarya - ANSWERThe domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms.
natural selection - ANSWERA process in which individuals that have certain
inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals
because of those traits.
science - ANSWERAn approach to understanding the natural world.
inquiry - ANSWERThe search for information and explanation, often focusing on
specific questions.
data - ANSWERRecorded observations.
qualitative data - ANSWERA type of recorded observation that is descriptive and not
numerical.
quantitative data - ANSWERA type of recorded observation that is numerical and
often organized into tables and graphs.
inductive reasoning - ANSWERA type of logic in which generalizations are based on
a large number of specific observations.
hypothesis - ANSWERA testable explanation for a set of observations based on the
available data and guided by inductive reasoning. Narrower in scope than theory.
deductive reasoning - ANSWERA type of logic in which specific results are predicted
from a general premise.
controlled experiment - ANSWERAn experiment in which an experimental group is
compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested.
theory - ANSWERAn explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis,
generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence.
technology - ANSWERThe application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose,
often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research.
CHAPTERS 1-6 QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS(RATED A+)
adapted - ANSWERMatched to the local environment.
evolution - ANSWERDescent with modification; the idea that living species are
descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones; also
defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from
generation to generation.
biology - ANSWERThe scientific study of life.
reductionism - ANSWERThe approach of reducing complex systems to simpler
components that are more manageable to study.
biosphere - ANSWERThe entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the
planet's ecosystems.
ecosystem - ANSWERAll 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.
community - ANSWERAll the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an
assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for
potential interaction.
population - ANSWERA group of individuals of the same species that live in the
same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring.
organism - ANSWERAn individual living thing.
Active site - ANSWERThe specific portion of an enzyme that binds the substrate by
means of multiple weak interactions and that forms the pocket in which catalysis
occurs.
Allosteric regulation - ANSWERThe binding of a regulatory molecule to a protein at
one site that affects the function of the protein at a different site.
Anabolic pathway - ANSWERA metabolic pathway that consumes energy to
synthesize a complex molecule from simpler compounds.
ATP - ANSWERAn adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate that releases free
energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed. This energy is used to drive
endergonic reactions in cells.
,organ - ANSWERA specialized center of body function composed of several different
types of tissues.
organ system - ANSWERA group of organs that work together in performing vital
body functions.
tissue - ANSWERAn integrated group of cells with a common structure, function, or
both.
cell - ANSWERLife's fundamental unit of structure and function.
organelle - ANSWERAny of several kinds of membrane-enclosed structures with
specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells.
molecule - ANSWERTwo or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.
atom - ANSWERThe smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element.
emergent properties - ANSWERNew properties that arise with each step upward in
the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as
complexity increases.
systems biology - ANSWERAn approach to studying biology that aims to model the
dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions
among the system's parts.
eukaryotic cell - ANSWERA type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and
membrane-enclosed organelles and include protists, plants, fungi, and animals.
prokaryotic cell - ANSWERA type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and
membrane-enclosed organelles and include bacteria and archaea.
DNA - ANSWERA nucleic acid molecule, usually a double-helix, in which each
polynucleotide strand consists of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and
the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T);
capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell's
proteins.
replication - ANSWERThe process of copying DNA before a cell divides.
gene - ANSWERA discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific
nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).
gene expression - ANSWERThe process by which information encoded in DNA
directs the synthesis of proteins or, in some cases, RNAs that are not translated into
proteins and instead function as RNAs.
, genome - ANSWERThe genetic material of an organism or virus; the complete
complement of an organism's or virus's genes along with its noncoding nucleic acid
sequences.
genomics - ANSWERThe study of whole sets of genes and their interactions within a
species, as well as genome comparisons between species.
bioinformatics - ANSWERThe use of computers, software, and mathematical models
to process and integrate biological information from large data sets.
Bacteria - ANSWEROne of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Archaea.
Archaea - ANSWEROne of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Bacteria.
Eukarya - ANSWERThe domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms.
natural selection - ANSWERA process in which individuals that have certain
inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals
because of those traits.
science - ANSWERAn approach to understanding the natural world.
inquiry - ANSWERThe search for information and explanation, often focusing on
specific questions.
data - ANSWERRecorded observations.
qualitative data - ANSWERA type of recorded observation that is descriptive and not
numerical.
quantitative data - ANSWERA type of recorded observation that is numerical and
often organized into tables and graphs.
inductive reasoning - ANSWERA type of logic in which generalizations are based on
a large number of specific observations.
hypothesis - ANSWERA testable explanation for a set of observations based on the
available data and guided by inductive reasoning. Narrower in scope than theory.
deductive reasoning - ANSWERA type of logic in which specific results are predicted
from a general premise.
controlled experiment - ANSWERAn experiment in which an experimental group is
compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested.
theory - ANSWERAn explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis,
generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence.
technology - ANSWERThe application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose,
often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research.
