WGU-C190 Introduction to Biology.
A Top Rated Exam Study Guide Updated
2025/2026.
100% Verified Study Guide with Correct
Answers.
Biologists - ansstudy how humans and other living organisms interact with their environment.
Biology - ansis the scientific study of life and is the branch of science that studies living
organisms and the way organisms interact with their environments.
To be considered alive, something must be made up of 5 distinct qualities: - ans-Be made of
materials organized in a hierarchical pattern.
-Use energy and raw materials to survive.
-Sense and respond to changing environments and maintain internal stability, or homeostasis.
-Grow, develop, and reproduce.
-Be part of a population that evolves.
cell - anssmallest living organism that shows all 5 characteristics of life
Matter - ansany substance that has mass and takes up space.
All matter can be classified in one of two categories: - ansbiotic (living or having lived) or
abiotic (nonliving and never having been alive).
biotic - ansliving or having lived
abiotic - ansnonliving and never having been alive
Atom - ansbasic unit of matter
molecule - ansa chemical structure consisting of at least two atoms held together by a
chemical bond
Macromolecules - ansbiologically important molecules that are technically polymers
When macromolecules are used as building blocks to form a membrane-bound sphere -
ansyou have a cell
two main types of cells - ansprokaryotes and eukaryotes
prokaryotes - anssmall and simple; they do not have any clearly defined compartments inside
of them
eukaryotes - ansinclude membrane-bound organelles
organelles - anscompartments inside the cell that contain specific groups of macromolecules
and carry out specific cellular functions
microorganisms - ansSingle-celled life forms
Tissues - ansformed when similar cells work together to fulfill the same detailed function
Organs - anscollections of tissues that work together to carry out a common general function
organ system - ansa higher level of organization that consists of functionally related organs
Organisms - ansindividual living entities that survive and reproduce as a unit
population - ansconsists of all the individuals of a species living within a specific area
populations can interact with each other in positive and negative ways, and together they
form a - anscommunity
ecosystem - ansconsists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic,
or nonliving, parts of that environment
biosphere - ansthe collection of all ecosystems on Earth
,WGU-C190 Introduction to Biology.
A Top Rated Exam Study Guide Updated
2025/2026.
100% Verified Study Guide with Correct
Answers.
emergent properties - anscharacteristics of a system that do not appear in any one of its
component parts alone, but that appear when all parts are combined.
Biome - ansAreas of the earth with similar characteristics of living and nonliving things
What is the first level of organization that is alive? - ansThe cell
Levels of organization from smallest to largest (simple to complex): - ans(1) atom
(2) molecule
(3) organelles
(4) cell
(5) tissue
(6) organs
(7) organ system
(8) organisms
(9) population
(10) community
(11) ecosystem (w/biomes)
(12) biosphere
Process organisms have developed and changed from earlier forms due to mutations and
adaptations - ansEvolution: ancestry and/or adaptation by natural selection
Ordered parts of biological system - ansOrganization
Stable internal environment - ansResponse to stimuli and homeostasis
Making of new organisms and increase in size once produced - ansGrowth and reproduction
Living organisms maintain - anshomeostasis
Energy flows through - ansliving systems
matter is - ansrecycled
Life's components are interconnected - ansand interdependent.
Organisms grow - ansdevelop, and reproduce
Evolutionary processes explain both - ansthe unity and adaptive diversity of life
homeostasis - ansThe ability or tendency of organisms and cells to maintain stable internal
conditions.
Matter is made up of - ansAtoms
Any matter an organism needs but cannot make for itself is considered - ansa nutrient
When an organism releases matter, the excreted matter is considered - answaste
Waste - ansUrine, feces, exhaled breath
Reproduction - ansoccurs when an individual organism passes on its genetic information to a
newly independent organism, or offspring
Energy - ansthe capacity to do work or to make a change in the location, temperature, or
structure of matter.
, WGU-C190 Introduction to Biology.
A Top Rated Exam Study Guide Updated
2025/2026.
100% Verified Study Guide with Correct
Answers.
chemical potential energy - answhat the substance can do if it is put through a chemical
reaction, like burning, that will release its stored energy
Chemical potential energy is measured in units called - anscalories
development - ansstructure and function change in an orderly way as an organism passes
through its life cycle
DNA - ansthe molecule of inheritance, encodes proteins and other molecules that build cells
and make them work
Genes - ansrecipes for proteins
Evolution - ansscientific theory that explains how and why life changes over time
The two fundamental tenents of evolution are - ansshared ancestry and natural selection.
Natural selection - anshelps explain how groups of organisms become well-suited, or
adapted, to their surroundings
Evolution does NOT occur within an individual; evolution happens at the level of the
population. - ansTrue
scientific experiment - anscarefully organized procedure in which the scientist intervenes in a
system to change something, then observes the result of the change
enzyme - ansa substance produced by a living organism that acts as a catalyst to bring about a
specific biochemical reaction.
nutrients - ansa chemical or food that provides what is needed for plants or animals to live
and grow
Science - ansa process that helps us to understand how the natural world works
Social and behavioral sciences - ansfocus on human cultures and the behaviors of humans in
groups and as individuals
Biology is a natural science that includes many related sub-branches - ansecology,
biochemistry, and microbiology
Scientific inquiry - ansgain knowledge about nature and physical phenomena
hypothesis - ansa set of facts, or a scientific inquiry that may be tested, verified or answered
by further investigation or methodological experiment
experimental group - ansgroup that receives the experimental treatment necessary to address
the hypothesis
control group - ansshows us what happens in the absence of the factor under study
placebo - ansa procedure that has no expected therapeutic effect
variable - ansa characteristic of a subject that can vary over time or among individuals
independent variable - ansone variable that is different between the two groups. known or
hypothesized to cause some outcome.
Dependent variables - ansknown or hypothesized consequences; they are the effects that
result from changes or differences in an independent variable
A Top Rated Exam Study Guide Updated
2025/2026.
100% Verified Study Guide with Correct
Answers.
Biologists - ansstudy how humans and other living organisms interact with their environment.
Biology - ansis the scientific study of life and is the branch of science that studies living
organisms and the way organisms interact with their environments.
To be considered alive, something must be made up of 5 distinct qualities: - ans-Be made of
materials organized in a hierarchical pattern.
-Use energy and raw materials to survive.
-Sense and respond to changing environments and maintain internal stability, or homeostasis.
-Grow, develop, and reproduce.
-Be part of a population that evolves.
cell - anssmallest living organism that shows all 5 characteristics of life
Matter - ansany substance that has mass and takes up space.
All matter can be classified in one of two categories: - ansbiotic (living or having lived) or
abiotic (nonliving and never having been alive).
biotic - ansliving or having lived
abiotic - ansnonliving and never having been alive
Atom - ansbasic unit of matter
molecule - ansa chemical structure consisting of at least two atoms held together by a
chemical bond
Macromolecules - ansbiologically important molecules that are technically polymers
When macromolecules are used as building blocks to form a membrane-bound sphere -
ansyou have a cell
two main types of cells - ansprokaryotes and eukaryotes
prokaryotes - anssmall and simple; they do not have any clearly defined compartments inside
of them
eukaryotes - ansinclude membrane-bound organelles
organelles - anscompartments inside the cell that contain specific groups of macromolecules
and carry out specific cellular functions
microorganisms - ansSingle-celled life forms
Tissues - ansformed when similar cells work together to fulfill the same detailed function
Organs - anscollections of tissues that work together to carry out a common general function
organ system - ansa higher level of organization that consists of functionally related organs
Organisms - ansindividual living entities that survive and reproduce as a unit
population - ansconsists of all the individuals of a species living within a specific area
populations can interact with each other in positive and negative ways, and together they
form a - anscommunity
ecosystem - ansconsists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic,
or nonliving, parts of that environment
biosphere - ansthe collection of all ecosystems on Earth
,WGU-C190 Introduction to Biology.
A Top Rated Exam Study Guide Updated
2025/2026.
100% Verified Study Guide with Correct
Answers.
emergent properties - anscharacteristics of a system that do not appear in any one of its
component parts alone, but that appear when all parts are combined.
Biome - ansAreas of the earth with similar characteristics of living and nonliving things
What is the first level of organization that is alive? - ansThe cell
Levels of organization from smallest to largest (simple to complex): - ans(1) atom
(2) molecule
(3) organelles
(4) cell
(5) tissue
(6) organs
(7) organ system
(8) organisms
(9) population
(10) community
(11) ecosystem (w/biomes)
(12) biosphere
Process organisms have developed and changed from earlier forms due to mutations and
adaptations - ansEvolution: ancestry and/or adaptation by natural selection
Ordered parts of biological system - ansOrganization
Stable internal environment - ansResponse to stimuli and homeostasis
Making of new organisms and increase in size once produced - ansGrowth and reproduction
Living organisms maintain - anshomeostasis
Energy flows through - ansliving systems
matter is - ansrecycled
Life's components are interconnected - ansand interdependent.
Organisms grow - ansdevelop, and reproduce
Evolutionary processes explain both - ansthe unity and adaptive diversity of life
homeostasis - ansThe ability or tendency of organisms and cells to maintain stable internal
conditions.
Matter is made up of - ansAtoms
Any matter an organism needs but cannot make for itself is considered - ansa nutrient
When an organism releases matter, the excreted matter is considered - answaste
Waste - ansUrine, feces, exhaled breath
Reproduction - ansoccurs when an individual organism passes on its genetic information to a
newly independent organism, or offspring
Energy - ansthe capacity to do work or to make a change in the location, temperature, or
structure of matter.
, WGU-C190 Introduction to Biology.
A Top Rated Exam Study Guide Updated
2025/2026.
100% Verified Study Guide with Correct
Answers.
chemical potential energy - answhat the substance can do if it is put through a chemical
reaction, like burning, that will release its stored energy
Chemical potential energy is measured in units called - anscalories
development - ansstructure and function change in an orderly way as an organism passes
through its life cycle
DNA - ansthe molecule of inheritance, encodes proteins and other molecules that build cells
and make them work
Genes - ansrecipes for proteins
Evolution - ansscientific theory that explains how and why life changes over time
The two fundamental tenents of evolution are - ansshared ancestry and natural selection.
Natural selection - anshelps explain how groups of organisms become well-suited, or
adapted, to their surroundings
Evolution does NOT occur within an individual; evolution happens at the level of the
population. - ansTrue
scientific experiment - anscarefully organized procedure in which the scientist intervenes in a
system to change something, then observes the result of the change
enzyme - ansa substance produced by a living organism that acts as a catalyst to bring about a
specific biochemical reaction.
nutrients - ansa chemical or food that provides what is needed for plants or animals to live
and grow
Science - ansa process that helps us to understand how the natural world works
Social and behavioral sciences - ansfocus on human cultures and the behaviors of humans in
groups and as individuals
Biology is a natural science that includes many related sub-branches - ansecology,
biochemistry, and microbiology
Scientific inquiry - ansgain knowledge about nature and physical phenomena
hypothesis - ansa set of facts, or a scientific inquiry that may be tested, verified or answered
by further investigation or methodological experiment
experimental group - ansgroup that receives the experimental treatment necessary to address
the hypothesis
control group - ansshows us what happens in the absence of the factor under study
placebo - ansa procedure that has no expected therapeutic effect
variable - ansa characteristic of a subject that can vary over time or among individuals
independent variable - ansone variable that is different between the two groups. known or
hypothesized to cause some outcome.
Dependent variables - ansknown or hypothesized consequences; they are the effects that
result from changes or differences in an independent variable
