MB ST #8 Body of knowledge: life science

The process in nature by which, according to Darwin's theory of evolution, only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations while those less adapted tend to be eliminated.

any of the three groups into which natural objects may be divided: the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms.

A primary division of a kingdom, as of the animal kingdom, ranking next above a class in size.

is the rank in the scientific classification of organisms in biology below Phylum and above Order.

a rank between class and family, or a taxon at that rank.

family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.

is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.

A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

is a viable DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) coding that occupies a given locus (position) on a chromosome.

is a spontaneous process (more familiarly known as a "passive" form of transport, rather than "active"); it is simply the statistical outcome of random motion.

is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms.

is a locatable region of genomic sequence, corresponding to a unit of inheritance, which is associated with regulatory regions, transcribed regions and/or other functional sequence regions.

is a thin layer that separates various cellular structures or organs.

is the net movement of water across a partially permeable membrane from a region of high solvent potential to an area of low solvent potential, up a solute concentration gradient.

a membrane which will allow certain molecules or ions to pass through it by diffusion.

are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues.

is a nucleic acid polymer consisting of nucleotide monomers, which plays several important roles in the processes of translating genetic information from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into proteins.

is a form of reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization.

is a union that results in increasing genetic diversity of the offspring. It is characterized by two processes: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilisation, involving the fusion of two gametes and the restoration of the original number of chromosomes. During meiosis, the chromosomes of each pair usually cross over to achieve genetic recombination.

is a period involving one generation of an organism through means of reproduction, whether through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction.

is the process by which one diploid eukaryotic cell divides to generate four haploid cells often called gametes.

is the process by which a cell duplicates its genetic information (DNA), in order to generate two, identical, daughter cells.

are changes to the base pair sequence of the genetic material of an organism.