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• DNA


  Like a blueprint for living things, made up of nucleotides (adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine) that pair up to form a double helix structure, holds instructions for organism characteristics
• Gene


  Like recipes in DNA, carry instructions for making specific proteins, inherited from parents, determine traits and body functions
• Alleles


  Different versions of a gene that control traits like eye color or hair texture, inherited from parents
• RNA


  Single-stranded messenger that helps make proteins, includes mRNA, tRNA, rRNA
• Chromosomes


  Packages of instructions made of DNA and proteins, inherit from parents, determine traits, ensure proper cell function
• Ploidy


  Refers to how many sets of chromosomes are in a cell (diploid, haploid, polyploid)
• In sexual inheritance


  Offspring get genetic material from two parents, creating uniqueness
• In asexual inheritance


  Offspring are clones of one parent, quicker method but lacks genetic diversity
• Mutation


  Change in genetic code, can lead to new traits, create genetic diversity for species adaptation and evolution
• Biotic vs. Abiotic factors

  Biotic factors are living things, abiotic factors are non-living things in an environment, both affect and shape the environment
• Biosphere


  All places on Earth where life exists, covering every part of the planet where living things thrive
• Biome


  Big area on Earth with unique climate, plants, and animals, such as tundras, deserts, rainforests
• Ecosystem


  Community of living things interacting with each other and the environment, essential for life on Earth
• Niche


  Job or role an organism has in its environment, includes what it eats, where it lives, and interactions with other organisms
• Predator vs Prey Interactions

  Predators hunt and eat prey, prey try to avoid being eaten, important for ecosystem balance
• Niches


  Important for maintaining balance and diversity in ecosystems, reducing competition for resources, and ensuring smooth energy and nutrient flow through the environment
• Predator vs Prey Interactions

  Predators hunt and eat prey to survive, while prey try to avoid being eaten, helping keep populations of both in check for the balance of ecosystems
• Symbiosis


  1. Mutualism: Both species benefit

  2. Commensalism: One benefits, and the other isn't affected

  3. Parasitism: One benefits, and the other is harmed
• Scale of Time


  Refers to the range of time different biological processes take to happen, from fractions of a second to millions of years
• Magnitude of ages in biology

  • Microseconds to milliseconds
  • Seconds to minutes
  • Hours to days
  • Weeks to months
  • Years to decades
  • Centuries to millennia
• Earth is around 4.5 billion years old
• Universe is 13.8 billion years old
• Radiometric dating


  Scientists use the natural decay of certain elements in rocks to determine their age
• The fossil record helps scientists figure out the age of rocks and understand how life has changed over time
• Fossilization


  Occurs when remains of plants or animals are buried quickly in sediment and turn into fossils over time
• Natural Selection


  Variation in organisms, selection pressure, survival and reproduction, adaptation lead to passing on best-suited traits for survival from one generation to the next
• Traits


  Heritable traits are passed down from parents to offspring through genes, while acquired traits are learned or developed during an organism's lifetime
• Artificial selection


  Humans select plants or animals with desirable traits, allow them to mate, and pass on chosen traits for further breeding
• Evolution


  Describes how organisms change over time through variation, selection pressure, and adaptation
• Selective Pressure


  Humans act as the selective pressure, deciding which traits are passed on. It's used in farming and breeding to create plants and animals with specific traits
• Evolution


  How organisms change over time
• Evolution


  1. Variation

  2. Selection Pressure

  3. Survival and Reproduction

  4. Adaptation

  5. Speciation
• For evolution to happen, there must be genetic variation, environmental pressures, and traits passed down from parents to offspring
• Microevolution


  • Small changes happening within a population over a short time, like the color of a moth changing or bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics
• Macroevolution


  • Big changes that happen over a long time, leading to the formation of new species or groups of organisms, like dinosaurs evolving into birds or the explosion of different types of animals during the Cambrian period
• Microevolution


  Small changes happening within a population over a short time
• Macroevolution


  Big changes that happen over a long time, leading to the formation of new species or groups of organisms
• Evidence of evolution fossils: Fossils are like snapshots of ancient life, and they provide strong evidence for evolution
• Evidence of evolution fossils

  1. Transitional Fossils

  2. Fossil Record

  3. Anatomical Evidence

  4. Biogeographic Evidence

  5. Molecular Evidence
• Biogeography


  Supports evolution in a few ways