Biology Study Guide
Origin of Life
unicellular
Spallanzani
Redi
spontaneous
The idea that life could come from nonliving matter is called ____________________
generation. In 1688, Francisco ___________ experimented with meat to disprove the idea
of spontaneous generation. Redi concluded that decaying meat does not turn into
maggots. In 1767 another scientist named Lazzaro _________________ used broth to see
if mold and fungus were formed by spontaneous generation. Spallanzani thought
_________________ organisms were already in the air and in the broth. He experimented
and found that organisms did not grow in broth that had been boiled and sealed.
s-shaped
not
Pasteur
biogenesis
In 1864, a French scientist named Louis ___________ also believed that germs were
present in air and dust. He boiled broth in unsealed flasks. These flasks had
______________ necks that trapped any germs in the air. Pasteur’s experiment showed
that organisms did ___________ come from spontaneous generation. The idea that living
things can only come from other living things is called _______________________.
deadly
Miller
atmosphere
Earth
explanation
How did life begin on ___________? In 1953, Stanley ___________ believed that
elements present in earth’s early ____________________ somehow joined together to
form the chemicals found in living things. His experiment combined the ___________
gases, water, and electrical charges to eventually form a goo that contained the basic
materials, called amino acids, needed for life. This gave scientists one possible
___________________ for how life began on Earth.
1|P age
Cell Theory
cells
animalcules
animal
Virchow
cork
plants
Robert Hooke is noted as the first person to observe cells. He actually viewed the outer
walls of dead__________________ cells rather than the living cells. The cork he viewed
reminded him of little boxes, which he named __________________. His work was an
important step into the study of cells. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek was the first to see and
describe living cells called __________________. Leeuwenhoek's discovery helped to
form the basis of cell theory and discredit the idea of spontaneous generation.
Another scientist, German botanist Matthias Schleiden, looked at numerous plant
samples. Schleiden was the first to recognize that all __________________, and all the
different parts of plants, are composed of cells. While having dinner with zoologist
Theodor Schwann, Schleiden mentioned his idea. Schwann, who came to similar
conclusions while studying __________________ tissues, quickly saw the implications
of their work.
Then, in 1858, Rudolf __________________ extended the work of Schleiden and
Schwann by proposing that all living cells must rise from pre-existing cells.
cell
spontaneous
organisms
another
The cell theory states that all _______________ are made up of cells, the basic unit of
structure and function in an organism is the ____________, and that every cell has been
made by _______________ cell. The cell theory also supports biogenesis. The idea of
biogenesis was developed after Redi, Spallanzani, and Pasteur disproved the notion of
__________________ generation.
2|P age
Characteristics of Life
biotic
energy
autotrophs
heterotrophs
Some organisms are unicellular, or made up of only one cell. Other organisms are made
up of more than one cell and are multi-cellular. Characteristics of life are simply traits
that are found in _____________, or living things. These traits are what make living
things different from nonliving things. These characteristics must be present in a group of
living things to allow the object to be categorized as living.
Energy
All living things need ___________. Organisms use energy to carry out all of the life
processes. Some organisms make their own food and are called _____________. Some
eat other organisms and are called _________________________.
oxygen
digestion
ATP
metabolism
excretion
Energy, in the form of _____________ is released during chemical activities that go on in
the body of a living thing. These energy related activities are called ______________.
There are four basic parts of metabolism: ingestion, digestion, respiration, and excretion.
Ingestion is the first stage when food is taken into the body. _______________ is the
process by which food is broken down into simpler substances. The process by which
living things take in ___________ and use it to produce energy is called respiration. The
process of getting rid of waste materials is called ________________.
Growth and Development
size
energy
growth
Metabolism supplies living things with the ____________ they need to grow.
___________ is another characteristic of living things. Growing involves more than
increasing in ___________ - it also includes development and complexity.
3|P age
Response to Stimulus
action
reacts
stimuli
changes
An organism ___________ to changes in its environment. Plants respond to water and
light by growing toward them. Animals have the senses of seeing, hearing, tasting,
smelling, and touching, which enable them to respond to the many ___________ in their
environment. A _________________ is any change in the environment of an organism
that produces a response. A response is some ___________ or movement of the
organism.
Homeostasis
die
homeostasis
survive
Most organisms cannot _________________ in extreme temperatures because many life
processes cannot occur at those temperatures. Many organisms would quickly
___________ if it were not for homeostasis. _________________ is the ability of an
organism to keep conditions inside its body the same even though conditions in its
external environment change.
Reproduction
asexual
individual
reproduction
offspring
___________________ is the process by which living things produce more of the same
type of living thing that can also reproduce. There are two types of reproduction: sexual involves two parents and ________________ - involves only one parent. Either way, the
____________________ gets a set of chemical plans or blueprints that determine the
characteristics of that type of living thing. Reproduction is not essential for the life of an
____________________ organism but it is essential for the continuation of life from one
generation to another.
4|P age
Cell Structure
prokaryotes
plant
cytoplasm
membrane
organelles
eukaryotes
nucleus
Most cells share similar structures. As microscopes have improved, we have discovered
that cells contain internal structures called ____________. Organelles carry out the basic
processes of life and have a particular function. The thin layer that surrounds and holds
the parts of a cell together is called the cell __________________. The cell membrane
controls the movement of materials into and out of the cell.
The ____________ of the cell controls the activities of the cell. It contains instructions
for the cell called DNA. Cells that do not have a nucleus are called ________________ .
Cells that have a formal nucleus are called ___________________.
The watery material of a cell is called __________________. Cytoplasm contains
proteins, waste materials, and dissolved minerals. _______________ cells have a cell
wall. The cell wall is a rigid layer that shapes and supports the cell.
Organelles
ribosomes
digest
Golgi
endoplasmic
mitochondria
powerhouses
vacuole
A network of tube-like structures in the cytoplasm is call the ______________________
reticulum, or ER. There are two types of ER: smooth and rough. Rough ER is covered
with ________________. Ribosomes are grain like particles in a cell where proteins are
made. Ribosomes are made in the nucleus of the cell. ________________ bodies store
and release chemicals in the cell. _____________________ are kidney bean shaped
bodies that are involved in releasing energy for the cell, in the form of ATP.
Mitochondria are, therefore, called the ________________ of a cell. Lysosomes are
special organelles that ______________ old and worn parts of the cell. The part of a cell
that stores water and dissolved materials is called a _____________. Chloroplasts are
tiny disks in plant cell. They contain chlorophyll and make a plant green.
5|P age