biology as the study of life
TRANSCRIPT
Biology
AS THE STUDY OF L IFE
SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Key Words
Cell
Basic structural and functional unit of living organisms
Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Prokaryotes don’t have a real nucleus Eukaryotes have a nucleus with a double membrane
Plant vs. Animal Plant cells have a rigid cell wall and chloroplasts Animal cells have lysosomes
Regulation & Feed Back
Regulation The adaptation of form or
behavior of an organism to changed conditions.
Feedback A cause and effect chain
that loops back to the beginning.
Reproduction
The creation of a new organism from a “parent.”
The known methods of reproduction are broadly grouped into two main types: sexual and asexual.
Enzymes
Catalyst in chemical reactions
The purpose of an enzyme in a cell is to allow the cell to carry out chemical reactions very quickly.
Emergent Property & Homeostasis
Emergent Property The emergence of
properties at each step of the levels of organization.
Homeostasis The tendency of a
system to stay under stable conditions.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Contains the genetic information used in the development and growth of an organism.
Made up of nucleotides which are formed from a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and one of 4 nitrogen bases (Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine.)
Metabolism
A set of chemical reactions that occur to
sustain life.
Catabolism A set of metabolic reactions that break down big,
complex molecules.Anabolism
A set of metabolic reactions that synthesize larger, more complex compounds.
Biodiversity
The degree of variety of organisms in a given specific area or location.
Biodiversity includes genetic variation within species and the variety of habitat types
Evolution
Any change between successive generations in the inherited traits of populations.
Open System & Stimuli
Open System A system that exchanges energy and materials with its
outside environment.Stimuli
A change that elicits or causes a response.
Taxonomy
The science of identifying, naming, and classifying organisms.
Uses Binomial Nomenclature Uses two names
Taxa:
WHAT MAKES L IFE , L IFE .
Characteristics of Life
Cellular and Organized
Single-cell organisms have everything they need to be self-sufficient.
In multicellular organisms, specialization increases until some cells do only certain things.
Reproduces
Reproduction is not essential for the survival of individual organisms, but must occur for a species to survive.
All living things reproduce in one of the following ways: Asexual reproduction - Producing offspring without
the use of gametes. Sexual reproduction - Producing offspring by the
joining of sex cells.
Genetic Code
Offspring resemble parents because they inherit their traits.
Nucleic acids is life’s manual, its blueprint to make an organism.
Grows and Develops
An organism develops when it matures.Cell division is the orderly formation of new
cells.Cell enlargement is the increase in size of a
cell. Cells grow to a certain size and then divide.An organism gets larger as the number of its
cells and size of its cells increases.
Energy
Living things take in energy and use it for maintenance and growth.
Responds
Living things will make changes in response to a stimulus in their environment.
A behavior is a complex set of responses.
Adapts and Evolves
Adaptations are traits giving an organism an advantage in a certain environment.
Variation of individuals is important for a healthy species.
Homeostasis
The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a stable equilibrium.
“CHARRGED”
C – Cellular and OrganizedH – HomeostasisA – Adapts and EvolvesR – RespondsR – ReproducesG – Grows and DevelopsE – EnergyD – DNA, Genetic Code
THE MAIN POINTS
Themes of Biology
Cell
Cells are every organism’s basic units of structure and function. The two main types of cells are Prokaryotic cells (in Bacteria and Archaea) and Eukaryotic cells (in Protists, Plants, Fungi, and Animals).
Heritable Information
The continuity of life depends on the inheritance of biological information in the form of DNA molecules. This genetic information is encoded in the nucleotide sequences of the DNA.
Emergent Properties
The living world has a hierarchical organization, extending from molecules to the biosphere. With each step upward in level, system properties emerge as a result of interactions among components at the lower levels.
Regulation
Feedback mechanisms regulate biological systems. In some cases, the regulation maintains a relatively steady state for internal factors such as body temperature.
Interaction with the Environment
Organisms are open systems that exchange materials and energy with their surroundings. An organism’s environment includes other organisms as well as nonliving factors.
Energy and Life
All organisms must perform work, which requires energy. Energy flows from sunlight to producers to consumers.
Unity and Diversity
Biologists group the diversity of life into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. As diverse as life is, we can also find unity, such as a universal genetic code.
The more closely related two species are, the more characteristics they share.
Evolution
Evolution, biology’s core theme, explains both the unity and diversity of life. The Darwinian theory of natural selection accounts for adaptation of populations to their environment through the differential reproductive success of varying
individuals.
Structure and Function
Form and function are correlated at all levels of biological organization
Scientific Inquiry
The process of science includes observation- based discovery and the testing of explanations through hypothesis-based inquiry. Scientific credibility depends on the repeatability of observations and experiments.
“LUDEECRISS”
L – Life and EnergyU – Unity and DiversityD – DNAE – EvolutionE – Emergent PropertyC – CellR – RegulationI – Interacts with its EnvironmentS – Structure and FunctionS – Scientific Inquiry
MICRO TO MACRO
Levels of Organization
MoleculesCellsTissuesOrgansOrgan SystemsOrganismPopulation, same species, area, & timeCommunityEcosystemBiosphereCosmos