section 1.1 what is biology? - cabarrus county schools · characteristics of living things...

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READING ESSENTIALS Chapter 1 1

◗ Before You ReadWhen you hear the word biology, what do you think of? In the space below, make a list of some ofthe topics you think you will learn about as you study biology.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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◗ Read to LearnThe Science of Biology

Biology is the study of life. When you study biology you willlearn about all of the different kinds of living things. You willlearn where they live, what they are like, how they depend oneach other, and how they behave.

One of the main ideas in biology is that living things dependon each other. They are part of what is called the balance ofnature. All living things interact with other living things and with the world they live in. Without these relationships, nothingwould survive.

Humans need plants and animals to supply us with food andraw materials, such as wood, oil, and cotton. Plants provide theoxygen in our air.

Biologists Study the Diversity of LifeThe study of one living thing always involves studying other

living things. Knowing how human life depends on nature andother living things is the only way that humans can expect tounderstand how to keep Earth healthy. With this knowledge,researchers can find ways to prevent diseases. Scientists can alsofind ways to help save living things that are in danger of becom-ing extinct and solve other problems.

Create a Quiz After youhave read this section, createa five-question quiz based onwhat you have learned. Then,partner with another studentand exchange quizzes. Aftertaking the quizzes, reviewyour answers together.

1. What is biology?

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What is biology?

Name Date Class

Section

1.1Section

SC.F.1.4.7 The student knows that organisms respond to internal and external stimuli. Also covers SC.D.2.4.1,SC.G.1.4.1, SC.H.3.4.3, SC.H.3.4.6

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What is biology?, continued

Name Date Class

1.1

2 Chapter 1 READING ESSENTIALS

SectionSection

2. What is a species?

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Characteristics ofLiving Things

Sometimes it is difficult to tellthe difference between living andnonliving things. At times, nonliv-ing things have one or more ofthe characteristics of life, but it isnecessary to have all of the char-acteristics of life to be consideredliving. Things that have all of thecharacteristics of life are known asorganisms. All organisms aremade of one or more cells. Eachcell contains the genetic materialDNA that has the informationneeded to control the life processesof the organism.

What are the characteristics of life?One of the first things biologists look for when they are search-

ing for characteristics of life is structure, or organization.Whether an organism is made of a single cell or billions of cells,all of its parts work together in an orderly living system.

Another important characteristic of life is reproduction. Repro-duction is the ability of an organism to make more of the sametype of organism. The new organisms that are made are calledoffspring. Although reproduction is not needed for the survival ofan individual organism, it must occur for the continuation of theorganism’s species. A species (SPEE sheez) consists of a group of organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspringthat are able to reproduce. For example, there are many species ofcrocodiles including the American crocodile, the Australian fresh-water crocodile, and the saltwater crocodile. American crocodilesreproduce only American crocodiles. Without reproduction, thespecies would die out.

Another characteristic of life is that growth and developmentmust take place. An organism begins life as a single cell. As timepasses, it grows and develops. As growth and development takeplace, the organism takes on the characteristics of its species.Growth results in the formation of new structures and an increasein the amount of living material. Development refers to thechanges that occur in each organism’s life.

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Name Date Class

1.1


SectionSection

3. Name three or morethings that make up theenvironment.

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4. Conclude Some treesdrop their leaves in thefall in response to: (Circleyour choice.)a. higher temperaturesb. lower temperaturesc. more daylight hours

One more characteristic of life is the ability to adjust to sur-roundings, or the environment. Anything in the environment—air, water, temperature, weather, other organisms—that causes theorganism to react is called a stimulus (plural, stimuli). The organ-ism’s reaction to the stimulus is called a response. An organismalso has the ability to control its internal environment in order to maintain conditions suitable for survival. For example, anorganism must make constant adjustments to maintain the rightamount of water and minerals in its cells. This ability is calledhomeostasis (hoh mee oh STAY sus). Without the ability to adjustto internal changes, an organism would die.

How do organisms respond to change?Organisms use energy to grow, develop, respond to stimuli,

and maintain homeostasis. Energy is the ability to cause change.Organisms get their energy from food.

Any behavior, structure, or internal process that allows an organ-ism to make changes in response to environmental factors and livelong enough to reproduce is called an adaptation (a dap TAY shun).For example, the leaves of many desert plants have a thick, waxycoating. This is an adaptation that helps these plants conservewater. Having large eyes is an adaptation that lets owls see well atnight. The gradual change in a species over time due to adapta-tions is called evolution (e vuh LEW shun).

◗ After You ReadMini Glossary

adaptation (a dap TAY shun): any structure,behavior, or internal process that enables anorganism to respond to environmental fac-tors and survive to produce offspring

biology: the study of life that seeks to providean understanding of the natural world

development: the changes that take place duringan organism’s life; one of the characteristicsof all living things

energy: the ability to cause change

environment: the surroundings to which anorganism must adjust; includes air, water,weather, temperature, organisms, andother factors

evolution (e vuh LEW shun): gradual change in aspecies through adaptations over time

growth: changes in an organism resulting in anincrease in the amount of living materialand the formation of new structures; one ofthe characteristics of all living things

homeostasis (hoh mee oh STAY sus): an organ-ism’s ability to control its internal envi-ronment to maintain conditions suitable for survival

organism: anything that possesses all the charac-teristics of life

organization: the orderly structure of cells in anorganism; one of the characteristics of allliving things

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Name Date Class

1.1


SectionSection

1. Review the terms and their definitions in the Mini Glossary above. Then on the lines below,write a sentence for each of the following words: adaptation, evolution, and homeostasis.____________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Use the web diagram below to help you review what you have read about organisms. List thefour characteristics biologists use to recognize living things.

3. Give two examples of ways in which humans depend on other living things.____________________________________________________________________________________

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Visit the Glencoe Science Web site at science.glencoe.com to findyour biology book and learn more about what biology is.

reproduction: the production of offspring; acharacteristic of all living things

response: an organism’s reaction to a change inits environment

species (SPEE sheez): a group of organisms capa-ble of mating with each other and produc-ing offspring who can also reproduce

stimulus: anything in the environment thatcauses an organism to react

Characteristicsof Living Things

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◗ Before You ReadFind the key terms hypothesis and experiment in the Read to Learn section below. Highlight andread the words and their definitions. Then, think of an experiment you might like to conduct. Onthe lines provided, explain the question you hope to answer with your experiment.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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◗ Read to LearnObserving and Hypothesizing

Even though biologists and other scientists study many differ-ent types of things, they all use the same basic steps. The com-mon steps they use to do research and answer questions are calledscientific methods. Scientists often figure out questions to askand answer just by observing the world around them.

What is a hypothesis?Forming a hypothesis (hi PAHTH us sus) is a research

method scientists use often. A hypothesis is an explanation for aquestion or problem that can be tested. For example, imagine thatthe number of birds in an area decreased after snakes came intothe area. A scientist might make the hypothesis that the snakeswere the reason the number of birds decreased.

A scientist who forms a hypothesis must be certain that it canbe tested. Before testing a hypothesis, scientists make observa-tions and do research. The results of the experiment will help thescientist answer whether or not the hypothesis is supported.

ExperimentingTo a scientist, an experiment is a test of a hypothesis by col-

lecting information under controlled conditions.

Make Flash Cards Makingflash cards is a good way tolearn chapter material. Foreach paragraph, think of aquestion your teacher mightask on a test. Write the ques-tion on one side of the flashcard. Then write the answer onthe other side. Quiz yourselfuntil you know the answers.

1. What is a hypothesis?

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The Methods of Biology

Name Date Class

Section

1.2Section

SC.H.1.4.1 The student knows that investigations are conducted to explore new phenom-ena, to check on previous results, to test how well a theory predicts, and to compare dif-ferent theories. Also covers SC.G.1.4.1, SC.H.1.4.3, SC.H.2.4.1, SC.H.3.4.1, SC.H.1.4.7,SC.H.2.4.2, SC.H.3.4.3, SC.H.3.4.6

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The Methods of Biology, continued

Name Date Class

1.2


SectionSection

2. What are the two groups in a controlledexperiment?

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3. Who is responsible formaking sure that safetyprocedures are followedwhen conducting anexperiment?

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What is a controlled experiment?Controlled experiments involve two groups—the control

group and the experimental or test group. The control is the part of an experiment that represents the standard conditions. In other words, the control receives no experimental treatment.The experimental group is the test group that receives experi-mental treatment.

For instance, imagine an experiment to learn how fertilizeraffects plant growth. Fertilizer would be used in the experimental

group but not in the control group. All other condi-tions—soil, light, and water—would be the samefor both groups.

In this experiment, using fertilizer is the inde-pendent variable. The independent variable is the one condition in an experiment that is tested.How much the plants grow is the dependent vari-able. The dependent variable is the condition that changes because of a change in the independ-ent variable.

Safety is another important factor that scientiststhink about when carrying out investigations andexperiments. It is important to know about dangersthat may exist from doing an experiment beforeyou begin it. Anyone doing an experiment has aresponsibility to follow safety procedures. Theymust keep themselves and others out of danger.

How are theories formed?The information gathered from experiments is called data.

A scientist carefully reviews or analyzes experimental results todecide if the data supports the hypothesis. Scientists repeat theirexperiments in order to gather more data. Data are consideredreliable only when repeating the experiment several times pro-duces similar results.

Scientists also compare the results of their experiments with theresults of other studies. They research published information in scientific journals and computer databases. It is important to havedetails of an experiment presented in scientific journals and data-bases so scientists can compare their results with those of similarstudies. It lets other scientists test the results by repeating theexperiment. If many scientists get the same results, it helps supportthe hypothesis. A hypothesis that is supported by many differentinvestigations and observations becomes a theory.

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The Methods of Biology, continued

Name Date Class

1.2


SectionSection


1. Review the terms and their definitions in the Mini Glossary above. Write a sentence using atleast two of the terms.____________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Use the pyramid diagram to help you review what you have read. Arrange the steps used inscientific research in the order that they usually take place. Place the letter next to each stepin the right order in the pyramid.a. Conduct experiments

b. Form a hypothesis

c. Observe and identify a problem to solve

d. Study results data to see if hypothesis is supported

3. Choose one of the question headings in the Read to Learn section. Write the question in thespace below. Then, write your answer to that question on the lines that follow.

Answer:

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Visit the Glencoe Science Web site at science.glencoe.com to findyour book and learn more about the methods of biology.

Question:

control: in an experiment, the standard againstwhich results are compared

data: information gathered from an experiment

dependent variable: the condition in an experi-ment that results from the changes made tothe independent variable

experiment: an investigation that tests a hypoth-esis by collecting information under con-trolled conditions

hypothesis (hi PAHTH us sus): an explanation for aquestion or problem that can be tested

independent variable: in an experiment, thecondition that is tested because it affectsthe outcome of the experiment

scientific methods: common steps that scientistsuse to do research and answer questions

theory: an explanation of a natural phenomenonor event that is supported by a large bodyof scientific evidence obtained from manydifferent investigations and observations

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◗ Before You ReadIn this section, you will learn how biologists use scientific research to study the natural world andmake important discoveries. Think of any important discoveries in the field of biology that youalready know about. Give as many examples as you can on the lines below.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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◗ Read to Learn

Kinds of InformationScientific information can usually be broken down into two

main types—quantitative or qualitative. In quantitative research,results are compared by using numbers. Imagine an experiment to see when different materials begin to melt. The temperature at which wax, iron, and glass each begins to melt is different.Temperatures often are measured in degrees, which are numberson a scale. These temperatures are a type of quantitative data inquantitative research.

Qualitative research is based on observation. It is also calleddescriptive research because it describes scientists’ observationswhen they do their research. If a scientist wanted to figure outhow a beaver builds a dam, numbers would not be very helpful.The scientist would observe the beaver and see how the dam isbuilt. Then the scientist would describe, in detail, all the steps thebeaver takes to build the dam.

Science and SocietyScientific research often provides society with important infor-

mation. What we learn from scientific research cannot be definedas good or bad. Ethics must play a role in deciding how the infor-mation will be used. Ethics are the moral principles and valuesheld by humans. Ethics are how we decide what is right or wrong,good or bad. Suppose scientists develop a new vaccine to cure adisease, but they can only produce 1000 doses each year. Ethicshelp society decide who should receive those doses. Society as awhole must take responsibility for making sure that scientific dis-coveries are used in an ethical way.

In Your OwnWords Highlight the mainidea in each paragraph. Stopafter every paragraph and putwhat you just read into yourown words.

1. What are the two main types of scientificresearch?

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The Nature of Biology

Name Date Class

Section

1.3Section

SC.H.2.4.2 The student knows that scientists control conditions in order to obtainevidence, but when that is not possible for practical or ethical reasons, they try toobserve a wide range of natural occurrences to discern patterns. Also coversSC.H.1.4.1, SC.H.1.4.7, SC.H.2.4.1, SC.H.3.4.3, SC.H.3.4.2, SC.H.3.4.6

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The Nature of Biology, continued

Name Date Class

1.3


SectionSection

Some scientific study is done only to learn new things. Thistype of science is called pure science. Pure science is not done sothat the results can be used for a specific need. The research isfiled away for later use.

Science that solves a problem is technology. Technology(tek NAHL uh jee) means using scientific research to meet soci-ety’s needs or solve its problems. Technology has helped reducethe amount of manual labor needed to make and raise crops. Ithas also helped cut down on environmental pollution.


ethics: the moral principles and values held by society

technology (tek NAHL uh jee): the application of scientific research to society’s needs and problems.

1. Review the terms and their definitions in the Mini Glossary above. Then, write the defini-tions of both terms in your own words on the lines below.____________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Use the partially completed outline below to help you review what you have read. Fill in theblanks to provide additional information.I. Scientific Research

A. Quantitative Research

1. What is it?

2. Give an example:

B. Qualitative Research

1. What is it?

2. Give an example:

3. Give an example of how technology has helped human life and the world around us.____________________________________________________________________________________

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Visit the Glencoe Science Web site at science.glencoe.com to findyour book and learn more about the nature of biology.

section 1.1 what is biology? - cabarrus county schools · characteristics of living things...

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