Chapter 1Biology: The Study Of Life

1. Biology – the study of life

2. From Greek – bio meaning “life” & -ology meaning “study of”

3. Anything that is capable of carrying on the processes or characteristics of life is called an ORGANISM

What is Biology?

Bacteria Protist Fungi Plant Animal

1. How living things interact with other living things

2. How living things interact with their environment

3. Problems, such as disease and endangered species, and propose solutions

What Do Biologists Study

1. Are made of organized CELLS

2. Use Energy

3. REPRODUCE

4. GROW and DEVELOP

5. ADJUST to their surroundings

6. ADAPT, and EVOLVE with its environment

The 6 Characteristics of all living things:

1. A CELL is the smallest possible unit of life

a) Many organisms, such as bacteria, are UNICELLULAR and are made of only ONE cell that contains DNA.

b) Other organisms such as animals and plants are MULTICELLULAR and are made of MANY cells.

Characteristic #1: All organisms are made of organized CELLS

All organisms have different levels of organization

1. Cells – smallest unit of life2. Tissue – group of cells that perform common function3. Organ – group of tissues that perform common

function4. Organ system – group of organs that perform common

function5. Organism – any complete living thingLiving things show organization with specialized parts that perform particular functions.

Characteristic #2: All Organisms Use Energy

1. Living things take in energy and use it for maintenance and growth

2. Two ways organisms take in and use energy:a) Photosynthesisb) Cellular Respiration

Characteristic #3: All organisms can REPRODUCE1. Organisms don’t live forever.2. Reproduction is not required for the survival of

a single individual it is required for the survival of the SPECIES as a whole.

3. A SPECIES is a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature.

4. Without reproduction a species will eventually go EXTINCT.

1. ASEXUAL reproduction – a single parent makes an identical offspring

a) Producing offspring without the use of gametesb) Cloning, binary fission, budding, mitosis

2. SEXUAL reproduction – two parents combine DNA to make a unique offspring

a) Producing offspring by the joining of sex cellsb) Internal/External Fertilization

Asexual vs. Sexual Reproduction

1. All life begins with a single cell.2. Over the course of an organism’s life, they will:

a) GROW: an increase in the amount of living material and the formation of new structures

b) DEVELOP: All of the changes that take place during the life of an organism

c) E.g. A fertilized chicken egg will grow and develop into an adult chicken

Characteristic #4:All organisms GROW and DEVELOP

Characteristic #5:All life can ADJUST to their surroundings

1. All life can ADJUST or react to their surroundings.

a) Possible things that an organism can adjust to:i. Lightii. Temperatureiii. Other Organisms

1. A STIMULUS is anything in an organism’s environment that causes the organism to react.

a) E.g. Loud noise, smell of food, predator

2. A RESPONSE is a reaction to a stimulus.a) E.g. Flinching at the sound of a noise, moving

toward food, running from sight of predator

3. A behavior is a complex set of responses

Stimulus & Response

1. STIMULUS: Cold dry weather RESPONSE: Trees lose leaves

2. STIMULUS: Touch a hot stove RESPONSE: Jerk hand away

3. STIMULUS: Fox sees a rabbit RESPONSE: Fox kills and eats rabbit

Examples of Stimulus & Response

1. All living things must maintain an internal balance in their bodies.

2. HOMEOSTASIS is the maintenance of an internal balance in all organisms

a) EXAMPLES:i. Sweating (too hot)ii. Shivering (too cold)iii. Keeping the same blood pressureiv. Balance of water and nutrients

Homeostasis

1. All organisms have ADAPTATIONS to help them survive.

a) An ADAPTATION is any inherited structure or behavior giving an organism an advantage in a certain environment

2. Adaptations are inherited TRAITS from previous generations and can be passed on to offspring.

3. The gradual changes in a species through adaptations over time is called EVOLUTION.

Characteristic #6:All life can ADAPT, and EVOLVE with its environment

1. Which is not a characteristic of all organisms?a) Made of one or more cellsb) Grows and develops c) Capable of rational thoughtd) Maintains homeostasis

Class Participation

1. What is the process of change that takes place during the life of an organism?

a) Adaptationb) Developmentc) Growthd) maturation

Class Participation

1. Some species of plants begin opening their flowers in the morning when they are exposed to sunlight. What characteristic of living things does this represent?

a) Acquiring energyb) Adapting to the environmentc) Displaying organizationd) Responding to a stimuli

Class Participation

1. Do all living things have all of the characteristics of life? If your answer is no, give an example.

2. Name some non-living thing that uses energy.3. Name some non-living thing that grows.

Questions