The Study of Biology (151)

1) Biology and Life - What is biology? - the study of life - How do you define life? - this is not as simple as it seems - scientists use five major characteristics that appear to be unique to living things DEMONSTRATION: PLANT VS. ROCK a) all living things are composed of cells - organization of life begins with non-living particles, up to the cell, and and beyond to higher levels of organization - however, the cell is the base requirement to be considered alive - organisms can be either unicellular or multicellular b) life interacts and responds to other living things and the environment around it - other living things that evoke responses are called biotic factors - environmental factors are called abiotic (non-living) - these responses can be obvious, or extremely subtle - for example, animals will simply move away from unpleasant stimuli - the ice plant can sense oncoming freezing temperatures and turns on a molecular switch to begin producing a protein that acts as an anti-freeze to prevent internal damage c) life grows and reproduces - most importantly, DNA is the molecule of heredity in living things - inherited information is present in units called genes d) life actively undergoes transformation of energy - living things carry out metabolic processes - metabolism is the sum of chemical reactions in living things that generate and use energy - all energy transformation initially begins with the sun - flow of energy: sun producers consumers decomposers ________________________| - producers harness sunlight energy directly, consumers obtain energy from other living things and decomposers obtain their energy from dead material

e) life changes over time to adapt to varying conditions, leading to the wide variety of organisms present on the planet - in other words, life can evolve - all modern-day organisms are connected by an evolutionary lineage - the diversity of life is actually unified by the process of evolution - so one thing shared by all known living organisms is a past history - life also demonstrates other characteristics - life is both complex and organized - the text has some good examples of this - life maintains favorable internal conditions - performs homeostasis - living structures match their function - for example, bird feathers are well designed for flight 2) Classification of Organisms - How is life classified? - by organizing organisms into groups based on their specific characteristics - Why bother classifying organisms? - it helps us understand how features have evolved over time - understanding relationships between organisms can lead to new discoveries - relating species can show how climates have changed and continents shifted many years ago - scientists are now searching relatives of the yew tree for the same possible cancer fighting chemicals (Taxol) present in it - How are organisms classified? - life is categorized into three major domains a) Archaea b) Bacteria - this domain also includes its own kingdom: Bacteria (sometimes called Monera) c) Eukarya: unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes - there are four major kingdoms within this domain - Protista: unicellular - Fungi: multicellular saprophytic heterotrophs - Plantae: multicellular autotrophs - Animalia: multicellular heterotrophs - grouping is based primarily on three factors

- cell number, cell type and energy acquisition method - prokaryotes have cells with no true nucleus; very basic organization - Archaea and Bacteria domains - eukaryotes have cells with membrane-enclosed organelles, primarily a nucleus - autotrophs produce their own food source - heterotrophs must obtain their food from outside sources - saprophytes are a specific type of heterotroph that feed on dead material (decomposers) - however, it is important to remember that this is simply a guideline, and exceptions exist - some protists are multicellular (certain algae) - organisms are further subdivided into increasingly more specific groups - these subdivisions are as follows: Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species - Does King Phillip Cooks Onions For Grateful Subjects? - genus and species are used for scientifically naming organisms - this is also called its binomial nomenclature - examples include Homo sapiens, Canis lupus, Zea mays, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, etc. - How are organisms grouped into different categories? - similarities in anatomy and physiology, behavior, DNA sequences - human vs. shark vs. whale 3) The Scientific Method - Read Chapter 1 on the Scientific Method - How could the scientific method be used to address the following observations? - mold grows on bread faster in a glass cake plate than in a wooden breadbox - after planting a new flower in the garden, you notice a new species of bird present that you had not seen previously