Properties of life

Order
o Ordered organization
Regulation
o Organism can adjust its internal environment
Growth and Development
o Info carried by genes controls the pattern of growth and
development
Energy utilization
o Organisms take in energy used to perform all of lifes activities
Response to the environment
o Ex. Venus flytrap responds to touch on surface
Reproduction
o Organisms reproduce their own kind
Evolution
o Reproduction underlies to capacity of population changes over time

Levels of life
-

Biosphere
o All environments that support life
Ecosystems
o Consists of all organisms living in a particular area(Living and nonliving)
Example: A tide pond in the Galapagos
Communities
o All the organisms within the tide pool ^^^ see example
Populations
o Groups of interacting individuals of one species
Organisms
o An individual living thing
Organ systems and organs
o Systems within the body such as circulatory, muscular, etc.
Tissues
o Each organ is made up of different tissues
Cells
o The smallest unit that can display all characteristics of life
Organelles
o Functional components of cells such as the nucleus
Molecules and atoms
o Molecules are clusters of atoms. Each cell consists of a large
number of chemicals that function together to give the cell the
properties we recognize as life.

Ecosystems

Consumers
o Animals, humans, mammals
Dependent on producers
Producers
o Plants, trees, photosynthetic organisms
Convert light energy to chemical energy(food)
Decomposers
o Fungi, algae, in soil
Decompose waste products and the remains of deceased
organisms

2 Major cell types

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Prokaryotes
o Simple structure
o Smaller
o Nucleus is not enclosed in a membrane
o Lacks most organelles
Eukaryotes
o Larger
o Most complex structure
o Nucleus enclosed in a membrane
o Contains many types of organelles

Domains
-

Eukarya
o Kingdoms
Plantae, Animalia, Fungi
Plants produce their own sugars and other foods by
photosynthesis
Fungi are decomposers which digest dead organisms
Animals ingest and digest other animals
Bacteria
o Prokaryotic cells
Archea
o Prokaryotic cell type
o Similar to eukaryotes genetically
o Extremophile

Darwin
-

Evolution

Natural selection
o Those with the best traits survive
Artificial selection

Selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals

Experimental process
-

Scientific Method
o Observation
o Question
o Hypothesis
Deduction(if then logic)
o Prediction
o Experiment
Theory
o Much broader in scope
o Needs extensive and varied evidence

Atomic Structure
-

Nucleus
o The atoms central core which consists of protons and neutrons
Electrons
o Negatively charged subatomic particle
Protons(Positive charge) Neutrons(Negative charge)

Chemical bonds
-

Ionic
o The attraction between oppositely charged ions
Covalent
o 2 atoms share one or more pairs of outer shell electrons(molecules)
Hydrogen
o A type of covalent bond that is shared unequally. Because it is
equally shared it is a polar molecule

Water
-

Cohesion is how water molecules stick together

High surface tension
Resistance to temperature change
Can moderate temperature

PH scale
o 1-6 is an acid(stomach acids, lemons)
o 7 is neutral(water)
o 8 and up is a base(bleach, oven cleaner)
o Blood is between 7 and 8
Buffers
o Substances that resist PH change
Accepts H+ ions when in excess
Donates H+ ions in depletion

Hydrophillic
o Love of water
Hydrophobic
o Aversion to water

Carbon
-

Carbon is a versatile atom.

o It has four electrons in an outer shell that holds eight.
o Carbon can share its electrons with other atoms to form up to four
covalent bonds.
Carbon can use its bonds to
o Attach to other carbons
o Form an endless diversity of carbon skeletons
Hydrocarbons
o organic molecules containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms