CONCEPTS IN BIOLOGY

Biology - the study of living organism

CHARACTERISTICS COMMON TO ALL LIVING ORGANISMS
Composed of cells (prokaryotic & eukaryotic)

Organized (Organization of Life)

o Atoms - The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist alone or in
combination.
o Molecules - A small unit of matter /two or more atoms held by covalent bond
o Macromolecules
o Organelles
o Cells - Smallest unit of life / the fundamental unit of living things.
o Tissues - A group of cells with similar function. (Areolar tissue)
o Organs - A group of tissues with overall function (heart)
o Organ systems - A group of cell, tissues and organs that perform a specific major
function
o Individual/Complex organism - The total interaction of the organ systems
o Population Group of similar individual who tend to mate with each other in a
limited geographic area
o Community - the relationships of smaller groups of organisms with each other
and their environment.
o Ecosystem community and environment
o Biosphere everything in this earth

Require nutrients and energy

o Nothing lives without energy
o Energy - Capacity to do work
o Metabolism - Reactions by which cells acquire and use energy to grow, survive,
and reproduce

Respond to the environment

o Organisms sense changes in their environment and make responses to them
o Receptors detect specific forms of energy (stimuli)
o Allows maintenance of homeostasis (state of balance)

Contain DNA
o The genetic instructions of all living organisms is contained in molecules of
deoxyribonucleic acid.
o Only cells can build/make the biomolecules (lipids, carbohydrates, protein,
nucleic acid)
o Capacity for life DNA molecules
o Non-living things no DNA molecules

Ability to reproduce
o Asexual reproduction production of clones

Sexual reproduction genetic variation

Reproduction - process offspring

Mechanism by which an organism produces offspring

Governed by instructions in DNA

Ability to adapt (Venus flytrap / Chicken panting)

Evolution refers to changes in the genetic composition of a population.

Genetic changes may result in changes in the physical or behavioral characteristics

of the individuals.

Mutation

Evolutionary change has led to diversity among organisms. To date, approximately

1.8 million different species of organisms have been identified. Biologists estimate
that there are between 10 and 200 million species on earth.

Natural Selection

Operates to produce individuals that are better adapted to their environment.

Natural selection occurs because

-

Individuals within a population vary; they are not all identical.

Some variants are better than others.

The traits that vary are heritable.

The better individuals will have more success reproducing; they will have more
offspring.
In successive generations, more offspring will have the better traits

Evolution

Genetically based change in a line of descent over time

The relative frequency of many shared traits typically change through successive
generation

Population changes, not individuals

Antibiotic Resistance
Powerful agent for selection
Mutations for antibiotic resistance exist or arise - mutation
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria survive and reproduce better than nonresistant
Over time, proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increases

Role

Scientific Method way of gaining information about the world by forming possible
solutions to questions followed by rigorous testing to determine if the proposed
solutions are valid.
Observing and asking questions
Forming hypothesis intelligent guess
Conducting controlled experiments
Collecting and analyzing data
Drawing conclusions
of Experiments
Used to study a phenomenon under known conditions
Allows you to predict what will happen if a hypothesis is not wrong
Can never prove a hypothesis 100% correct

Experimental Design
Control group
- A standard for comparison
- Identical to experimental group except for variable being studied
Sampling error
- No representative sample skews results
- Minimize by using large samples

Scientific Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested for its predictive power many times and has not yet
been found incorrect
Has wide-ranging explanatory power
Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection
FIELDS OF BIOLOGY
2 Major Divisions
1. Botany the scientific study of plants
2. Zoology deals with the study of all aspects of animal life.
a. Anatomy -the study of body parts and their location
b. Ecology- study of interrelationships of organisms in the habitat.
c. Embryology -it is the study of the formation and development of an individual
from gametes to an organism
d. Evolution the study of change undergone by species through the ages.
e. Genetics the study of genes, heredity and variation.
f. Morphology study on form and structure of organism
g. Cytology study of cells
h. Histology study of tissues.
i. Gross Anatomy it is a study of microscopic structure of tissues and organs. (mix
anatomy and histology)
j. Paleozoology the study of animal fossils
k. Physiology the study of how body parts function and how they work.
OTHER SPECIALIZED SCIENCES
Taxonomy naming, describing, classifying living organism. *Some variations:
1. Apiculture study of bees
2. Anthropology study of man
3. Carcinology study of crabs
4. Conchology study of shells
OTHER SCIENCES LINKED TO BIOLOGY
1. Astronomy
4. Mathematics
2. Chemistry
5. Physics
3. Geology
6.
7. Limits of Science
Scientific approach cannot provide answers to subjective questions
Cannot provide moral, aesthetic, or philosophical standards
Conflict with supernatural beliefs
8.
9. Review: Diversity of Life
Millions of living species
Millions more now extinct
Classification schemes attempt to organize diversity
10.
11.
Scientific Names (by Carolus Linnaeus)
- Classification scheme
- Two-part name
First name is genus (plural, genera)
Homo sapiens - genus is Homo

 Second name is species within genus

12.
13. 3 DOMAINS (highest taxonomic rank of organisms)
14. Biologist group species that are related by descent from a common ancestor
1. Eubacteria (Bacteria) true bacteria
2. Archaebacteria (Archaea)
3. Eukaryota (Eukaryotes)
Extremophiles loving bacteria
Alkalmophile increasing pH level
Termophiles heat loving (volcano)
Mesophile pH level = 7
Cryophiles cold loving (pole)
Halophile (salt)
Acidophile - decreasing pH level

Prokaryotic Organisms
Single cells
No nucleus or organelles
Smaller, less complex
Eukaryotic Organisms
Single- or multi-celled
Nucleus and other organelles
Larger, more complex

The Living Kingdoms

Kingdoms are divisions of living nature categorizing living things to express their line or
phylogeny
When these kingdoms of life established?

In the beginning... two (2) kingdoms

- Established by Carolus Linnaeus (1778)
- He pioneered the biological nomenclature.
Regnum Animale (Animal Kingdom)
Regnum Vegetabile (Plant kingdom)
In 1674, Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
- The father of microscopy
- Invented the simple microscope and observed the single celled organisms.
- 1866.. Richard Owen, John Hogg and Ernst Haeckel proposed the 3rd kingdom
Kingdom Protista, Animalia & Plantae

1970 onwards...
- increasing emphasis on molecular level comparisons of
genes.
- Carl Woese divided the prokaryotes (Kingdom Monera)
into two groups, called Eubacteria and Archaebacteria,
stressing that there was as much genetic difference
between these two groups as between either of them and
all eukaryotes.

6 KINGDOMS
The six-kingdom system is still recognizably an expansion
of the original two-kingdom system: Animalia remains; the original category of plants
has been split into Plantae and Fungi; and single-celled organisms have been introduced
and split into Bacteria, Archaea and Protista.