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Lecture 1

Announcements
1. Study guide & Practical manual are
obtainable from office FF016
2. Practical registration done in office
FF016
3. All repeaters are exempted from the
practical classes

The Organization of Life


What is Biology?
- Bio = Life
- -ology = Study
- Biology = The Study of Life

What is Life?

Simple and finite definition fails Why?


Properties of life today properties at
origin perpetual change (evolution)
Our definition of life must be based on
a common history of life on earth

Descent with modification gives


identity & continuity

In our definition life must have:


Energy: the ability to do work or
cause things to move
Matter: has mass and takes up
space (NB: mass is different from
weight)

It is easy to determine that a human being


is living and rock is not. WHY?
- Matter & energy
Life is therefore associated with living things
Living things living organisms
Biology is the study of living organisms

Characteristics of Life
Life can be defined in terms of its
characteristics
1. Living things are highly ordered
- Show complex molecular organization
- e.g. they assemble large molecules into
complex organized structure
- Macromolecules

2. Living things are organized into


units called
cells
- Recall the cell theory
- Cells are the building blocks of life
- Unicellular & multicellular
organisms

3. Living things use energy from their


environments
-

Open systems
Raw materials
Metabolism
Nutrients energy
Energy usage

4. Living organisms respond to


stimuli
-

Respond to environmental changes


Chemical or physical changes
Internal or external
Salt [ ], pH, Temp.

5. Living things develop


- All organisms pass through a
characteristics
life cycle
- Example: fertilized egg to an adult
- Metamorphosis - transformation that
occurs from one stage to another

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6. Living things reproduce themselves


- Reproduction = process of producing new
individuals
- New cells arise from division of pre-existing
cells
- Heredity = passing traits from parent to
offspring
- Variation = production of differences among
traits

7. Living things contain genetic


information
- Provides fidelity of inheritance
- Information is encoded in nucleic
acids DNA
- Growth and development controlled
by DNA

9. Living things evolve and are


adapted to their
environments
- Evolve and adapt
- Structural, physiological, behavioral
etc.

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