Gen Bio-M1 (intro)

• Biology


  A science that attempts to understand the diversity of life on earth, of which we are part
• Life


  Not a simple concept, living organisms are the manifestation of life and exhibit certain general properties that we recognize as the definition of life
• BIOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF LIFE (Greek words, bios, life; logy, to study of)
• Biology


  • Deals with the investigation of the origin, history, structure, function, identification, classification, distribution, development, inheritance, and significance of living things as well as their relationships and interactions with the environment
• From Copernicus to Newton the focus was Physical Sciences, little attention was given to some important biological discoveries and interventions
• Charles Darwin published "The Origin of Species", marking the birth of modern era of biology

  1859
• This was followed by the rejection of spontaneous generation theory by Pasteur in 1865, and so many other important discoveries and inventions in physiology and molecular biology
• Branches of Biology (according to method or aspect of study)

  • Cytology
  • Histology
  • Organology
  • Anatomy
  • Morphology
  • Physiology
  • Embryology
  • Genetics
  • Pathology
  • Ecology
  • Evolution
• Branches of Biology (according to method or aspect of study 2)

  • Paleontology
  • Systematics
  • Taxonomy
  • Nomenclature
  • Biogeography
  • Ontogeny
  • Phylogeny
  • Limnology
  • Oceanography
  • Agriculture
• Branches of Biology (according to type of organisms)

  • Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Parasitology
  • Virology
  • Protozoology
  • Phycology
  • Mycology
  • Botany (Phytology)
  • Bryology
  • Zoology
  • Helminthology
  • Carcinology
  • Malacology
  • Entomology
  • Ichthyology
  • Herpetology
  • Ornithology
  • Mammalogy
• Biologists study


  • The diversity of life on Earth
  • The interactions of the environment
  • Problems and propose solutions (e.g. medical treatment, disease prevention, endangered species prevention)
• Characteristics of Living Things

  • Made of one or more cells
  • Display organization
  • Make more living things
  • Change during their lives
  • Adjust to their surroundings
  • Require energy
  • Maintain homeostasis
  • Adapt and evolve
  • Regulate their metabolic processes
• Cell Theory


  All organisms are made up of cells, and these cells come from pre-existing cells
• Cell


  The smallest unit that can perform all life's processes
• Unicellular


  Single celled organism
• Multicellular


  Many celled organisms
• Organization


  The high degree of order within an organism's internal and external parts and its interactions with the world
• Reproduction


  The ability to pass on hereditary information from parents to offspring
• Types of Reproduction


  • Asexual (e.g. binary fission, budding, regeneration)
  • Sexual (egg and sperm form a zygote)
• DNA Molecule


  Deoxyribonucleic acid, has "how to" info
• Gene


  A segment on DNA macromolecules, may be 100s of genes on a DNA strand
• Inheritance


  Traits passed from parent to offspring
• Species


  A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature
• Growth


  An increase in the amount of living material and the formation of new structures
• Development


  All the changes that take place during the life of an organism
• Environment


  An organism's surroundings (e.g. air, water, weather, temperature, other organisms)
• Stimulus


  Anything in an organism's external or internal environment that causes the organism to react
• Response


  Reaction to stimulus agent or action (e.g. owl dilating pupils to keep light level constant)
• Energy


  The ability to cause change, organisms get energy from food or by making their own food
• Homeostasis


  The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain stable internal conditions (e.g. temperature, pH, water content, nutrient uptake) different from the outside environment
• Adaptation


  Any structure, behavior, or internal process that enables an organism to respond to environmental factors and live to produce offspring
• How Adaptations Work


  1. Adaptations are inherited from previous generations

  2. There are differences in adaptations of individuals

  3. As the environment changes, some adaptations are more suited

  4. Individuals with more suitable adaptations are more likely to survive and reproduce

  5. As a result, individuals with these adaptations become more numerous
• Metabolism


  The sum of all the chemical reactions that take in and transform energy and materials from the environment, must be carefully regulated to maintain homeostasis
• As we learn more about Earth's organisms in this course, take time to reflect on the general characteristics of life rather than simply memorizing facts or vocabulary