Life:

All living things can reproduce

Growth & development
Energy Processing

Viruses are NOT living things

- Can’t reproduce; need a host to reproduce
- Have genetic info

Order: All organisms are made of cells & depending on the type of organism, they consist of a certain level of
complexity or order
Organisms are very organized
Very complex yet functional

Unicellular Organisms: Made of only one cell (simple)

Multicellular Organisms: Made of many cells. More complex, & depending on level of complexity, the cells
might be organized into tissues, and then tissues into organs, organs into systems

Regulation & Homeostasis: Maintaining internal stability to sustain life; body temp

Endothermic: Warm-blooded animals; rely exclusively on internal mechanisms to maintain their body temp

Ectothermic: Cold-blooded animals; rely on external conditions to help regulate their body temp

FIelds of study that rely on biology:

- Conservation Biology
- Ecology
- Climate Change

Scientific Method:
1. Observation
2. Question
3. Hypothesis
a. Can never be proven to be true; it can only support it or reject it
b. Should be stated as if it’s already a known fact
i. “Vitamin Z helps a plant grow better”
4. Prediction: “If plants are given vitamin Z, then they will grow better”
5. Experimentation
6. Data Analysis / Results
7. Conclusion: “Vitamin Z did indeed enhance plant growth”. Hypothesis supported
a. If not supported; Reject or Negate
Vitamin z is independent variable
Dependent variable is what we use to collect data; Growth??

Theory vs Conclusion
Conclusion: You get a conclusion from a few experiments
Theory: Well established hypothesis. It’s supported by a wide array of evidence over many years of study.
Much stronger than a conclusion
 Example: The cell theory; All living things are made of cells and all cells come from pre-existing cells.

The theory of Natural Selection: Survival of the fittest

Life’s Hierarchical Organization

Ecosystem: Community of interacting organisms & their environment. Includes both living and nonliving things.

Biosphere: All the environments on earth (whether air, land, water) that support life.

Community: Different types of organisms living in a certain environment.

Only counts the living things whiting that ecosystem.

Population: All individuals of the same species living in a particular area.

Organism: Whole functional living thing.

Organ: Collection of tissues that collectively perform a specific function.

Organ System: Consists of several organs cooperating to perform a certain function.

Tissue: Group of the same type of cells that perform a similar function.

Cell: Basic unit of life.

Organelle: Membrane-enclosed structure with a specific function within a cell.

Atom: Basic unit of matter.

Molecule: Cluster of atoms.

LAB 1

Discovery Science: Observational, record data based on observation, uncontrolled setting, no human
manipulation / involvement

Hypothesis Science: Applies the scientific method, controlled experiments / controlled setting

Needed in an experiment:

Independent variable: Factor/variable being tested

- Sample Groups: Contain the independent variable

- Control group: Contains everything in the experiment except for the factor being tested

Book Notes:
A cell may be part of a complex plant or animal, or it may be an organism in its own right. Indeed,
single-celled bacteria and other unicellular organisms far outnumber multicellular organisms on Earth.

Five Kingdoms:

New methods for assessing evolutionary relationships, such as comparisons of dna sequences, have
led to an ongoing reevaluation of the number and boundaries of kingdoms. Although the debate
continues on such divisions, there is consensus among biologists that life can be organized into three
higher levels called domains. Figure 1.2 shows representatives of domains Bacteria, Archaea, and
Eukarya.
Domains Bacteria and Archaea both consist of microscopic organisms with relatively simple cells.
Many members of domain Archaea live in Earth’s extreme environments, such as salty lakes and
boiling hot springs. Each rod-shaped or round structure in the photos of bacteria and archaea in
Figure 1.2 is a single cell.

All the organisms with more complex cells are called eukaryotes and are grouped in domain Eukarya.
Protists are a diverse collection of mostly single-celled organisms.

The three remaining groups within Eukarya are distinguished partly by their modes of nutrition.
Kingdom Plantae consists of plants, which produce their own food by photosynthesis.

Kingdom Fungi, represented by the mushrooms in Figure 1.2, is a diverse group whose members
mostly decompose organic wastes and absorb the nutrients into their cells.

Animals, which are grouped in Kingdom Animalia, obtain food by eating other organisms.

1. Biosphere: all life on earth & the places where life exists.
a. Include most regions of land, bodies of water, and lower atmosphere.
2. Ecosystem: All organisms in a particular area, as well as the physical components with which
life interacts, such as soil, water, and light.
a. An Emergent Property of an ecosystem is the cycling of matter between organisms &
the soil, water, and air.
3. Community: All the organisms in an ecosystem.
4. Population: All individuals of a particular species living in a community.
5. Organism: Individual living thing.
6. Organs & organ systems: Body parts that perform a specific function. Several organs may
cooperate in an organ system.
 7. Tissue: Group of similar cells performing a specific function.
8. Cell: The fundamental structural and functional unit of life.
9. Organelle: Membrane-enclosed functional structure in a cell.
10. Molecule: Chemical structure consisting of two or more units called atoms.

Quantitative data are generally numerical measurements, which may be organized into tables and
graphs and analyzed with a type of mathematics called statistics.

Some data are qualitative, often in the form of recorded descriptions.

The factor that is manipulated by the researchers is called the independent variable. The measure
used to judge the outcome of the experiment is called the dependent variable. This variable
depends on, or is affected by, the manipulated variable. A controlled experiment is one in which an
experimental group is compared with a control group.

As evidence accumulated that giant pandas are members of the bear family, it was proposed that the
red panda also belonged in that family.

In recent years, scientists have increasingly used molecular evidence based on comparisons of DNA
sequences to test hypotheses about evolutionary relationships. The underlying assumption is that the
more closely the DNA sequences of two species match, the more closely they are related. A number
of recently published molecular studies strongly support the hypothesis that red pandas are not part
of either the bear or the raccoon family. As a result of this new evidence of differences in the DNA
sequences of these groups, scientists now classify red pandas as the sole living species of their own
family.

Every citizen has a responsibility to develop a reasonable amount of scientific literacy to be able to
participate in the debates regarding science, technology, and society.

How do science and technology interact? New scientific discoveries may lead to new technologies;
new technologies may increase the ability of scientists to discover new knowledge.

The first of two main points that Darwin presented in The Origin of Species was that species living
today arose from a succession of ancestors that were different from them. Darwin called this process
“descent with modification.”

Darwin’s second point was to propose a mechanism for evolution, which he called natural selection.
Darwin started with two observations, from which he drew two inferences.

​ OBSERVATION #1: Individual variation. Individuals in a population vary in their traits, many of
which seem to be heritable (passed on from parents to offspring).
​ OBSERVATION #2: Overproduction of offspring. All species can produce far more offspring
than the environment can support. Competition for resources is thus inevitable, and many of
these offspring fail to survive and reproduce.
​ INFERENCE #1: Unequal reproductive success. Individuals with inherited traits best suited to
the local environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than are less well-suited
individuals.
​ INFERENCE #2: Accumulation of favorable traits over time. As a result of this unequal
reproductive success over many generations, a higher and higher proportion of individuals in
the population will have the advantageous traits.
​
​
​ The theory of evolution by natural selection is supported by multiple lines of evidence—the
fossil record, experiments, observations of natural selection in action, and ever-increasing
numbers of DNA comparisons. Evolution is the central theme that makes sense of everything
we know and learn about biology. Throughout this text, we’ll see many more examples of both
the process and products of evolution. To emphasize evolution as the central theme of biology,
we include an Evolution Connection module, called out with a green icon, in each chapter.
STUDY MODULE

Which of the following correctly lists the main steps in the flow of information from gene to
protein? A segment of DNA is transcribed to RNA, which is then translated into a chain of
molecules that make up a protein.

A segment of DNA is transcribed to RNA, which is then translated into a chain of molecules
that make up a protein. RNA is the intermediate molecule that carries the genetic message—the
sequence of nucleotides—from DNA to the cellular machinery that builds the protein.
In protein synthesis, the chains of DNA are transcribed to RNA, not to the other strand of DNA.

Genes are composed of DNA, and this is transcribed to RNA.

A segment of DNA is not directly translated into a chain of molecules that make up a protein; this
would skip many steps.

Recall that DNA is transcribed to RNA; the reverse does not occur in protein synthesis.

In most ecosystems, __________ energy is converted into __________ energy by

__________.

light; chemical; producers

A researcher hypothesizes that mice who eat spinach will develop stronger hamstring muscles.
To test her hypothesis, she feeds one group of mice their regular diet plus spinach, and a second
group of mice their regular diet only. Both groups have access to running wheels in their cages.
After 6 weeks, she tests the strength of the hamstrings in all of the mice. Which of the following
correctly describes this experiment?

This is a controlled study in which the independent variable is spinach and the dependent
variable is hamstring strength.
Properties of life