A View of Life
KEY CONCEPTS
•Basic themes of biology include
evolution, information transfer, and
energy for life
Evolution
• Populations change over time,
from earlier forms of life
Information Transfer
• Genetic information is transferred:
• Within cells
• Within organisms
• Among organisms
• From one generation to another
Energy for Life
• Energy flows
- from the sun to Earth
- from producers to consumers
KEY CONCEPTS
•Characteristics of life include
growth and development, self-
regulated metabolism, response to
stimuli, and reproduction
Cell Structure
• Plasma membrane
• Surrounds and protects cell
• Separates cell from environment
• DNA
• Codes genetic instructions
• Organelles
• Internal structures for special functions
Two Types of Cells
• Prokaryotic cells
• Bacteria and archaea
• Single celled organisms
• No membrane-bound organelles
• Eukaryotic cells
• Organelles enclosed by membranes
• Nucleus contains DNA
Organisms Grow and Develop
• Biological growth
• Increases size and/or number of cells
• Development
• Changes that take place during an organism’s
lifetime
Organisms Regulate Their
Metabolic Processes
• Metabolism
• All the chemical activities of the organism
• Homeostasis
• Homeostatic mechanisms regulate and
balance the internal environment
Organisms Respond to Stimuli
• Stimuli
• Physical or chemical changes in the internal
or external environment
• Cause the organism to respond
Fig. 1-2, p. 4
Fig. 1-3a, p. 4
Fig. 1-3b, p. 4
Organisms Reproduce
• Asexual reproduction
• Low genetic variability
• Sexual reproduction
• High genetic variability
Populations Evolve and
Become Adapted to the
Environment
KEY CONCEPTS
• Biological organization is
hierarchical and includes chemical,
cell, tissue, organ, organ system,
and organism levels
KEY CONCEPTS
•Ecological organization includes
population, community, ecosystem,
and biosphere levels
The
Hierarchy of
Biological
Organization
Organism
Population
Organ system
Organ
Community
Tissue
Bone cells
Cell
Nucleus
Organelle
Ecosystem
Macromolecule
Biosphere
Molecule Oxygen atom
Hydrogen atoms
Water Fig. 1-6, p. 7
DNA
• Transmits information from one generation
to the next
• Contains 4 types of nucleotides
• Makes up genes
• Codes for proteins
The
DNA Molecule
Information is Transmitted
• Chemical and electrical signals
• Proteins
• Hormones
• Cell signaling
• Neurotransmitters
Evolution:
The Unifying Concept of Biology
• Theory of Evolution
• Explains changes in populations over time
• Evolution
• Processes by which populations change
overtime
Organizing the Study of Life
• Systematics
• Study of organisms and their evolutionary
relationships
• Taxonomy
• Science of naming and classifying organisms
• Species
• Populations capable of breeding with one
another
Taxonomic Classification is
Hierarchical
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Taxonomic Classification
KEY CONCEPTS
• The tree of life includes three major
branches, or domains, and six
kingdoms
Tree of
Life
Three
Domains: Bacteria Archaea Eukarya
Six Kingdoms:
Bacteria Archaea Protista Plantae Animalia Fungi
Common
ancestor of
all organisms
Fig. 1-9, p. 12
Three Domains
• Bacteria
• Archaea
• Eukarya
Six Kingdoms
• Archaea
• Bacteria
• Protista
• Plantae
• Fungi
• Animalia
KEY CONCEPTS
•Species evolve by natural
selection, adapting to changes in
their environment.
Adaptation
• Interactions between environmental
conditions and genes
• Takes place over many generations
• An evolutionary process
Natural Selection
• Theory of natural selection
• Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace
• Applies to populations, not individuals
Darwin’s 4 Observations
1. Individuals of a species vary
2. More offspring are produced than survive
3. Organisms compete for resources; some
are better adapted to succeed
4. Best-adapted individuals survive to
reproduce
Mutations
• Chemical or physical changes in DNA
• Can be inherited
• Cause genetic variation
Evolution
• Process by which populations change over
time as a result of selective pressures
from changes in environment
Gene Pool
• All the genes in a population
Fig. 1-11a, p. 13
Fig. 1-11b, p. 13
Fig. 1-11c, p. 13
Energy for Life
• Life
depends on
energy from
the sun
NUTRITION
Nutrients
Some used as Some used as
raw materials fuel
OTHER CELLULAR
SYNTHESIS
ACTIVITIES RESPIRATION
Manufacture of
• Homeostasis needed materials Biological process
• Movement of and structures of breaking down
materials in and molecules
out of cells
• Growth and
development
• Reproduction
Energy
Fig. 1-12, p. 14
Energy Flow
Light
energy
Heat
Food
Consumer
(caterpillar)
Consumer
(robin)
Producer
(plant)
Plant litter, Dead
wastes bodies
Decomposers
Soil (bacteria, fungi)
Fig. 1-13, p. 14
Autotrophs
• Producers (autotrophs)
• Make their own food
• Transform light energy to chemical energy
through photosynthesis
•Photosynthesis
CO2 + water + light → sugars + oxygen
Heterotrophs
• Consumers (heterotrophs) use energy
stored by producers through cellular
respiration
sugars + oxygen → CO2 + water + energy
• Decomposers (heterotrophs) break down
wastes and dead organisms
KEY CONCEPTS
•Biologists ask questions, develop
hypotheses, make predictions, and
collect data by careful observation
and experiment
The Process of Science
• Deductive reasoning draws specific
conclusions based on information (facts)
• Inductive reasoning draws general
conclusions based on specific
observations
The Scientific Method
• Observation
• Question or problem
• Hypotheses
• Testable predictions
• Experiments
• Analyze data
• Conclusions
The Hypothesis
• A tentative explanation for observations
• Consistent with facts
• Can be tested
• Tests can be repeated by others
• Can be rejected
• Is falsifiable
Testing Predictions by Experiment
• Prediction
• Deductive product of a hypothesis
• Control group
• Closely matches experimental group
• Experimental group
• Differs from control group in 1 variable
Testing a Prediction
Amoeba
dies
(a) Experimental group. When its nucleus is surgically
removed with a microloop, the amoeba dies.
Amoeba
lives
(b) Control group. A control amoeba subjected to similar
surgical procedures (including insertion of a microloop),
but without actual removal of the nucleus, does not die. Fig. 1-17, p. 18
Interpreting Experiments
• Data analysis
Sampling Error
• Can lead to
inaccurate
conclusions
Fig. 1-19a, p. 20
Curtain
Single selection
Marbles
produces
Assumption
Actual ratio 100% blue
20% blue
80% white
Fig. 1-19a, p. 20
Fig. 1-19b, p. 20
Curtain
Multiple selections
Marbles
produce
Assumption
Actual ratio 30% blue
20% blue 70% white
80% white
Fig. 1-19b, p. 20
Scientific Theory
• An explanation of the natural world
• Based on testable hypotheses
• Supported by reproducible observations
Two Approaches to Biology
• Reductionist
• Studies the simplest components
• Systems biology
• Builds on information from reductionism
• Interactive biology
