Unifying Themes Illustration Description
1. Biological System A biological system is a
group of organs working
together to perform a
common function
2. Cellular Basis of Life All living organisms are
made up of one or more
cells, which are
considered the
fundamental units of life.
3. Interaction with its All living things depend on
Environment their environment to
supply them with what
they need, including food,
water, and shelter. Their
environment consists of
physical factors—such as
soil, air, and temperature
—and also of other
organisms.
4. Energy and Life Inside every cell of all
living things, energy is
needed to carry out life
processes. Energy is
required to break down
and build up molecules,
and to transport many
molecules across plasma
membranes. All of life's
work needs energy.
5. Form and Function Form and function in
biology describe the
relationship between the
shape, size, and structure
of an organism, and how
that structure allows for
actions that aid the
organism in survival
6. Reproduction and The offspring inherits
Inheritance units of information called
genes from the parents.
7. Regulation Different mechanisms
enable organisms to
regulate their internal
environment despite the
changes in their external
environment.
8. Adaptation Adaptation is the
biological mechanism by
which organisms adjust to
new environments or to
changes in their current
environment.
9. Evolution Evolution is change in the
heritable characteristics of
biological populations
over successive
generations. These
characteristics are the
expressions of genes that
are passed on from parent
to offspring during
reproduction.
10. Biology and Society Biology helps us
understand the living
world and the ways its
many species (including
humans) function, evolve,
and interact. Advances in
medicine, agriculture,
biotechnology, and many
other areas of biology
have brought
improvements in the
quality of life.