The word biology is derived from the greek words
Bios meaning life
Logos meaning study
Biology: defined as the science of life and living organisms.
Organism: a living entity consisting of one cell or several cells.
❖We recognize life by what living things do: properties and processes associate with life.
Some properties of life:
1- Order: The highly ordered structure.
2- Energy processing: The use of chemical energy to power an organism’s activities and
chemical reactions.
3- Response to the environment: an ability to respond to environmental stimuli.
4- Growth and development: consistent growth and development controlled by inherited
DNA.
5- Reproduction: the ability of organisms to reproduce their own kind.
6- Regulation: an ability to control an organism’s internal environment within limits that
sustain life.
7- Evolutionary adaptation: adaptations evolve over many generations, as individuals
with traits best suited to their environments have greater reproductive success and
pass their traits to offspring.
Levels of Biological Organization:
Atoms
A molecule: a chemical structure consisting of two or more units called atoms.
Organelle: the various functional components present in cells.
Cell: life’s fundamental unit of structure and function.
Tissue: is a group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function. Viewing the
tissues requires a microscope.
Organ: a body part that is made up of multiple tissues and has specific functions in the body.
Organism: individual living things.
Population: all the individuals of a species (one species) living within the bounds of a
specified area.
Community: the array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem is called a biological.
Ecosystem: all the living things in a particular area, along with all the nonliving components
of the environment with which life interacts, such as soil, water, atmospheric gases, & light.
Biosphere: all life on earth & all the places where life exists.
Emergent Properties:
❖ Novel properties emerge at each level of the biological organization that are absent from
the preceding one.
❖ These emergent properties are due to the arrangement and interactions of parts as
complexity increases.
❖ Isolated components of living systems lack a number of significant properties that emerge
at higher levels of organization, for example:
❖ The coordinated processes of photosynthesis require a specific organization of the
chlorophyll and other molecules in the chloroplast.
Structure and Function:
❖ At each level of the biological organization, we find a correlation of structure and function.
❖ Knowing the function of something provides insight into its structure and organization.
❖ Example of correlation of structure and function: a leaf is thin and flat, maximizing the
capture of light by chloroplasts.
The Cell: An Organism’s Basic Unit of Structure:
❖ The cell is the lowest level of organization that can perform all activities required for life.
❖ All living organisms are made of cells which are the basic unit of life.
❖ All cells share certain characteristics
❖ All cells are enclosed by a membrane.
❖ All cells use DNA as their genetic information.
Forms of Cells:
❖Eukaryoticcellhasmembrane-enclosed organelles,the
largest of which is usually the nucleus.
❖ Prokaryotic cell is simplerand usually smaller, and
does not contain a nucleus or other membrane- enclosed
organelles.
Life’s Processes involve the Expression & Transmission
of Genetic Information:
❖ DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material
that consists of a substance of genes.
❖ Each DNA molecule is made up of two long chains of
building blocks called nucleotides and nicknamed A, G,
C, and T.
❖ DNA molecule takes the three-dimensional form of a
double helix.
DNA, The Genetic Material:
❖The ability of cells to divide is the basis of all reproduction, growth, and repair
of multicellular organisms.
• A lung cell divides into smaller cells that grow & divide again.
• During cell division, a cell must duplicate its chromosomal DNA through a
process called DNA replication.
DNA, The Genetic Material:
❖ Genes are the units of inheritance that transmit information from parents to offspring.
❖ DNA is inherited by offspring from their parents.
❖ Genes encode information for building proteins.
❖ Genes control protein production indirectly.
❖ DNA is transcribed into RNA then translatedinto a protein.
❖ Gene expression is the process of converting information from gene to a
cellular product.
Life Requires Transfer & Transformation of Energy and Matter:
❖ A fundamental characteristic of living organisms is their use of energy to carry out life’s
activities
❖Work, including moving, growing, and reproducing, requires a source of energy
❖Livingorganismstransformenergyfromoneform toanother.
❖For example, light energy is converted to chemical energy,
then kinetic energy.
Energy flow and chemical cycling:
❖ Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, usually entering as light and exiting
as heat.
❖ Chemicals cycle between organisms and the physical environment by decomposers such as
bacteria and fungi.
❖ Producers make their own food.
❖ Consumers feed on other organisms.
❖ Decomposers Break down remains and
wastes.
Ecosystem: Organism’s Interaction with Other
Organisms and the Physical Environment:
❖ Every organism interacts with its
environment, including nonliving factors and
other organisms.
❖ Both organisms and their environments are
affected by the interactions between them.
Classifying the Diversity of Life:
❖ Approximately 1.8 million species have been identified & named to date, and thousands
more are identified each year.
❖Scientists have classified the diversity of life-forms by:
❖ Careful comparisons of structure, function, and other obvious features.
❖ Comparisons of DNA sequences
❖Each species is given a two-part name: The first part is the name of the genus and the
second part is unique to the species.
❖For example, Homo sapiens is the name of our species.
The Three Domains of Life:
❖ Currently biologists divide all organisms into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and
Eukarya.
❖Domain Bacteria and domain Archaea compose the prokaryotes.
❖ Most prokaryotes are single-celled and microscopic.
Domain of Bacteria: the most diverse and widespread
prokaryotes and are now classified into multiple kingdoms.
Domain of Archaea: live in Earth’s extreme environments, such as salty lakes and boiling hot
springs.
The Three Domains of Life:
❖ Domain Eukarya includes all eukaryotic organisms.
❖Itincludesthreemulticellular kingdoms:
1. Plants, which produce their own food by photosynthesis.
2. Fungi, which absorb nutrients.
3. Animals, which ingest their food.
❖Othereukaryoticorganismswereformerly groupedintothe Protist kingdom.
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