What is Life Science?A. Life science is a major field of science that studies

living things. B. The life sciences are divided into two major groups:

1. BIOLOGY a. Zoology: study of animal life b. Botany: study of plant life c. Mycology: study of fungi d. Microbiology: study of bacteria and

protists e. Cellular Biology: study of living cells f. Anatomy: study of parts of the body g. Physiology: study of how the body

functions 1. Taxonomy: classification of living thing

a. ECOLOGY

What is Biology?A. BIOLOGY: the study of organisms

1. All objects on Earth can be divided into two categories a. BIOTIC: all the living and dead objects on

Earth b. ABIOTIC: all the non-living elements on

Earth 2. All organisms are grouped as biotic

a. ORGANISM: all living things on Earth made of cells

b. CELL: the smallest unit of life that makes up an organism

B. Biology focuses on the form and function of an organism’s parts

What is the Smallest Form of Life?A. The cell is the smallest form of life.

1. All organisms are formed from one or more cells that are organized to do specific jobs

2. There are two very different types of cells that organisms can be formed from: a. PROKARYOTIC CELL: a

simple cell with no nucleus and few organelles

b. EUKARYOTIC CELL: a complex cell with a nucleus and many different organelles

What is the Smallest Form of Life?B. Organisms are simple or complex based

on the number of cells they are made of. 1. UNICELLULAR: an organism

made of only one cell a. Bacteria are unicellular

prokaryotes b. Protists are unicellular

eukaryotes 2. MULTICELLULAR: an

organism made of two or more cells a. Fungi, plants, and

animals are all multicellular eukaryotes

What is the Smallest Form of Life?C. The cells of organisms are surrounded by

either one or two layers of protection. 1. CELL MEMBRANE: the

flexible outer layer of a cell that only allows certain things in and out of the cell a. All cells have a cell

membrane 2. CELL WALL: a tough rigid

layer that surrounds the cell membrane of some cells a. Bacteria, some protists,

fungi and plant cells are covered in cell walls

What is the Smallest Form of Life?C. The cells of organisms can get the energy

they need to do their work in one of two ways: 1. AUTOTROPH: a process

where cells can make their own food for energy a. All plants along with some

bacteria and protists are autotrohs

2. HETEROTROPH: a process where cells must rely on others for their food a. All fungi and animals

along with some bacteria and protists are heterotrophs

What are the Major Parts of Eukaryotic Cells?A. There are four major structures to every eukaryotic cell:

1. CELL MEMBRANE: thin structure that surrounds and contains the cell

2. CYTOPLASM: gel-like substance inside the cell where most activities take place

3. NUCLEUS: the control center of the cell that contains the cell’s genetic material (DNA)

4. ORGANELLES: small specialized structures in the cytoplasm responsible for the work done in cells a. There are many different types of organelles with specialized

jobs b. Some organelles are specific to autotrophs since they make

their own food.