Module 01 (Student) Introduction To The Scientific Study Of Life

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Introduction: The Scientific Study of Life

•Biology is the Study of Life.

•What is Life?


The genetic information in DNA underlies all of the features that distinguish life from nonlife

– Order and regulation

– Growth and development

– Use of energy from the environment

– Response to environmental stimuli

– Ability to reproduce

– Evolutionary change


Order and Regulation: Feedback Inhibition


Growth and Development


Ecosystem: Energy Flow and Material Cycling


• Nearly all the energy that organisms use comes ultimately from sunlight

• It flows through an ecosystem in one direction.

• Chemicals recycle among living organisms and their environment

BCC – 5 – 5

Sunlight energy

Chloroplasts,site of photosynthesis

CO2

+H2O

Glucose+O2

Mitochondriasites of cellular

respiration

(for cellular work)

Heat energy


Response to Environmental Stimuli


Asexual Reproduction – Fission


Eggs

Asexual Reproduction – Budding;Sexual Reproduction – Laying Eggs


Hermaphroditism


Eggs

Sexual Reproduction


Figure 15.1


• Interactions between different kinds of organisms affect the lives of all

• A structural hierarchy of life, from molecules to ecosystems, defines the scope of biology

• An ecosystem consists of:

– all organisms living in a particular area

– all nonliving physical components of the environment that affect the organisms (soil, water, air, rocks, wind)

THE SCOPE OF BIOLOGY


Life’s Heirachy – Organizational Levels of Life


Life’s Heirachy – Organizational Levels of Life (con’d)


• Taxonomy :

– Grouping organisms by fundamental features helps make the vast diversity of life manageable for study

– Scientists classify organisms into a hierarchy of broader and broader groups according to characteristics.

The diversity of life can be arranged into three domains

EVOLUTION, UNITY, AND DIVERSITY


Taxonomy – Classification of Organisms

• Species: One kind of organism that has similar characteristics and can interbreed.

– Each species has a two-part name

• First part: Genus name

• Combined with the second part, it designates one particular species name


Domain Bacteria – Kingdom Monera


Domain Archea – Kingdom Monera


Domain Eucarya – Kingdom Protista


Domain Eukarya – Kingdom Fungi


Domain Eukarya – Kingdom Plantae


Domain Eukarya – Kingdom Animalia


• All organisms share a set of common features, signs of unity in life’s vast diversity

• These orchids show the variety possible within one species

Unity with Diversity: All forms of life have common features

BCC – 4 – 1


The Cell Theory

• The cell is the basic unit of life.

• All organisms are made of cells.

• All organisms have DNA as their genetic blueprint.


• DNA is a nucleic acid, made of chemical units called nucleotides

• Each species has its own nucleotide sequence

BCC – 4 – 1


• Natural selection is the editing mechanism of populations.

• It was Darwin’s way of explaining evolution.

• Evolution happens when populations of organisms with inherited variations are exposed to environmental factors that favor the success of some individuals over others

BCC – 4 – 1

Natural selection


• Charles Darwin is a central figure in biology

• He synthesized the concept of natural selection as a way to explain the theory of evolution

• Evolution is the unifying theme of biology

Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life

BBC – 4 – 1


• The theory of natural selection explains the main mechanism whereby all species of organisms change, or evolve

BBC – 4 – 1

(1) Population with varied inherited traits

(2) Elimination of individuals with certain traits

(3) Reproduction of survivors


Evolution is based on adaptations to the environment –


• The theory of natural selection applies to all levels in life’s hierarchy

• In an ecosystem, these interactions make up a complex web of relationships

– The functional aspects of an ecosystem primarily come from the trophic structure of the ecosystem’s web

Living organisms and their environments form interconnecting webs


• A web of interactions in a rain forest ecosystem

Figure


• Many technological advances stem from the scientific study of life

• Evaluating everyday reports in the press about a large range of subjects requires critical thinking and some familiarity with many areas of biology

– In order to understand how rain forest destruction impacts global climate, it is important to understand biology from the molecular to the ecosystem level

Figure


• Plants, or plant products, are the ultimate sources of food in an ecosystem

– This African sunbird is consuming nectar, a plant product

Figure


• The lives of gray-headed flying foxes are closely entwined with the lives of the eucalyptus trees that form their habitat

– Eucalyptus trees provide food and roosting sites for the flying foxes

– Flying foxes aid in eucalyptus pollinationand help disperse the resulting seeds

Life in the Trees


• Flying foxes are becoming an endangered species, partly because of habitat destruction


• Biology is connected to a great number of important issues

– Environmental problems and solutions

– Genetic engineering

– Medicine

Connection: Biology is connected to our lives in many ways

BIOLOGY AND EVERYDAY LIFE

Figure

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings38

Many technological advances stem from the scientific study of life:

• Evaluating everyday reports in the press about a large range of subjects requires critical thinking and some familiarity with many areas of biology.

– Evolution

– Anatomy/Physiology (Gross/Micro-)

– Ecology

– Botany

– Paleontology

Technology

Module 01 (Student) Introduction To The Scientific Study Of Life