WHAT IS BIOLOGY??? BIOLOGY - defined as the study of life. Word Synthesis – Greek – Bio – “Life” – Logy – as in logic – “the study of…”

HOW DOES BIOLOGY IMPACT YOU??? Biotechnology: the use of living things and technology to help humans FOOD: The use of organisms to produce things that people need is called CLOTHING: Wool, silk and leather come from animal products. Polyester and nylon are made from petroleum. (Fossil Fuels) SHELTER: Wood, but cutting down of the forest is endangering other animals, i.e.; Spotted Owl and the Kirkland's Warbler. HEALTH: Medicine, treatment of water, garbage disposal, food handling. FUEL: Wood comes from plants, coal from the fossilized remains of plants, Petroleum products (oil and gasoline) from decaying remains of tiny organisms that lived millions of years ago. Fossil Fuels.

HERE’S THE BEST PART!!! We haven’t learned or discovered everything yet!!!!!!! Different scientists predict different values but it is estimated that there are approximately 20 to 40 million species of organisms on the planet To date we have identified about 1.5 million species

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO STUDY… Since the term life compiles a lot of finer details we will be focusing on a few themes throughout the year

THEMES OF BIOLOGY Biologists have established that living things share at least six characteristics of life. These characteristics are: 1. Cell Structure and Function 2. Stability and Homeostasis 3. Reproduction and Inheritance 4. Evolution 5. Interdependence of Organisms 6. Matter, Energy, and Organization

Cell Structure and Function All living things are made of cells Cells are the basic unit of life – The smallest organisms are made of only one cell

Stability and Homeostasis Organisms have to be able to respond to their environment This response to a stimulus is what helps the organism to survive

Reproduction and Inheritance Organisms grow with age and thus cells will increase in size and divide to form more cells Reproduction involves passing certain characteristics on to offspring in the form of DNA

Evolution Over the history of life organisms have changed and adapted to their surroundings Mechanism is natural selection which leads to the famous “survival of the fittest”

Interdependence of Organisms Organisms interactions and combined with the non-living factors in the environment is ecology and the overall product of Biology

Matter, Energy, and Organization All organisms need energy to survive and reproduce There are many different ways organisms gain energy, some consume, some produce, some do both.

THE BIOSPHERE BIOSPHERE – made of all living things and all the places they are found on Earth All parts of the biosphere are connected… Includes: Land environment such as deserts, grasslands, forests Saltwater and freshwater environments Plants, animals, and other living things

BIODIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY – the variety of life around a particular area. Greater biodiversity is found near the equator… WHY??? biosphere = everywhere life exists

BIODIVERSITY WARM WEATHER!!! Is greater in areas with consistently warm temperatures. More food supply available…

BIODIVERSITY SPECIES – a particular type of living things that can reproduce by interbreeding among themselves. Approx million different living things have been identified Tens of millions remain undiscovered!!! Over half the species are insects…

ALL ORGANISMS SHARE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS BIOLOGY – the scientific study of all forms of life, or all types of organisms ORGANISM – any individual living thing – All share certain characteristics, but not all

ALL ORGANISMS SHARE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS CELL – the basic unit of life – All organisms are made of one or more cells – Unicellular – single-celled organisms – Multicellular – multi-celled organisms Have specialized cells for specific functions Ex. Muscle cells, stomach cells, brain cells

ALL ORGANISMS SHARE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS Need for Energy – All organisms need a source of energy to survive – ENERGY – the ability to cause a change or to do work Chemical energy is form used by all living things HOW??? METABOLISM – all of the chemical processes that build up or break down materials

ALL ORGANISMS SHARE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS Response to Environment – All organisms must react to their environment in order to survive – Ex. Light, temperature, and touch Reproduction and Development – Organisms reproduce and pass on genetic material to offspring – DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule of genetic material