Biology

Chapter 1 The Study of Life I. Similarities Among Living Things A. What is Life? 1. Biosphere – the thin layer of air, land, and water that is home to all living things. a. Makes up less than 1% of Earth’s mass. 2. Organism – any living thing. 3. Spontaneous Generation – belief that life can come from nonliving things. ex – Mice from rags, flies from meat, worms from mud, etc. 4. Biogenesis – Principle that life only comes from life. a. Each organism can only produce more of it’s own kind or species.

B. Characteristics of Life 1. Organization a. Cell – basic unit of organization in all living things. 1) Some living things are multicellular, some are unicellular. 2. Energy – all organisms are capable of using energy for their life processes. 3. Growth and Development a. Growth – is an increase in matter. b. Development – change in shape or form ex – caterpillar to butterfly, beard/hair on body,

4. Reproduction – process through which new living things are formed. a. New cells in existing organism or making a new organism. 5. Response and Adaptation a. Response – reaction to a change in the environment (stimulus) ex – pupil size, migration, shivering, sneezing, etc. b. Adaptation – can be short term or long term 1) Way for an entire population to respond to changes in the environment. ex – skin color, hair, other body features?

C. Organization of Life 1. Cells – basic unit that exhibits all of the characteristics of life. ex – 2. Tissues – a group of cells working together to perform a specific function. 3. Organs – made of several tissues that function for a specific purpose. 4. Systems – Several organs working together to perform a major function. 5. Organism – any living thing.

II. Interdependence – organisms are connected with all things in their environment. A. Predator–prey relationship 1. Predator – organism that kills and eats other organisms. ex – 2. Prey – organism that gets eaten. B. Symbiosis – organisms of different species depending on each other. 1. Mutualism – both partners benefit 2. Commensalism – one partner benefits and the other is unaffected. 3. Parasitism – one member benefits(parasite) and the other is harmed(host) ex -

C. Humans and the Web of Life 1. Food – can’t live without it. 2. Medicine – living things provide many solutions to illnesses. 3. Clothing a. silk, wool, cotton 4. Additional Resources – a. Paper, fuels, lumber, etc.

III. Doing the Science of Life A. Scientific Method – common steps used to gather information to solve problems. 1. Identify the Problem a. Stated in the form of a question 2. Collect Information a. Find out what is already known 3. Form an Hypothesis – testable explanation for a question or problem. a. A possible explanation to the problem based on knowledge or experience 4. Test Hypothesis a. Experiment – procedure that tests a hypothesis by a process of collecting information under controlled conditions. b. Control – standard(or experiment) in which all things are kept the same. c. Variable – the condition in an experiment that is changed.

5. Analyze & Record Data a. Record of your procedures and experiment. 1) Write down everything that you did. 6. Draw a Conclusion a. Determine if the experiment supported your hypothesis. b. Theory – hypothesis that has been supported by statistical data over a period of time. c. Scientific Law – Theory that has been accepted to be true.

IV. Science and Society A. Technology – application of scientific research to society’s needs and problems 1. Used to make improvements in human life. Ex – B. Ethics – the study of what is right and what is wrong. 1. Social and moral issues. Ex -