1. Introduction to Biology
Studying Life’s Diversity and Intricate Processes

2. What is this? Is it Alive?

3. Biological Inquiry
Bio = of living things
What are the Characteristics of Living Things?

4. What are common characteristics of living things?
Properties of Life
organization involving cells
energy use and metabolism
response to environmental changes
regulation and homeostasis
growth and development
reproduction
biological evolution

5. Organizational Hierarchy of Life
Most Complex
Least Complex
biosphere
inhabitable regions of earth
ecosystem
coral reef (living + nonliving)
community
coral reef populations
population
school of fish
organism
fish
organ system
nervous system
organ
brain
tissue
nervous tissue
cell
neuron
organelle
nucleus
macromolecule
DNA
molecule
nucleotide
atom
nitrogen
sub-atomic particles
protons, neutrons, electrons

6. Concept: Cells are an Organism’s Basic Units of Structure and Function.
Two types of cells
Prokaryotic
Archaea and Bacteria
few internal membranes
no membrane-bound nucleus
Eukaryotic
Protists, Fungi, Animals, Plants
extensive internal membranes
membrane-bound nucleus
organization

7. Concept: Structure and Function are Correlated at all Levels of Biological Organization.
How is red blood cell structure suited to its function of carrying oxygen?
organization

8. Energy Use and Metabolism
Energy = ability to do work
Energy conversion = change of one form of energy to another
Metabolism = sum of chemical reactions in an organism
Heterotrophic: other feeder
taking in organic molecules produced by other organisms
Autotrophic: self-feeder
photosynthesis = using the energy of the sun to produce organic molecules

9. reproduction regulation
Concept: The Continuity of Life is Based on Heritable Information in DNA.
The molecule of heredity = DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid
reproduction regulation

10. growth and development
Concept: The Continuity of Life is Based on Heritable Information in DNA.
Growth = increase in size
Development = change in characteristics
growth and development

11. regulation and homeostasis response to environmental changes
Living things maintain homeostasis = a relatively stable internal condition
regulation and homeostasis response to environmental changes

12. Concept: Evolution Accounts for the Unity and Diversity of Life
Natural Selection leads to a change in the genetic characteristics of a population  evolution
Adaptation = characteristic that promotes survival and reproduction

13. How Do Biologists Study Living Things?
Hypothesis-based Science
State the Problem
Ask Questions or make Observations
Formulate a Hypothesis: tentative answer to well-framed question
Make Predictions based on hypothesis
Test Predictions by Conducting Experiments
Analyze experimental data
Determine whether data supports hypothesis
You Tube video on Paramecium contractile vacuole

14. How Do Biologists Study Living Things?
A good hypothesis is
Testable
experiments can be designed to test predictions from the hypothesis
experimental results must be repeatable
Falsifiable
allows scientists to eliminate alternative hypotheses

15. How Do Biologists Study Living Things?
Supported Hypotheses
Theory = broad explanation of a natural phenomenon that has been supported by a large body of evidence
Principle or Law = theory that has been supported over a long period of time
Cell Principle
All living things are composed of cells and cell products; all cells come from pre-existing cells.
Principle of Evolution
Law of Gravity