1. Introduction to Biology and The Characteristics of Life
Unit 1 Notes
Introduction to Biology
and
The Characteristics of Life

2. Biology
Biology is the study of life. We will look at what goes into keeping an organism alive and how organisms interact with each other and the world around them.

3. The Characteristics of Living Things
An organism is anything capable of carrying on the processes or characteristics of life.
There are 8 major processes that living things must have or do.
Bacteria
Protist
Fungi
Plant
Animal
Archae

4. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things are made up of units called cells. Cells are the lowest level of structure capable of performing the other 7 characteristics of life.

5. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things reproduce.

6. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things are based on
a universal genetic code
and macromolecules
All forms of life use
essentially the same
genetic code (DNA). Inheritance depends on a mechanism for copying DNA and passing it on to offspring.
Macromolecules: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic Acids.

7. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things grow and develop.
Growth: using materials from the surroundings to make more of oneself.
Development: a series of changes an organism undergoes as it matures into an adult form.

8. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things obtain and use materials and energy.
The combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials as it carries out its life processes is called metabolism.
Each organism continuously interacts within its environment with other organisms in order to get the materials (nutrients) and energy it needs.

9. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things respond to their environment.
Stimulus: something that directly influences the activity of an organism.
Response: the activity or inhibition of previous activity of an organism resulting from stimulation.

10. The Characteristics of Living Things
Living things maintain a stable internal environment.
Homeostasis is the self-adjusting balance within an organism in order to maintain proper conditions when the environment changes. An organisms way of maintaining proper internal life functions while its environment (surroundings) changes.

11. The Characteristics of Living Things
Taken as a group, living things change over time, as a result of the interaction between organisms and their environment.
Over time, the changes that help organisms survive (adaptations) are passed onto future generations as heritable traits in the DNA.
Eventually new species
may evolve if enough
changes take place.