1. Biology: The Study Of Life

2. 1.Biology – the study of life 2.From Greek – bio meaning “life” & -ology meaning “study of” 3.Anything that is alive is called an ORGANISM

3. 5 main characteristic of life: 1.All organisms are made of organized CELLS 2.All organisms can REPRODUCE 3.All organisms GROW and DEVELOP 4.All life can ADJUST to their surroundings 5.All life can ADAPT, and EVOLVE with its environment

4. 1.A CELL is the smallest possible unit of life a)Many organisms, such as bacteria, are UNICELLULAR and are made of only ONE cell. b)Other organisms such as animals and plants are MULTICELLULAR and are made of MANY cells.

5. 1.Organisms don’t live forever. 2.Reproduction is not required for the survival of a single individual it is required for the survival of the SPECIES as a whole. 3.A SPECIES is a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature. 4.Without reproduction a species will eventually go EXTINCT.

6. 1.ASEXUAL reproduction – a single parent makes an identical offspring a)Cloning, binary fission, budding, mitosis 2.SEXUAL reproduction – two parents combine DNA to make a unique offspring a)Internal/External Fertilization

7. 1.All life begins with a single cell. 2.Over the course of an organism’s life, the organism will GROW in size and DEVELOP (change) into a mature form. a)E.g. A fertilized chicken egg will grow and develop into an adult chicken

9. 1.All life can ADJUST or react to their surroundings. a)Possible things that an organism can adjust to: i.Light ii.Temperature iii.Other Organisms

10. 1.A STIMULUS is anything in an organism’s environment that causes the organism to react. a)E.g. Loud noise, smell of food, predator 2.A RESPONSE is a reaction to a stimulus. a)E.g. Flinching at the sound of a noise, moving toward food, running from sight of predator

11. 1.STIMULUS: Cold dry weather 2.RESPONSE: Trees lose leaves 3.STIMULUS: Touch a hot stove 4.RESPONSE: Jerk hand away 5.STIMULUS: Fox sees a rabbit 6.RESPONSE: Fox kills and eats rabbit

12. 1.All living things must maintain an internal balance in their bodies. 2.HOMEOSTASIS is the maintenance of an internal balance in all organisms a)EXAMPLES: i.Sweating (too hot) ii.Shivering (too cold) iii.Keeping the same blood pressure iv.Balance of water and nutrients

13. 1.All organisms have ADAPTATIONS to help them survive. a)An ADAPTATION is any inherited structure or behavior that helps an organism survive. 2.Adaptations are inherited from previous generations and can be passed on to offspring. 3.The gradual changes in a species through adaptations over time is called EVOLUTION.