Concepts in Biology

What is Biology?
the study of living organism

Characteristics Common to All Living Organisms

Composed of cells Organized Require nutrients and energy Respond to the environment Contain DNA Ability to reproduce Ability to adapt

Organized

atoms molecules macromolecules organelles cells The smallest unit of life is the cell. tissues organs organ systems individual organism population community Ecosystem biosphere

Atoms

The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist alone or in combination.

Molecules

A small unit of matter

Cell

The fundamental unit of living things.

Tissue

A group of cells with similar function. For ex. Areolar tissue (the shown fig.)

Organ
A group of tissues with overall function for example: heart

Organ System

A group of cell, tissues and organs that perform a specific major function

Individual/ Complex Organism

The total interaction of the organ systems

Population

Group of similar individual who tend to mate with each other in a limited georgraphic area

Community

the relationships of smaller groups of organisms with each other and their environment.

Ecosystem

The relationship of smaller groups of organisms with each other and their environment

Biosphere

Require nutrients and energy

Nothing Lives without Energy Cells require: Energy = Capacity to do work Metabolism = Reactions by which cells acquire and use energy to grow, survive, and reproduce

Response to the environment

Organisms sense changes in their environment and make responses to them Receptors detect specific forms of energy (stimuli) Allows maintenance of homeostasis

Contain DNA
The genetic instructions of all living organisms is contained in molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid. Only cells can build/make the biomolecules Capacity for life DNA molecules Non-living things no DNA molecules

Ability to reproduce
Asexual reproduction Sexual reproduction Reproduction - Mechanism by which an organism produces offspring - Governed by instructions in DNA

Ability to adapt

Evolution Evolution refers to changes in the genetic composition of a population. Genetic changes may result in changes in the physical or behavioral characteristics of the individuals. Mutation Evolutionary change has led to diversity among organisms. To date, approximately 1.8 million different species of organisms have been identified. Biologists estimate that there are between 10 and 200 million species on earth.

Venus flytrap

Chicken Panting

Natural Selection

operates to produce individuals that are better adapted to their environment.

Evolution
Genetically based change in a line of descent over time The relative frequency of many shared traits typically change through successive generation Population changes, not individuals

Adaptation

Adaptation

Natural selection occurs because

Individuals within a population vary; they are not all identical. Some variants are better than others. The traits that vary are heritable. The better individuals will have more success reproducing; they will have more offspring. In successive generations, more offspring will have the better traits.

Antibiotic Resistance

Powerful agent agent for selection

Mutations for antibiotic resistance exist or arise - mutation Antibiotic-resistant bacteria survive and reproduce better than nonresistant

Over time, proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increases

Process of Science
Scientific

Method way of gaining information about the world by forming possible solutions to questions followed by rigorous testing to determine if the proposed solutions are valid.

Scientific Methodology involves:

Observing and asking questions

Forming hypotheses

Conducting controlled experiments

Collecting and analyzing data

Drawing conclusions

Role of Experiments

Used to study a phenomenon under known conditions Allows you to predict what will happen if a hypothesis is not wrong Can never prove a hypothesis 100% correct

Experimental Design

Control group
A

standard for comparison

Identical

to experimental group except for variable being studied

Sampling error
Nonrepresentative
Minimize

sample skews results

by using large samples

Scientific Theory

A hypothesis that has been tested for its predictive power many times and has not yet been found incorrect
Has wide-ranging explanatory power
Darwins

theory of evolution by natural

selection

Fields of Biology

2 Major Divisions 1. Botany the scientific study of plants 2. Zoology deals with the study of all aspects of animal life.

Branches of Zoology

1. Anatomy -the study of body parts

and their location 2. Ecology- study of interrelationships of organisms in the habitat. 3. Embryology -it is the study of the formation and development of an individual from gametes to an organism

Branches of Zoology
Evolution the study of change undergone by species through the ages. 5. Genetics the study of genes, heredity and variation. 6. Morphology study on form and structure of organism 7. Cytology study of cells 8. Histology study of tissues.
4.

Branches of Zoology
Gross Anatomy it is a study of microscopic structure of tissues and organs. (mix anatomy and histology) 10. Paleozoology the study of animal fossils 11. Physiology the study of how body parts function and how they work.
9.

Other specialized sciences

A. Taxonomy naming, describing,

classifying living organism. Some variations: a.1. Apiculture study of bees a.2. Anthropology study of man a.3. Carcinology study of crabs a.4. Conchology study of shells

Other Sciences linked to Biology

1.

Astronomy 2. chemistry 3. Geology 4. mathematics 5. Physics

Limits of Science
Scientific approach cannot provide answers to subjective questions Cannot provide moral, aesthetic, or philosophical standards Conflict with supernatural beliefs

Review: Diversity of Life

Millions of living species

Millions more now extinct Classification schemes attempt to organize diversity

Scientific Names

Devised by Carolus Linnaeus

Classification

scheme

Two-part name
First

name is genus (plural, genera)

Homo sapiens - genus is Homo

Second

name is species within genus

3 Domains
Biologist group species that are related by descent from a common ancestor
Eubacteria (Bacteria) Archaebacteria (Archaea) Eukaryota (Eukaryotes)

Domain - Highest taxonomic rank of organisms

6 Kingdoms
Protistans Plants Fungi Animals

Eukaryotes

Archaebacteria Origin of life

Eubacteria

Prokaryotic Organisms

Eukaryotic Organisms
Single- or multicelled

Single cells
No nucleus or

organelles

Nucleus and other

organelles

Smaller, less

complex

Larger, more
complex

The Living Kingdoms

Kingdoms are divisions of living nature categorizing living things to express their line or phylogeny When these kingdoms of life established?

In the beginning.......
There are two (2) kingdoms established by Carolus Linnaeus (1778) - he pioneered the biological nomenclature.

Regnum Animale (Animal Kingdom)

Life

Regnum Vegetabile (Plant kingdom)

In 1674, Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek The father of microscopy

Invented the simple microscope and observed the single celled organisms. ......1866... Richard Owen, John Hogg and Ernst Haeckel proposed the 3rd kingdom

Kingdom protista

Life

Kingdom Animalia Kingdom Plantae

1938.....Herbert Copeland

Proposed the fourth kingdom, after the invention of the electron microscope. Kingdom Animalia
Kingdom Protista

Life

Kingdom Plantae Kingdom Monera (bacteria, Blue-green algae)

Prokaryotes

Kingdom Monera (bacteria, Bluegreen algae) Kingdom Animalia 1960 as proposed by Edouard Chatton

Life

Eukaryotic

Kingdom Protista Kingdom Plantae

1970 onwards...

- increasing emphasis on molecular level comparisons of genes. Carl Woese divided the prokaryotes (Kingdom Monera) into two groups, called Eubacteria and Archaebacteria, stressing that there was as much genetic difference between these two groups as between either of them and all eukaryotes.

6 kingdoms

The six-kingdom system is still recognizably an expansion of the original two-kingdom system: Animalia remains; the original category of plants has been split into Plantae and Fungi; and single-celled organisms have been introduced and split into Bacteria, Archaea and Protista.

In 2004, a review article by Simpson and Roger noted that the Protista were "a grabbag for all eukaryotes that are not animals, plants or fungi". They argued that only monophyletic groups an ancestor and all of its descendents should be accepted as formal ranks in a classification.

As of April 2010, there appears to be a consensus that the six supergroup model does not reflect the true phylogeny of the eukaryotes, although there is no agreement as to the model which should replace it

Summary