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Biology - The Dynamic Science - Chapter 1 PDF
Biology - The Dynamic Science - Chapter 1 PDF
Introduction to
Biological Concepts
and Research
ixpert/Shutterstock.com
Ecosystem
Communities interacting with their
shared physical environment
Ron Sefton/Photoshot
Cell
Smallest unit with
the capacity to live
and reproduce,
independently or as
part of a multicellular
organism
(Continued)
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Genetic Information Governs Structure and
Function
• Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
is a large, double-stranded,
helical molecule that contains
instructions for assembling a
living organism from simpler
molecules
Transcription
The information in
DNA is transcribed
mRNA
into single-stranded
mRNA.
Translation
The information in
Amino acid Amino Amino Amino Amino mRNA is translated
acid acid acid acid into an amino acid
chain
chain.
Protein folding
Electromagnetic
energy in sunlight
Released
chemical
Carbon dioxide energy is made
available for other
and
metabolic processes.
Water
Energy Flows and Matter Cycles
• Photosynthetic organisms are primary producers
of the food on which all other organisms rely
• They assemble complex molecules (sugars) from
water and CO2
• Animals are consumers
• They feed (directly or indirectly) on the complex
molecules manufactured by plants
• Certain bacteria and fungi are decomposers
• They feed on dead organisms and break down
biological molecules into raw materials, which may
then be recycled by producers
Heat Heat
Decomposers Primary Consumers
Heat
Nutrients
Heat recycled Heat
Sun
Primary Producers
Compensating for Environmental Changes
• Only living organisms can detect environmental
changes and compensate for them through
controlled responses
• Diverse and varied receptors (molecules or larger
structures, located on individual cells and body
surfaces) detect changes in external and internal
conditions
• When stimulated, receptors trigger reactions that
produce a compensating response (e.g. regulation
of body temperature)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Common ancestor
of Fungi and Animalia
Common ancestor of
Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia
Time
KEY
Bacteria
Archaea
Common ancestor Eukarya
of all Eukarya
Common ancestor
of Archaea and Eukarya
Common ancestor
(Long ago) of all living organisms
SUMMARY Phylogenetic trees contain more information than simple hierarchical classifications do because the
trees illustrate which ancestors gave rise to which descendants, as well as when those evolutionary events
occurred. Each fork between trunks, branches, and twigs on the phylogenetic tree represents an evolutionary
event in which one ancestral species gave rise to two descendant species. Detailed phylogenetic trees illustrate
how, over time, descendant species gave rise to their own descendants, producing the great diversity of life.
Three Domains and Several Kingdoms
• Three domains – Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya
– are the major trunks on the Tree of Life
• Bacteria and Archaea, are prokaryotes
• The DNA in their cells is not separated from
other cellular components
• The Eukarya are eukaryotes
• Their DNA is enclosed in a separate structure
(nucleus) within the cells, and they have other
specialized internal compartments (organelles)
0.5 µm
20 µm
eukaryotic species
• Often consumers and
decomposers, but some
Jubal Harshaw/Shutterstock.com
photosynthetic
producers
50 µm
Col Swain/Shutterstock.com
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Domain Eukarya, Kingdom Fungi
Protists Kingdom Fungi
• Decomposers that
break down and absorb
Jubal Harshaw/Shutterstock.com
biological molecules
Jubal Harshaw/Shutterstock.com
• Move actively from one
Observe
Inductive
reasoning
Hypothesize
Deductive
reasoning
Predict
Experiment
Interpret
Add
fertilizer
Experimental Control
Treatment Treatment
Add No fertilizer
fertilizer
Alejandro Sanchez
100 30
Percentage of observations
Percentage in Sun or shade
20
Lizards
75
In the habitat where 10 Body temperatures
A. cristatellus lives, of A. cristatellus
nearly all models were significantly
50 were in shade, but 30 higher than those
most lizards perched of the randomly
in Sun. 20 Models placed models
Smithsonian Institution
25
10
KEY
Models Lizards 20 30 40
Perched in Sun
Temperature (ºC)
Perched in shade
Source: P. E. Hertz. 1992. Temperature regulation in Puerto Rican Anolis lizards: A field test using null hypotheses. Ecology 73:1405–1417.
Molecular Tools Allow Researchers to Explore
• New techniques allow us to study life processes at
the molecular level
• Can isolate individual genes and manipulate them
in the test tube, and modify organisms by replacing
or adding genes
• Genomics characterizes entire genomes and has
been an important tool for creating the Tree of Life
• Proteomics studies the proteome (inventory of
proteins), which constantly changes in response to
the environment, unlike the stable genome
• Bioinformatics tools analyze the huge volume of
data generated by these research projects
© 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Scientific Theories
• When many different tests consistently confirm a
hypothesis that addresses many broad questions,
it may be considered a scientific theory
• Scientists usually regard scientific theories as
established truths that are unlikely to be
contradicted by future research
• This use of the word theory is quite different from
its meaning in everyday life