Republic of the Philippines

PALAWAN TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.

245 Malvar Street, Puerto Princesa City

Handout #1: BIOLOGY

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY

I. Definition of Science
A. What is Science?
 An organized knowledge; sometimes referred to as empirical knowledge.
 A field of Scientific inquiry
 It is itself a method, technique and a system.
 It is about nature and natural phenomena.
 It deals with real objects and events.
 It demands perseverance, diligence, and sacrifice.
 Careful, disciplined, logical search for knowledge about any and all aspect of the
universe.

B. Assumptions of Science
Assumptions- set of information or attitudes that is readily accept without the need of
verifying authenticity.

C. Limitation of Science
Anything in nature that fits these criteria will qualify for scientific inquiry, foremost of
which is observable. This implies that while a scientist is interested in a great many things, not all
things can be subjected to Science.

Metaphysical Concerns- Immaterial and transcendental which are beyond the grasp of
scientific inquiry. Science, therefore, cannot confirm nor deny the existence of God, soul, heaven,
hell, nor answer the questions on immortality and life-after death, with a categorical, objective,
and absolute certainty.

II. Theories on the origin of Life

A. Panspermia states that life did not really begin on Earth but elsewhere in space.
B. Spontaneous Generation also known as Abiogenesis which states that life came from non-life.
C. Biogenesis states that every living thing came from pre-existing living thing.

III. Life’s Levels of Organization

Atom Molecule Cell Organism Population Community Population

IV. What is Biology?

 Study of life
A. History of Biology
 In 500 B.C., Greeks had begun investigations and known to be the first biologist.
 Aristotle, one of the greatest Greek natural Philosopher and the “Father of
Biology”

 In mid-1600s, Antoine Van Leeuwenhoek created a homemade microscope.

 Robert Hooke improved the microscope by addition of another lens.
 Carolus Linnaeus was famous for his work on the binomial system of naming and
identifying organisms.
 Charles Darwin proposed the theory of Evolution.
 Gregor Mendel studied and developed theories on genetics and was famous for
his work in pea plant.
B. Branches of Biology
a) Anatomy is the study of body parts and its location.
b) Astrobiology is the study of the effects of outer space on living organisms and the search
of extraterrestrial life.
c) Biochemistry is the study of chemical process and transformations in living organisms.
d) Bioinformatics overlaps with computational biology and systems of biology.
e) Biomechanics
f) Biophysics is the application of Physics to questions of biology.
g) Biotechnology
h) Botany is the study of plants
i) Cell Biology also known as cytology, is the study of cells
j) Cryobiology
k) Ecology
l) Evolution
m) Genetics
n) Gerontology
o) Histology
p) Immunology
q) Limnology study of inland/fresh water
r) Marine Biology study of living organisms that live in the ocean.

C. The Scientific Method

D. The Scientific Attitude

a. Creativity
b. Responsibility
c. Open-mindedness
d. Curiosity
e. Objectivity
f. Humility

CHAPTER II: BIOCHEMISTRY

I. What is Biochemistry?
 Involves the study of the four biogenic substances (Biomolecules) namely proteins,
lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.
 According to Kuchel (2009), Biochemistry is the study of living systems at the level of
chemical transformations.
 It is at the core of ‘significance’ among biological sciences since it explains how a cell
become alive.

II. How is life different from Non-life?

a. Movement and Locomotion
b. Responsiveness and Sensitivity
c. Growth and Nutrition
d. Synthesis and Excretion
e. Reproduction and Evolution
f. Regulation and Homeostasis
g. Cellular Organization

III. The Water Molecule

a. Cohesion is the bonding of one substance like a water molecule to the same substance
like to another water molecule. It is responsible for the transport of water and dissolved
nutrients against gravity in plants.
b. Specific heat is the amount of heat needed for water or absorb to change its temperature.
 c. Heat of Vaporization is the amount of heat for water to absorb to change into the gaseous
state.
d. Water is a solvent for life
 Hydrogen bond is a bond formed between a slight positive charged of one
molecule and to a slight negative charge of another molecule, usually between
Hydrogen atom (+) and Fluorine, Oxygen and Nitrogen.
It is a weak chemical bond. As such it is easily broken and easily formed.

IV. The atom

All matter, be it solid, liquid, or gas is composed of atoms.
Atom- is the smallest unit of matter capable of retaining the identity of an element during
a chemical reaction.
Element-is a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by normal
chemical reactions.

Atoms are made up of subatomic particles protons and neutrons, which are in the atom’s
nucleus, and clouds of electrons orbiting the nucleus.

Protons-positively charge
Electrons-negatively charge
Neutron-neutral

Other key chemistry terms:

a. Isotopes
-Atoms of an element that have a different number of neutrons and a different atomic
weight than usual.

b. Ions
-Atoms that have gained or lost electrons.
Anion- atom that gained extra electron; negatively charged ion.
Cation-Atoms gives off electrons; positively charged ion.

c. Acid
-A substance that becomes ionized when placed in solution, producing positively charged
hydrogen ions, H+. It is considered a proton donor.

d. Base
-A substance that becomes ionized when placed in solution, producing negatively
charged hydroxide ions, (OH).
-Bases are referred to as being more alkaline than acids and are known as proton
acceptors.

e. pH (Potential of Hydrogen)
-A mathematical measure on a scale of 0 to 14 of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
A solution is considered neutral, neither acid nor base, if its pH is exactly 7. (Pure water
has a pH of 7.)
-A substance is basic if its pH is greater than 7 and acidic if its pH is less than 7.
Interestingly, skin is considered acidic because it has a pH around 5. Blood, on the other
hand, is basic with a pH around 7.4.

V. Chemical Bonds
The force that holds atoms together in collections known as molecules is referred to as a
chemical bond.
 Two main types and some secondary types of chemical bonds:
a. Ionic bond
-This chemical bond involves a transfer of an electron, so one atom gains an electron
while one atom loses an electron. One of the resulting ions carries a negative charge, and
the other ion carries a positive charge.

b. Covalent bond
-The most common bond in organic molecules, a covalent bond involves the sharing of
electrons forms a new orbit that extends around the nuclei of both atoms, producing a
molecule.

b.1 Polar bond –Two atoms connected by a covalent bond may exert different attractions
for the electrons in the bond, producing an unevenly distributed charge. Polarity explains
why some substances dissolve readily in water and others do not.

b.2 Hydrogen bond – Because they’re polarized, two adjacent H2O (water) molecules
can form a linkage known as a hydrogen bond, where a (electronegative) hydrogen atom
of one H2O molecule is electrostatically attracted to the (electropositive) oxygen atom of
an adjacent water molecule. Hydrogen bonds are important in many life processes, such
as in replication and defining the shape of DNA molecules.

VI. Proteins
-Proteins always contain the four HONC elements—hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and
carbon—and sometimes contain phosphorus and sulfur.
Examples of proteins in the body include antibodies, hemoglobin (the red pigment in red blood
cells), and enzymes (catalysts that accelerate reactions in the body).

Building block: Amino Acids. All amino acids that are found in proteins have the same
backbone.
Linkages: Peptide bond, Disulfide bridges

A. FUNCTIONS
1. Enzymes are protein catalysts, capable of enhancing the rates of reactions by factors of up to
1014.
2. Transport and storage
Many small molecules are transported both inside and outside cells bound to carrier
proteins. Examples include the oxygen transport and storage proteins hemoglobin and
myoglobin, respectively. The proteins in membranes often permit the passage of both small and
large molecules.

3. Mechanical structure and support

Collagen provides the tensile strength in skin, teeth, and bone; keratin is the major
component of hair and fur; and fibroin is one proteins that comprise spider silk.

4. Motion
Muscle contraction is accomplished by the interaction of filaments composed of two
different proteins, actin and myosin. Kinesin moves protein cargoes around cells along
microtubule rails formed by tubulin.
5. Recognition
Antibodies are proteins that form part of the immune response in mammals in the
presence of foreign invaders.

VII. Carbohydrates
These molecules consist of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen in a ratio of roughly 1:2:1.
Building Block: Monosaccharide
Linkage: Anomeric Carbon/Glycosidic linkage
CLASSIFICATION OF CARBOHYDRATES:
A. Monosaccharides
-are the simplest units of carbohydrates and the simplest form of sugar that can’t be
hydrolyzed.
Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Ribose
B. Disaccharide
-A disaccharide (two sugars) contains two monosaccharide ring joined by a glycosidic
linkage, consisting of a central oxygen covalently bonded to two carbons.
Maltose, Sucrose, Lactose, Cellobiose
C. Polysaccharide
-is a macromolecule consisting of repeating units of simple sugars, usually glucose. It is
the most abundant Carbohydrates and includes starches, and cellulose.

FUNCTIONS
Johnson (2005), Carbohydrates functions for:
a. Energy Storage
b. Cell Walls
c. Structural support

VIII. LIPIDS
-Named for the Greek word “lipos” means “fat”.
-Biomolecules that contain fatty acids or a steroid nucleus.
-Natural components of cell-membranes, fat-soluble vitamins, and steroid hormones.
-Fatty acid is unsaturated (Examples include margarine and vegetable oils)

CLASSES
a. Simple lipids
b. Complex lipids
c. Steroids
d. Eicocanoids

FUNCTIONS
Lipids function for:
a. Storage
b. Membrane components
c. Messengers

IX. NUCLEIC ACIDS

-These long molecules, found primarily in the cell’s nucleus, act as the body’s genetic
blueprint.
Building Block: Nucleotides
-Each nucleotide is composed of a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose or ribose), a phosphate
group, and a nitrogenous base.
-The Nitrogenous bases in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) are adenine, thymine, cytosine,
and guanine.
A & T; C&G
Ribonucleic Acid: A&U; C&G

Prepared By: Pearl Ailyn C. Ganao