Common characteristics
Molecular Biology- a study in that deals with the shape, aggregation ad orientation of the
1. Cellular and hierarchical organization- All living things are made up of cells;
Living things organize cells at different levels.
Subatomic particle -> atom->molecule-> organelle-> cell->tissue ->organ->organ
system->organism->species-> population -> community -> ecosystem -> Biosphere
2. Organisms Reproduce to Pass on their Genetic Traits
• SEXUAL REPRODUCTION - hereditary information from two organisms of the
same species combine.
• ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION - hereditary information from different organisms
is not combined. One cell splits in two, or one cell gives rise to two new cells.
3. All based on universal genetic code .
4. Growth and Development
5. Metabolism – sum of all chemical processes
6. Irritability/Excitability
7. Homeostasis – maintain a stable internal environment
8. Adaptation
9. Evolution
BRANCHES/ SUBDIVISIONS OF BIOLOGY
I. Basic Divisions
1. Taxonomy - study of the systematic classification of organisms into groups
2. Morphology- study of the form and structure of
organisms
3. Anatomy- study of the detailed structure of
organisms as revealed by gross dissection
4. Cytology- study of the detailed structure and functions of the cells
5. Histology- study of the group of cells performing a
definite or specialized function/s
6. Physiology- study that deals with the functional processes associated with living things
7. Genetics- study that deals with heredity and variations in organisms
8. Embryology or Developmental Biology- a study that deals with the formation and early
development of organisms
9.
molecules that compose the cellular system as a unit
10. Paleontology- a study that deals with past life as revealed by fossils.
11. Ecology- a study that deals with living things in relation to their environment
12. Evolution- a study that deals with the origin and diversification of organisms’ forms or
the gradual change in the characteristics of a species over a course of successive generations.
Microbiology- a study that deals with microorganisms
Protozoology- a study that deals with protozoans
Mycology- a study that deals with fungi
Botany- a study that deals with plants
• Phycology- a study that deals with algae
• Bryology- a study of mosses, peat mosses and liverworts (bryophytes)
• Pteridology- a study of ferns (pteridophytes)
Zoology- a study that deals with animals
• Entomology- a study that deals with insects
• Ornithology- a study that deals with birds
• Icthyology- a study that deals with fishes
• Herpetology- a study that deals with amphibians and reptiles
Scientists who created the cell theory
Robert Hooke (1665)
English scientist that cut a thin slice of cork and looked at it under
his microscope. To him, the cork seemed to be made up of empty
little boxes, which he named cells.
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (1673)
Dutch naturalist who created a very powerful (for the
time period) single lens microscope, He observed pond water. In
pond scum he discovered small animals he called animalcules, or
little animals (protists), and also discovered bacteria while
examining scraping of crud from his teeth; He also found for the first time the sperm cells of Louis Pasteur: (1861) Pasteurized wine, milk, disproved spontaneous generation of
animals and humans. microbes, discovered several bacterial pathogens

Matthias Schleiden (1838)

German botanist who determined plants are composed of cells.
Theodor Schwann
German physiologist and histologist who in 1838 and 1839
identified the cell as the basic structure of plant and animal tissue.
Modern Cell Theory
1.All known living things are made up of one or more cells
2.All living cells arise from pre-existing cells by division.
3.The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in all living organisms.
4.The activity of an organism depends on the total activity of independent cells.
5.Energy flow (metabolism and biochemistry) occurs within cells.
6.Cells contain DNA which is found specifically in the chromosome and RNA found in the
cell nucleus and cytoplasm
7.Heredity information (DNA) is passed on from cell to cell.
8. All cells have the same chemical composition

Rudolph Virchow (1858)

A doctor who stated that all living cells come from pre-existing
cells (part 3 of the cell theory).

CELL THEORY (1938)

(1) All organisms are made up of one or more cells
(2) Cells are the basic unit of life.
(3) All cells arise from pre-existing living cells, by biogenesis

Francesco Redi: (Italy 1668) Tested the hypothesis of spontaneous generation with
flies on meat, and disproved it
Cell Structure and Function
Plant vs. animal cell

Types of Cell

Prokaryotic cell - lack a nucleus (although they do have circular or linear DNA (nucleoid);
belongs to domain Bacteria and Archaea
Eukaryotic cell- have distinct nuclei bound by a nuclear membrane envelope; belongs to
domain eukarya or eukaryota
THE CELL:
Endomembrane
System,
Mitochondria,
Chloroplasts,
Cytoskeleton, and
Extracellular
Components

In Eukaryotic cells, the machinery of the cell is compartmentalized into

organelles.
The compartmentalization of the cell into membrane-bound organelles:
INTRODUCTION
• allows conflicting functions (i.e., synthesis vs breakdown) and several
cellular activities to occur simultaneously without interference from
each other
Organelle – any of several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized • separates the DNA material of the nucleus, mitochondria, and
functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. chloroplast
Membrane-bound organelles are surrounded by a plasma membrane to • increases the surface area-volume ratio of the cell
keep their internal fluids separate from the cytoplasm of the rest of the cell.
Non-membrane bound organelles are more solid structures that are not
fluid-filled, so they have no need for a membrane.