CHAPTER 1...

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY
1.0 Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

 State the meaning of Biology.

 List the branches of Biology and explain the significance of Biology.
 State the characteristics of living things.
 State the main differences between plants and animals.

1.1 What is Biology?

In Primary School, you studied many subjects, one of which is science. In secondary school, you will
learn Biology which is a branch of science. Science is knowledge about the structure and behavior of the
natural world based on facts that can be proved by experiments. Knowledge gained in the study of science
is used to make the world a better place to live in.
The term “Biology” is derived from two Greek words – bios and – logos where bios means life and logos
means knowledge. Biology is therefore the study of lining things (also known as organisms).
It enables scientists to explain the living world in terms of scientific principles. Organisms interact with
non-living things in their physical environment. Also included in the study of Biology is the role that
humans play in shaping their environment.

1.2 Branches of Biology

Biology is a wide field of study and it is divided into three main branches, namely: Botany, Zoology and
Microbiology.
Botany is the study of plants; Zoology is the study of animals. Microbiology is the study of microscopic
organisms, e.g. Bacteria and Viruses. Other specialized areas of studies in Biology are given in table 1.1.
Biotechnology is a branch of Biology which deals with the development of techniques for the application
of biological processes. These produce materials for use in medicine, industry and farming.

Study Question 1
a) State the meaning of the following terms:
i. Science
ii. Biology
b) Name six branches of Biology

1|Page
1.3 Importance of Biology
The knowledge gained in Biology is applied in various aspects such as listed in table 1.1.

 Enables one to understand the developmental stages in the human body.

 Enables one to pursue careers such as medicine, dentistry, agriculture, public health, veterinary
practice and horticulture.
Table 1.1

Branches of Description/ Deals

Biology with
Ecology The study of living
organisms and their
surroundings.
Genetics Inheritance and variation.
Entomology Insects.
Parasitology Parasites.
Embryology Development of animals
from egg to adults.
Physiology Body function.
Anatomy Internal structure of living
organism.
Cytology Cells.
Ichthyology Fishes.
Bacteriology Bacteria.
Morphology External structure of
organisms.
Biochemistry Chemistry of materials.
Taxonomy Sorting out organisms into
groups.
Histology Structure of tissues.
Virology Viruses.

 Imparts scientific skills such as observing, identifying, drawing, recording, measuring,

classifying, analyzing, and evaluating data.
 Used to solve environmental problems, e.g. food sortie, pollution, drought, poor health and
conservation of resources like forests, wildlife, water and soil.
 Useful in enhancing international co-operation in many areas such as:

a) Medicine
(i) Joint development of HIV and AIDS vaccine.
(ii) To co-ordinate fight against Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Ebola including
scientists all over the world.

2|Page
 b) Environmental conservation
(i) The fight to save the ozone layer from depletion through various international agreements
such as the Kyoto Protocol.
(ii) Management of resources trough international treaties such as the CITES (Convention on
International Trade and Endangered Species).

c) Classification
Scientists worldwide use the same procedures in naming organisms. They all use the binomial system of
nomenclature.

Study Question 2.
(a) List five professions that require the study of Biology.
(b) List five skills that are gained on studying Biology.

1.4 Characteristics of Living Things

Living things show great diversity in terms of form, shape, size and habitat. A closer examination of these
organisms though, reveals that they share various common characteristics that distinguish them from non-
living things.

Practical Activity 1
To observe living and non-living things

Requirements
A small insect such as grasshopper in a jar or a rat in a cage, appropriate feed for the animal, a piece of
stone and a piece of stick or a ruler.

Procedure
1. Place the food near the animal and observe it.
2. Disturb the animal using a stick or a ruler.
CAUTION: Do not hurt the animal.
Observe the animal for five minutes.
3. Repeat the procedures using the piece of stone.
4. Record your observations for the animal and the stone.
The activities you observed with the animals were not displayed by the stone. These activities included
movement, feeding, responding to touch and breathing movements. These are some of the characteristics
of living things. The stone as a non-living thing does not show these characteristics.

3|Page
There are other characteristics that could not have observed the Practical Activity 1, yet they are also
exhibited by all living things.
These are respiration, growth and development, reproduction, and excretion. These characteristics of
organisms are described below:

(a)Nutrition
Nutrition is the process by which organisms acquire and utilize nutrients. Plants synthesize their own food
using light energy, Carbon (IV) oxide, water and mineral salts, while animals feed on already
manufactured foods.

(b) Respiration
Respiration is the process by which food substances are broken down in the cell to release energy. The
energy is used by the organisms to carry out essential activities such as growth and movement.

(c)Gaseous exchange
Gaceous exchange is the process whereby respiratory gases – Oxygen and Carbon (IV) oxide – pass
across a respiratory surface.
Examples of respiratory surfaces are stomata in leaves, alveoli in lungs, gills in fish, skin in frogs and cell
membrane in unicellular organisms.

(d) Excretion
Excretion is the process by which waste or harmful materials, resulting from metabolic reactions within
cells of organisms are eliminated. Some of these materials if left to accumulate in the cells would cause
poisoning leading to death.

(e)Growth and Development

Growth is an irreversible increase in size and mass, while development refers to the irreversible change in
the complexity of the structure of living things. Living things grow in order to attain the maximum size
and mass which are essential for their body function.

(f) Reproduction
Reproduction is the process by which living things give rise to new individuals of the same kind. Only
living things have the ability to give rise to new individuals of their own kind.

(g) Irritability
This is the ability of living things to perceive changes in their surroundings and respond to them
appropriately. For instance living things react to changes in temperature, humidity, light, pressure and the
presence or absence of certain chemicals.

(h) Movement
Movement is a change in position by either a part of or the whole organism. The type of movement
whereby the whole organism moves is called locomotion. This occurs in animals, most bacteria and some
protoctists.
In plants, we have movement of body parts as in folding of leaves, closing of flowers and growing of
shoots towards light.

4|Page
Study Question 3
(a) List the uses of the energy obtained from the process of respiration.
(b) Why is a motor vehicle not considered a living thing yet it moves?
(c) Why is nutrition important in organisms?

Collection of specimen
While studying organisms one needs to make a collection of specimen for further observation and
preservation for future reference in the laboratory. A specimen is a whole organism or a part of an
organism being studied or examined. The person collecting the specimens needs knowledge on the use of
specific apparatus and the precautions to take while doing the collection.
This is to ensure the safety of the collector and prevent damage to specimens. Some apparatus used in
collection and observation of specimens are shown in figure 1.2 (a) to (h).

Precautions to take During Collection and Observation and Specimens

 Collect only the number of specimens needed to avoid wastage.
 Do not harm the specimens during the collection exercises as this can distort the features of the
specimens.
 Do not destroy the natural habitat of the specimens.
 Live specimens should be returned to their habitats whenever possible to maintain ecological
balance.
 Dangerous or injurious specimens should be handled with care as stinging insects or plants can
sting or injure a person. Forceps or hand gloves should be used for protection.
 Highly mobile animals should be immobilized using suitable chemical substances such as
tetrachloromethane (Chloroform) or ethoxyethane (diethylether) for ease of observation.

Comparison between Plants and Animals

As seen earlier, all living things share certain characteristics such as growth, reproduction, movement,
nutrition and irritability. However, in studying living things, it is not possible or practical to examine
them as one united group since they show certain obvious difference brought about by how their bodies
work and function.
To illustrate this it is important to consider the differences between plants and animals.

Study question 4
What are the similarities between plants and animals?

5|Page
A sweep net is used for catching flying insects For attracting and trapping small animals including
eg bees, butterflies and grasshoppers mice and rats

For catching crawling animals e.g. millipedes, spid- Used for trapping small fish and other small water
ers, ants, cockroach and other insects animals e.g. crabs and shrimps

Used for sucking small animals e.g. ants, termites, for picking up small stinging animals and plants e.g.
from rock surfaces or barks of trees centipedes, spiders, and stinging nettle

6|Page
 For keeping collected specimen. A hand lens is an instrument used to enlarge objects. It is
Large specimen require large bottles used in examining external features of collected specimens

Practical Activity 2
Collection of plant and animal specimens to observe external features.

Requirements
Sweep net, pooter, bait trap, a pair of forceps, specimen bottles, hand lens and panga.

Procedure
1. Collect a wide variety of plant and animal specimens from the immediate environment.
2. Place the specimens in the appropriate containers and carry them to the laboratory.
3. Observe the collected specimens and record their external features. Small organisms should be
observed using a hand lens.
4. Using the observations recorded in (3) above list the major differences between plant and animal
specimens.
Activity 2 above shows that plants and animals differ in their external features. However, they also
exhibit differences in their internal features.
Table 1.2: Differences between plants and animals.

Plants
(a) Most are green in color (have chlorophyll) hence
are able to make their own food from simple raw
materials in the presence of sunlight.
(b) They respond slowly to changes in their
environment.
(c) Plants do not move about.
(d) Growth occurs at meristematic tissues only.
(e) They lack excretory organs.
Animals
They lack chlorophyll hence feed on ready-made
food.
They respond rapidly to changes in the
environment.
Most move about in search of food and shelter.
Growth occurs all over the body.
They have complex excretory organs.

Revision Questions
1. (a) What is meant by the term Biology?
(b) List two branches of Biology and for each give a definition.

7|Page
2. State four reasons why biology should be studied.
3. List four differences between a plant and an animal.
4. Fill in the table below:

Branch Field of study

Zoology _____________________________________
__________________________________ Study of micro organisms
Botany ______________________________________
Genetics ______________________________________
Taxonomy ______________________________________
___________________________________ Study of cells
___________________________________ Study of insects

5. List the characteristics that are common in all organisms.

6. Name four apparatus used in collection of specimens and for each apparatus give an example of an
organism collected.

8|Page