CONCEPTS IN

BIOLOGY

OpenStax
 OpenStax CNX
Book: Concepts in Biology (OpenStax)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Licensing
Preface

1: Introduction to Biology
1.1: Themes and Concepts of Biology
1.2: The Process of Science
1.E: Introduction to Biology (Exercises)

2: Chemistry of Life
2.1: The Building Blocks of Molecules
2.2: Water
2.3: Biological Molecules
2.E: Chemistry of Life (Exercises)

3: Cell Structure and Function

3.1: How Cells Are Studied
3.2: Comparing Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
3.3: Eukaryotic Cells
3.4: The Cell Membrane
3.5: Passive Transport
3.6: Active Transport
3.E: Cell Structure and Function (Exercises)

4: How Cells Obtain Energy

4.1: Energy and Metabolism
4.2: Glycolysis
4.3: Citric Acid Cycle and Oxidative Phosphorylation
4.4: Fermentation
4.5: Connections to Other Metabolic Pathways
4.E: How Cells Obtain Energy (Exercises)

5: Photosynthesis
5.1: Overview of Photosynthesis
5.2: The Light-Dependent Reactions of Photosynthesis
5.3: The Calvin Cycle
5.E: Photosynthesis (Exercises)

6: Reproduction at the Cellular Level

6.1: The Genome
6.2: The Cell Cycle
6.3: Cancer and the Cell Cycle
6.4: Prokaryotic Cell Division
6.E: Reproduction at the Cellular Level (Exercises)

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7: The Cellular Basis of Inheritance
7.1: Sexual Reproduction
7.2: Meiosis
7.3: Errors in Meiosis
7.E: The Cellular Basis of Inheritance (Exercises)

8: Patterns of Inheritance
8.1: Mendel’s Experiments
8.2: Laws of Inheritance
8.3: Extensions of the Laws of Inheritance
8.E: Patterns of Inheritance (Exercises)

9: Molecular Biology
9.1: The Structure of DNA
9.2: DNA Replication
9.3: Transcription
9.4: Translation
9.5: How Genes Are Regulated
9.E: Molecular Biology (Exercises)

10: Biotechnology
10.1: Cloning and Genetic Engineering
10.2: Biotechnology in Medicine and Agriculture
10.3: Genomics and Proteomics
10.E: Biotechnology (Exercises)

11: Evolution and Its Processes

11.1: Discovering How Populations Change
11.2: Mechanisms of Evolution
11.3: Evidence of Evolution
11.4: Speciation
11.5: Common Misconceptions about Evolution
11.E: Evolution and Its Processes (Exercises)

12: Diversity of Life

12.1: Organizing Life on Earth
12.2: Determining Evolutionary Relationships
12.E: Diversity of Life (Exercises)

13: Diversity of Microbes, Fungi, and Protists

13.1: Prokaryotic Diversity
13.2: Eukaryotic Origins
13.3: Protists
13.4: Fungi
13.E: Diversity of Microbes, Fungi, and Protists (Exercises)

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14: Diversity of Plants
14.1: The Plant Kingdom
14.2: Seedless Plants
14.3: Seed Plants - Gymnosperms
14.4: Seed Plants - Angiosperms
14.E: Diversity of Plants (Exercises)

15: Diversity of Animals

15.1: Features of the Animal Kingdom
15.2: Sponges and Cnidarians
15.3: Flatworms, Nematodes, and Arthropods
15.4: Mollusks and Annelids
15.5: Echinoderms and Chordates
15.6: Vertebrates
15.E: Diversity of Animals (Exercises)

16: The Body's Systems

16.1: Homeostasis and Osmoregulation
16.2: Digestive System
16.3: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
16.4: Endocrine System
16.5: Musculoskeletal System
16.6: Nervous System
16.E: The Body's Systems (Exercises)

17: The Immune System and Disease

17.1: Viruses
17.2: Innate Immunity
17.3: Adaptive Immunity
17.4: Disruptions in the Immune System
17.E: The Immune System and Desease (Exercises)

18: Animal Reproduction and Development

18.1: How Animals Reproduce
18.2: Development and Organogenesis
18.3: Human Reproduction
18.E: Animal Reproduction and Development (Exercises)

19: Population and Community Ecology

19.1: Population Demographics and Dynamics
19.2: Population Growth and Regulation
19.3: The Human Population
19.4: Community Ecology
19.E: Population and Community Ecology (Exercises)

20: Ecosystems and the Biosphere

20.1: Energy Flow through Ecosystems
20.2: Biogeochemical Cycles

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 20.3: Terrestrial Biomes
20.4: Aquatic and Marine Biomes
20.E: Ecosystems and the Biosphere (Exercises)

21: Conservation and Biodiversity

21.1: Importance of Biodiversity
21.2: Threats to Biodiversity
21.3: Preserving Biodiversity
21.E: Conservation and Biodiversity (Exercises)

Index

Glossary
Detailed Licensing
A: The Periodic Table of Elements
B: Geological Time

C: Measurements and the Metric System

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Licensing
A detailed breakdown of this resource's licensing can be found in Back Matter/Detailed Licensing.

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Preface
Welcome to Concepts of Biology, an OpenStax resource. This textbook has been created with several goals in mind: accessibility,
customization, and student engagement—all while encouraging students toward high levels of academic scholarship. Instructors
and students alike will find that this textbook offers a strong introduction to biology in an accessible format.

About OpenStax
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generous support of several philanthropic foundations.

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Curation
To broaden access and encourage community curation, Concepts of Biology is “open source” licensed under a Creative Commons
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Support@OpenStax.org.
Cost
Our textbooks are available for free online, and in low-cost print and e-book editions.

About Concepts of Biology

Concepts of Biology is designed for the single-semester introduction to biology course for non-science majors, which for many
students is their only college-level science course. As such, this course represents an important opportunity for students to develop
the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to make informed decisions as they continue with their lives. Rather than being mired
down with facts and vocabulary, the typical non-science major student needs information presented in a way that is easy to read and
understand. Even more importantly, the content should be meaningful. Students do much better when they understand why biology
is relevant to their everyday lives. For these reasons, Concepts of Biology is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes
exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. We also strive
to show the interconnectedness of topics within this extremely broad discipline. In order to meet the needs of today’s instructors
and students, we maintain the overall organization and coverage found in most syllabi for this course. A strength of Concepts of
Biology is that instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Concepts of
Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand
—and apply—key concepts.

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Coverage and Scope
Our Concepts of Biology textbook adheres to the scope and sequence of most one-semester non-majors courses nationwide. We
also strive to make biology, as a discipline, interesting and accessible to students. In addition to a comprehensive coverage of core
concepts and foundational research, we have incorporated features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. Our
scope of content was developed after surveying over a hundred biology professors and listening to their coverage needs. We
provide a thorough treatment of biology’s fundamental concepts with a scope that is manageable for instructors and students alike.
Unit 1: The Cellular Foundation of Life (Ch. 1-5). Our opening unit introduces students to the sciences, including the process
of science and the underlying concepts from the physical sciences that provide a framework within which learners comprehend
biological processes. Additionally, students will gain solid understanding of the structures, functions, and processes of the most
basic unit of life: the cell.
Unit 2: Cell Division and Genetics (Ch. 6-8). Our genetics unit takes learners from the foundations of cellular reproduction to
the experiments that revealed the basis of genetics and laws of inheritance.
Unit 3: Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Ch. 9-10). Students will learn the intricacies of DNA, protein synthesis, and
gene regulation and current applications of biotechnology and genomics.
Unit 4: Evolution and the Diversity of Life (Ch. 11-15). The core concepts of evolution are discussed in this unit with
examples illustrating evolutionary processes. Additionally, the evolutionary basis of biology reappears throughout the textbook
in general discussion and is reinforced through special call-out features highlighting specific evolution-based topics. The
diversity of life is explored with detailed study of various organisms and discussion of emerging phylogenetic relationships
between and among bacteria, protist kingdoms, fungi, plants, and animals.
Unit 5: Animal Structure and Function (Ch. 16-18). An introduction to the form and function of the animal body is followed
by chapters on the immune system and animal development. This unit touches on the biology of all organisms while
maintaining an engaging focus on human anatomy and physiology that helps students connect to the topics.
Unit 6: Ecology (Ch. 19-21). Ecological concepts are broadly covered in this unit, with features highlighting localized, real-
world issues of conservation and biodiversity.
Pedagogical Foundation and Features
Because of the impact science has on students and society, an important goal of science education is to achieve a scientifically
literate population that consistently makes informed decisions. Scientific literacy transcends a basic understanding of scientific
principles and processes to include the ability to make sense of the myriad instances where people encounter science in day-to-day
life. Thus, a scientifically literate person is one who uses science content knowledge to make informed decisions, either personally
or socially, about topics or issues that have a connection with science. Concepts of Biology is grounded on a solid scientific base
and designed to promote scientific literacy. Throughout the text, you will find features that engage the students in scientific inquiry
by taking selected topics a step further.
Evolution in Action features uphold the importance of evolution to all biological study through discussions like “Global
Decline of Coral Reefs” and “The Red Queen Hypothesis.”
Career in Action features present information on a variety of careers in the biological sciences, introducing students to the
educational requirements and day-to-day work life of a variety of professions, such as forensic scientists, registered dietitians,
and biogeographers.
Biology in Action features tie biological concepts to emerging issues and discuss science in terms of everyday life. Topics
include “Invasive Species” and “Photosynthesis at the Grocery Store.”
Art and Animations that Engage
Our art program takes a straightforward approach designed to help students learn the concepts of biology through simple, effective
illustrations, photos, and micrographs. Concepts of Biology also incorporates links to relevant animations and interactive exercises
that help bring biology to life for students.
Art Connection features call out core figures in each chapter for student attention. Questions about key figures, including
clicker questions that can be used in the classroom, engage students’ critical thinking and analytical abilities to ensure their
genuine understanding of the concept at hand.
Concept in Action features direct students to online interactive exercises and animations to add a fuller context and examples
to core content.

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