UNIFYING

THEMES
In
LIFE SCIENCE

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Trivia!
How many species of organisms
inhabit the earth?

Approximately 40 million species

inhabit the earth.
How many species have
been identified?
• Approximately 2 million have been identified
and only several thousand have been studied
in detail.
How much is left to be
studied?

A
WHOLE
LOT!
What does “diverse” mean?

Different
Variety
Would you say that the
world is diverse?

Yes!
 Biodiversity

• When we refer to the diversity of

living things on earth, we call this
biodiversity.
 What is biology?

The science of life or the

study of all living
things.
 UNIFYING THEMES
• Biological systems
• Level of Organization
• Forms and Function
• Reproduction and Inheritance
• Energy and Life
• Thermal regulation
• Adaptation and Evolution
 BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM
 All levels of life have systems of related
parts.
 A system is an organized group of related
parts that interact to form a whole.
 It has different parts, but each plays a
significant role for the whole to function as
one. Without the help from each other, it
cannot fully perform its function.
 A cell is a system of chemicals and processes.
 A body system includes organs that interact
 An ecosystem includes living and nonliving
things that interact.
 LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

• The cell is the basic unit of life.

• All organisms are made of and
develop from cells.
If an organism has only 1 cell
then it is unicellular.
If an organism has more than one cell than it
is a multicellular organism.
 FORMS AND FUNCTION

• The function of an organism or a part

of an organism greatly depends on its
form and structure. It is related to how
it works.
Cells undergo a process called
differentiation, in which they
become specialized for various
roles given by the DNA.
EASY TO REMEMBER:
DIFFERENTIATION MEANS
DIFFERENT…CELLS ARE
DIFFERENT.
Nerve cell or neuron Cells that transmit electrical impulses
in the nervous system
Red blood cells
REPRODUCTION AND INHERITANCE
All organisms produce new organisms
like themselves by transmitting
hereditary information to their
offspring. This process is called
reproduction.
Where is this hereditary
information stored?

Answer: DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)
• In some organisms DNA exists
in a structure made of
membrane.
• In other organisms it exists as
a loop.
• A short segment of DNA that
contains instructions for a
single trait is called a gene.
 or

Blue Eyes Dark Eyes

• Sexual reproduction occurs
when hereditary information
from two parts of an organism
or two organisms of the same
species is combined.
What types of
organisms
sexually
reproduce?
The kissing gourami
• When asexual reproduction
occurs, hereditary information
from different organisms is not
combined.
• The offspring is basically a
duplicate of the parent.
Where does asexual
reproduction occur?
Bacteria
 ENERGY AND LIFE

Living things are highly organiz

ed and need a constant supply
of energy.
Almost all energy for life on earth comes
from the sun.
 How do organisms
obtain their energy?
• Organisms that obtain energy
by making their own food are
autotrophs.

Euglena
• Autotrophs use a process called
photosynthesis in which energy
from the sun, water, and carbon
dioxide are used to make
substances such as starches and
sugars.
Heterotrophs are organisms that
must take in food to meet their
energy needs. They must eat
autotrophs or other
heterotrophs.
What are examples of
heterotrophs?
Herbivores
Predators
 THERMAL REGULATION

• The ability of an organism to regulate

their internal conditions is called
 homeostasis
How would your body
respond if you ran a
fever of 40 degrees C?
Answer:
Sweat
What would happen if you take a bath
during cold days?

You’d
Shiver!
• Living things from unicellular to
multicellular maintain a stable
level of internal conditions called
homeostasis.
• Examples: water content,
temperature, and food intake
• The harp seal takes
in food to maintain
a thick layer of fat.
• Blood flow is
adjusted according
to the temperature
of the water to
maintain a stable
body temperature.
• Dog pant during hot days.
ADAPTATION AND EVOLUTION

Populations of
organisms “evolve”
or change over
time.
• Natural Selection is the driving
force behind evolution.
• Organisms that have certain
favorable traits are better able
to successfully reproduce.
Which frog is most likely to
reproduce successfully?
• The survival of organisms with
favorable traits causes a gradual
change in populations of
organisms over many generations.