Introduction to

Biology

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 Biology – The Study of Life
 Life arose more
than 3.5 billion
years ago
 First organisms
(living things) were
single celled
 Only life on Earth
for millions of
years
 Organisms changed
over time (evolved)
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 New organisms
arose from older
kinds
 Today there are
millions of species
 They inhabit
almost every
region of Earth
today
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Themes of Biology
 Cell structure and function
 Stability and homeostasis
 Reproduction and
inheritance
 Evolution
 Interdependence of
organisms
 Matter, energy, and
organization

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Cell Structure and Function
 Cell basic unit of life
 All organisms are made
of and develop from
cells
 Some composed of only
a single cell (unicellular)
which is usually
identical to parent

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Cells
 Most organisms are
composed of many cells
(multicellular)
 Cells are different
(undergo
differentiation)
 Cells are small
 Cells are highly
organized
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 Cells contain specialized
structures (organelles)
that carry out the cell’s
life processes
 Many different kinds of
cells exist
 All cells surrounded by a
plasma membrane
 Contain a set of
instructions called DNA
(genetic information)
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 Stability and Homeostasis
 Organisms must Maintain very stable
internal conditions -
HOMEOSTASIS
 Temperature, water content,
chemical content, etc. must be
maintained

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 Reproduction and Inheritance
 All organisms produce new organisms
like themselves REPRODUCE
 Organisms transmit hereditary
information to their offspring
INHERITANCE

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 DNA
 Genetic Information in all cells
 Deoxyribonucleic Acid
 DNA contains instructions for
traits GENES
 Make the structures and complex
chemicals necessary for life
PROTEINS
 DNA in every body cell
(SOMATIC CELLS) is exactly alike

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 Sexual Reproduction
 Hereditary information
from two different
organisms of the same
species are combined
 Egg and sperm 
zygote (fertilized egg)
 Zygote contains
hereditary information
from both parents
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 Asexual Reproduction
 Hereditary information
from one, usually
unicellular, organism
that divides
 Resulting cells contain
identical hereditary
information
 Genetic information from
single parent
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 Matter, Energy and
Organization
 Living things are highly organized
 Require a constant supply of energy
to maintain their orderly state

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 Energy
 ALL energy comes from the SUN
(directly or indirectly)
 Photosynthesis is the process by
which some organisms capture the
energy from the sun (solar) and
transform it into energy (chemical)
that can be used by living things

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 Autotrophs
 Organisms that make their
own food are called
autotrophs
 Phototrophs – use solar
energy (photosynthesis) to
get energy
 Convert H2O and CO2 into
sugar and O2
 Chemotrophs – use different
chemical processes to get
energy
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 Heterotrophs
 Organisms that must take in
food to meet their energy
needs are called heterotrophs
Consume autotrophs
(herbivores), other heterotrophs
(carnivores) or both (omnivores)
for their energy needs
 Complex chemicals are broken
down and reassembled into
chemicals and structures needed
by organisms

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 ORDER + A
The Scientific Rules for being
considered Living
O – Organized by Cells
 If you are living you are made of
one or more cells.
R – Responds to Stimuli
 If you are living you have to
react to the outside world
D – Develop and Grow
 If you are living you have to get
bigger and develop into a more
complex being
E – Energy /Eat
 If you are a living  If you are a living
animal you get your plant you make your
energy from eating energy from a
process called
photosynthesis
R – Reproduce
 If you are living you have to be
able to make copies of yourself
+A – Adapt to Environment
 If you are living you must be able
to change to the outside world
ORDER +A
 To be living you must be able to do all of
these things by yourself. If you don’t do all
those things you are not alive according to
science.
 Are the following things ALIVE:
Living vs. Non-Living
 Living –  Non-Living –
 You can
 Dead – you were once
able to perform all the
perform
activities of ORDER+A
all of but can not now.
the  Man-Made – you were
activitie
made by man and could
s of never do ORDER+A.
ORDER  Never Alive – you were
+A at
made by nature and
the could never do
current ORDER+A
time.
All living things Need

 Shelter – a place to live

 Food – whether they eat or make it
themselves
 Water – H2O without hydration you
will die
 Air – O2 whether you breath or get it
out of water you will die without it.