INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY

BY HIRA RAHMAN
 [bahy-ol-uh-
•jee]
Bio = life

• ...logy = the study of

• Biology is the science that studies life

2
 THE SCIENCE OF
LIFE
• Biology unifies much of natural life

• Biology attempts to define life

• Biology reveals a hierarchical organization of living

systems

2
3
Why Study of Biology is
Important?
• Explains the changes of human body
• Shapes different careers
• Provides answers to large scale problems
• Teaches us concepts of basic living
• Paves way for scientific investigation

4
5
PROPERTIES OF
LIFE:
 Cellular organization
 Ordered complexity
 Reproduction
 Growth and development
 Energy utilization
 Sensitivity
 Regulation
 Homeostasis
 Evolutionary adaptation

6
LEVELS OF
ORGANIZATION
1. Cellular Level
• Atoms molecules organelles cells
2. Organismal Level
• Tissues organs organ systems
3. Population Level
• Populataion species biological community
4. Ecosystem Level
• Biological community + physical habitat (soil, water,
atmosphere)
5. The Biosphere
• The life sustaining envelope of earth

7
 LEVELS OF
•ORGANIZATION
Cellular Organization
• CELLS
• organelles
• molecules
• atoms

• The cell is the

basic structural & functional
unit of life.

8
9
 LEVELS OF
ORGANIZATION
• Organismal Level
• ORGANISM
• organ systems
• organs
• tissues

10 10
11
 LEVELS OF
ORGANIZATION
• Population Level
• ECOSYSTE
• community M
• species
• population

12
13
 LEVELS OF
•ORGANIZATION
Each level of organization builds on the level
below it but often demonstrates new
features

• Emergent properties: new properties

present at one level that are not seen in the
previous level

14 14
CELLULAR STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION

15
UNIFYING THEMES IN
BIOLOGY
• Cells are information-processing systems
• Every cell in an organism carries the same
genetic information
• The control of gene expression allows cells
to differentiate into different cell and tissue
types
• Cells also process information received from the
environment and respond to maintain homeostasis

16
 DEVELOPMENT OF
• Anton vanMICROSCOPE
leeuwenhoek developed a simple light microscope
consisting of glass lens
• Discovered unicellular organisms(bacteria and yeast) and called them
“little beasts”

17
OBSERVING
CELLS
• Light microscope
• Can observe living cells in true color
• Magnification of up to ~1000x
• Resolution ~ 0.2 microns – 0.5 microns

18
19
Electron Microscope
• Preparation needed kills the cells
• Images are black and white – may be colorized
• Magnifcation up to ~100,000
 Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
2-D image
 Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
3-D image

20
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE (TEM)

21
SCANNING ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE (SEM)

22
 CEL
•
LS
Smallest living unit
• Microscopic structure
• Vary in shape, size and function

23
DISCOVERY OF
CELL
•Robert hooke described the cells as honey comb
or tiny boxes
• He thought that cells only existed in plants

24
 DEVELOPMENT OF CELL
• 18th THEORY
century
• Mathius Schleiden concluded that
“All plant parts are made up of cells”
• Theodor Schwaan stated that
“All animal tissues are composed of cells and that all living organism
consist of one or more cells”
• Rudolf Virchow proposed that
“ Cells could only be formed from the division of other cells and that
cells must arise from pre-existing cells”

25
SALIENT FEATURES OF CELL
THEORY
 All living organisms are composed of one or more cells.
The cell is the smallest, basic structural and functional unit of all
organisms.

 New cells are formed by the division of pre-existing cells.

26
27
CELL
SIZE

28
CELLS HAVE LARGE
SURFACE AREA-TO-
VOLUME RATIO

29
Why Are Cells So
•Small?
Cells need sufficient surface area to allow adequate transport
of nutrients in and wastes out.
• As cell volume increases, so does the need for the
transporting of nutrients and wastes.
• However, as cell volume increases the surface area of the cell
does not expand as quickly.
• If the cell’s volume gets too large it cannot transport enough wastes
out or nutrients in.
• Thus, surface area limits cell volume/size.

30
Why Are Cells So
Small?
• Strategies for increasing surface area, so cell can be larger:
 “Frilly” edged…….
 Long and narrow…..
• Round cells will always be small.

31
CHARACTERISTICS OF
CELLS
• Cell membrane - A surrounding membrane
• Cytoplasm - cell contents in thick fluid
• Organelles - structures that perform specific
functions
• Control center with DNA

32
TYPES OF
CELLS

33
PROPERTIES OF EUKARYOTIC AND
PROKARYOTIC CELLS

34
REPRSENTATIVE
ANIMAL CELL

35
REPRESENTATIVE
PLANT CELL

36
TYPES OF
ORGANISMS

37