Honors Biology Chapter 1 Themes of Life

Biology
Bio- = life -ology = study of
Therefore, biology is the study of life.

Organisms
Living things
Include all six kingdoms:
Animals, plants, fungi, protists, eubacteria and archaebacteria

What does it mean for an organism to be living?

More on this later.

Themes
Recurring ideas that will be presented throughout the text
Focus on vocabulary for these ideas

Cell structure and function

Structure = how it is built

Function = what it does

Important point how do structure and function reinforce each other?
Muscle cell vs. bone cell Plant cell vs. animal cell

Unicellular, multicellular (differentiation)

Uni = one

Multi = many

Unicellular organisms the one cell does all of the tasks of living Multicellular organisms if cells are differentiated, then the different cell types can specialize Differentiation = process of cell types becoming different from one another

Stability and homeostasis

Homeostasis = Stable level of internal conditions Processes involved may include
Water movement Temperature control Maintenance of concentration of materials Control of rate of reactions

Generally, consider automatic responses Generally, not involving behaviors or conscious choices

Reproduction and inheritance

Reproduction = creation of offspring
Inheritance = passing on of traits
must involve DNA
(gene = segment of DNA that controls production of one polypeptide)

Sexual vs. asexual

Two cells uniting (fertilization) to form new individual

vs.
One cell or cohesive group of parent cells to form new individual

Consider hermaphrodites: male and female together If self-fertile, need only one parent for sexual reproduction

Evolution
Definition = a change in a species over time Notes: change does not imply more complex or simpler, just different species is for the whole group, not for any individual
Natural selection most commonly accepted theory on the mechanism for how such changes occur Involves survival of the fittest (fitting the environment)

Interdependence of organisms

WE ARE NOT ALONE! Ecology study of the interaction between organisms and their environments Ecosystems the organisms and environment in a particular area

Eco = house or home

Matter , energy, organization

Matter = anything with mass and volume
Energy
Many forms (examples?) Transformations Transfers No creation or destruction (which law is that?

Heterotrophs vs. autotrophs

other feeders vs. self feeders

Photosynthesis and respiration

Life Can it be defined?

Good question!

Note that no single trait can define something as alive or not alive.
Must use a suite of traits to determine status. Different texts use slightly different sets of traits go with it.

Cells
All living organisms are composed of cells. A cell is the basic unit of structure and function in living organims.
Unicellular vs. multicellular.

Organization
Organisms are organized in their structure and function.
Individual cells are organized. Cells within multicellular organisms are organized. Chemical reactions within organisms are organized.

Energy use
All organisms use energy. It takes energy to stay organized. For Earth, ultimate energy source is the sun. Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs

Movement of energy between organisms and within organisms.

Homeostasis
Stability of internal conditions. All organisms have limits for the conditions under which they can survive.
Use lots of mechanisms to ensure that the internal conditions stay within the limits.

Growth (size and number of cells and development)

Growth can be increase in size of cells, or increase in number of cells to increase size of multicellular organism.
Growth can also be a reference to developmental changes (not size).
Development = changes in organism as it becomes mature.

Reproduction
Production of offspring. Recall need for DNA to be involved.
May be sexual or asexual; some organisms can utilize both methods.

Adaptation
Noun; adaptation = feature of an organism that helps it to survive.
Not a behavioral issue. Achieve adaptations through evolution.

Scientific Processes and Methods

Scientific process is fluid. There is exact listing of steps that must all occur every time.
Many processes are involved.

Observe and Collect Data

Observations are made with senses and sometimes use tools. Data may be qualitative (descriptive). Data may be quantitative (number-based).
Count (use senses and note each instance) Measure (use a tool to get some indication of how much; consider significant figures); should indicate units.

Measure

See note above about measuring.

Use metrics only. Not more accurate, but easier to convert from one size unit to another. Length use meters Mass use grams Volume use liters (not standard, but common) Time use seconds

Organize Data
Make graphs, charts, tables, maps. Always doing so in order to see if meaningful (significant) patterns occur. Special note: Graphs -- independent variable on X axis, dependent variable on Y axis. Ask yourself: Does variable A depend on variable B? Or does variable B depend on variable A?

Classify
Grouping information into smaller collections based on similarities
Taxonomy = science of classifying organisms.

Hypothesize

Hypo= below or under

Thesis = definitive statement about some phenomenon Hypothesis a statement that is not definitive about some phenomenon A testable statement about observable phenomenon Always involves prediction Should be testable

Predict
Always part of a good hypothesis If ..., then.

Experiment
Should test the hypothesis
Limit the number of variables as much as possible Controlled experiment involves at least two iterations (runs or repeats) of the procedure
The control version = version that will serve as a basis of comparison The experimental version = changed in some way from the control, and compare results from this version to the control

Analyze Data
More are better More reliable if they are replicated Check for patterns
relies on organization of data Significance = the perceived pattern / result is NOT due to chance
In other words, the results happened because something caused them to happen statistics

Used to support or refute hypothesis

Infer
Draw conclusions based on observations Not directly observed
Very common in molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry

Model
Helps to explain a broad body of ideas and show how they inter-relate
May be visual, verbal, mathematical

Develop theory
Theory = proposed explanation of some observable phenomenon
Why it happens How it happens

Must be supported by substantial amount of data May be revised as new data become available

Communicate
Share information and ideas Data Theories
Visual, verbal, mathematical

Scientific Method Observe --> Hypothesize -->Experiment Support Hypothesis --> Repeat Exp. --> Theorize OR Refute Hypothesis and begin again
Above is typical part of process for a professional scientist

Tools and Techniques Microscopes

Light Microscope use light to form images
Know the parts of a light micrscope Compound vs. dissecting
Light goes through specimen vs. light bounces off specimen

Microscopes (cont.)
ElectronMicroscope use beam of electrons to form image
TEM vs. SEM Electons go through specimen vs. electrons bounce off of specimen

Microscopes (cont.)
Scanning Tunneling
Computer-generated image based on electron clouds Used for surfaces of substances Atomic view (sort of)

Microscopes (cont.)
Phase Contrast Uses light in different phases to create more contrast in different parts of a specimen

Cell Culture Fractionation Centrifugation

Cell culture = grow cells in controlled conditions (flask, petri dish, etc.) Fractionation = break cells apart to study individual parts (blender is sometimes useful) Centrifugation = method of separating materials based on density or mass
Involves spinning mixtures at high speed

Chromatography (Paper, Thin layer, Column)

Chromatography = method of separating materials based on how well they dissolve in a solve and move along a path with the solvent Electrophoresis = method of separating materials based on how well they follow a current of electricity through some medium (gel) Sampling = method of study
Study a small group Apply results to larger group Example: political polls
Or look at 1000 dandelion,s and make inference about ALL dandelions

Electrophoresis Sampling