Chapter 1 Biology: Exploring Life

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Learning objectives
The aims of this course are to enable students to: recognise the scope of biology. explain evolution, unity and diversity. explain the general concept of science and its process. identify the application of biology in everyday life.
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Learning outcome
Successful students will be able to: define the levels of biological organization from molecules to the biosphere list the scope of biology according to its level of organization. identify the common features of living things. state how evolution explains the unity and diversity of life. categorize living things into the main domains and kingdoms. describe the basic steps of the scientific method. compare discovery science and hypothesisbased 5/17/12 science.

Biosphe re Ecosystem Florida coast

1.1 Lifes levels of organisation define the scope of biology

Community All organisms on the Florida coast Population Group of brown pelicans Organism Brown pelican Spinal cord Organ system Nervous system Brain Nerve Tissue Nervous tissue Organ Brain

Cell Nerve cell

Nucleus Organelle Nucleus

Atom Molecule DNA

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Lifes level of organisation

Ato Smallest unit of an element composed of electron, m and neutrons. protons

Molec Union of two or more atoms of ule the same of different elements.
Cell
The cell, which is composed of a variety of molecules working together, is the basic unit of structure and function of all living thing.

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Tissu A egroup of cells with common structure and function.

Orga n Composed of tissues functioning together for
a specific task.

Organ Composed of several organs working system

together.

Organism
An individual; complex individuals contain organ systems. Unicellular or multicellular. 5/17/12

Populati Organisms of the same species in a particular on area.

Communit Interacting populationy a in
particular area.

Ecosystem
An ecosystem consists of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving, physical components of the environments that affect the organisms, such as air, soil, and sunlight.

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Biosphere
All the ecosystems together. Regions of the Earths crust waters, and atmosphere inhabited by living things.

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Hierarchical level of biological organization:

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Living organisms and their environments form interconnecting webs

Su n Inflo w of light ener gy O 2 Chemi cal energ y Cycling of Chemical nutrients

Ai r
C O2 C O2

Loss of heat ener gy

Produc ers

Consum ers

H2 O

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Ecosyst em Figure: The web of interaction in an

ecosystem

Decompo sers So il

can perform all activities required for life. A cell can: generate its internal environment; take in and use energy; respond to the environment around it; and develop and maintain its complex organisation; basis for all reproduction; growth etc. The properties of life that arises from 5/17/12

1.3 Cells are the structural and functional units of life Cell the lowest level of structure that

Two kinds of cells

Nucleus (contains DNA) Eukary otic cell

Prokaryotic cellEukaryotic cell

Prokaryoti c cell

bacteria Lack such organelles

Plants, animals, fungi Contain membraneenclosed organelles, including a DNAcontaining nucleus

DNA (no nucleus) Organe lles

Simple and Complex and smaller in size bigger in size

Cell enclosed by membrane

25,0 00 X

DNA

Ribosome Figure: Comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic 5/17/12 cells.

1.4 The unity of Life: All forms of life have common features
A C T A T A C C G T A G T A

Figure: One chain of a DNA molecules, its message written in the order of the four building 5/17/12 blocks labelled A, T, C,

The foundation for the unity of life is the genetic information in DNA molecules. Each DNA molecule is made up of two long chains of coiled together- double helix The chain are make up of four different building blocks with letter abbreviation of their name Life occurs in cast diversity of forms because they have different genes and DNA sequences
Figure: Double helix DNA

All organisms share a common set of features

1. 2. 3.

Figure: highly order structure on the sunflower

Figure: regulation

4.

5.

Figure: Venus flytrap response to the environmental stimulus of cricket landing on it.

Figure: Reproduction

6. 7.

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Order Regulation Growth and development Energy utilisation Response to the environment Reproduction Evolution

The Scope of Life

Biology is the scientific study of life. Bio - Life ology - Study The Scope of Life Life defies a simple, one-sentence definition. But all life shares a common set of

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characteristics.

Shared Characteristics of Life

1. Order - all living things exhibit complex but ordered organization. E.g. Sunflower is a highly organized structure.

Figure: highly order structure on the sunflower

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2. Regulation The environment outside an organism changes but mechanisms regulate the organisms internal environment, keeping it within limits thatsustain life. E.g. Rabbit can regulate body temperature with blood 5/17/12

Shared Characteristics of Life

Figure: regulation

Shared Characteristics of Life

3. Growth and Development Information carried in genes controls the pattern of growth and development in all organisms. E.g. Nile Crocodile
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Figure: Nile Crocodile

Shared Characteristics of Life

4. Energy Utilization - Organisms take in energy and transform it in performing all of lifes activities. E.g. Hummingbird obtains energy from nectar and uses it to power flight and other work.
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Figure: Hummingbird

Shared Characteristics of Life

5. Response to the Environment All organisms respond to environmental stimuli. E.g. Venus fly trap closes its trap rapidly in response to insect 5/17/12 landing on it

Figure: Venus fly trap

Shared Characteristics of Life

6. Reproduction Organisms reproduce their own kind. E.g. Pandas only produce other pandas
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Figure: Reproduction

7. Evolution reproduction underlies the capacity of populations to change (evolve) over time. E.g. appearance of pygmy seahorse has evolved in a way to 5/17/12 camoflauge itself in

Shared Characteristics of Life

Figure: pygmy seahorse

Classifying Diversity
Taxonomy is the branch of biology that names and classifies species. It formalizes the hierarchical ordering of organisms.

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Hierarchical classification

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Biologists divide the diversity of life into three main groups called domains. The three domains of life are: Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya.

1.5 The diversity of life can be arranges into three domain

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1.6 Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life

Evolution Genetic change in a population or species over generations The evolutionary view of life came into
focus in 1859 when Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species.

Figure: Charles Darwin in 1859

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Darwin was struck by the diversity of animals on the Galpagos Islands. He thought of adaptation to the environment and the origin of new species as closely related processes. As populations separated by a geographic

The Darwinian View of Life

Darwins book developed two main points: Descent with modification: species living today are modified descendants from ancestral species. E.g. Diversity of bears is based on different modifications of a common ancestor from which all bears descended. Natural selection: unequal reproductive success. Individuals with traits best suited to their environment have the greatest reproductive succes. The mechanism for descent with modification.
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Natural selection
Observation 1: Individual variation. Individuals in a population vary in many heritable traits. Observation 2: Overproduction and competition A population of any species has the potential to produce for more offspring that will survive to produce offspring of their own. With more individual than the environment can support, competition is inevitable. Inference: Unequal reproductive success From these two observation, Darwin inferred that individuals are unequal in their likelihood of surviving 5/17/12 are reproducing. Those individuals

Populations with varied inherited traits

Elimination of individuals with certain traits

Reproduction of survivors

Figure: natural selection

Evolutionary adaptation
Killer whale

Pangoli n

Figure: Examples of adaptation to the environment 5/17/12

Product of natural selection: Evolutionary adaption, the accumulation of favorable variations in a population over time. Individuals with heritable traits that made them best adapted to their environment had the greatest reproductive success.

Science is a way of knowing Science seeks natural causes for natural phenomena. Biology blends two scientific approaches: 1. Discovery science- which is most about describing nature 2. Hypothesis-based science, which is most about explaining nature. . Most research combines these two 5/17/12 forms of enquiry.

1.7 Scientists use two main approaches to learn about nature

Discovery science
In discovery science, scientific describe some aspect of the world and use inductive reasoning to draw general conclusion. Inductive reasoning goes from a set of specific observations to general conclusions: I observed cells in x, y, and z organisms, therefore all animals have cells. e.g. all organisms are made of cells is an inductive conclusion based o the discovery of cells in very microscopic biological 5/17/12 specimen observed by biologist over two

Hypothesis-based science
In hypothesis-based science, they attempt to explain observation by testing hypothesis. Deductive reasoning flows from general to specific. From general premises, a scientist would extrapolate to specific results: if all organisms have cells and humans are organisms, then humans should have cells. This is a prediction about a specific case based on the general premises. E.g. If all organisms are made of cells (permise 1), and humans are organisms (permise 2), then humans are composed of cells (deduction about specific case). 5/17/12 deductive is a prediction that can be tested by This

1.8 With hypothesisbased science, we pose and test hypotheses

Observations

Question Hypothesis # 1: Dead batteries Prediction: Replacing batteries will fix problem Hypothesis # 2: Burnt-out bulb Prediction: Replacing bulb will fix problem

Test prediction

Test prediction

Test falsifies hypothesis

Test does not falsify hypothesis

Figure: the hypothesis-driven scientific 5/17/12 method

Hypothesis-based science involves observation, questions, hypothesis as tentative answer to question, deductions leading to predictions, and then tests of the predictions to see if the hypothesis are falsifiable. If hypothesis is correct and we test one of its predictions (by performing an experiment or making observations), then a particular outcome will occur. In experimental designed to test hypothesis, the use of control groups and

1.9 Biology is connected to our lives in many ways

Biology is connected to our lives in many ways
Biology is connected to many important issues in our lives
Environmental problems and solutions
developing ways to turn waste into resource assessing the cause of water, air pollution global warming

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Genetic engineering

DNA fingerprinting cloning genetic screening and counseling cancer research development of antibiotics, vaccines, antivenom improving surgical

Medicine

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Many technological advances

Stem from scientific research

The sciencetechnologysociety relationship

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Is an important

Figure: Biology in the news