Chapter 1, Section 3: Studying Life

Characteristics of Living Things A universal genetic code Grow and develop stimuli Respond to stimuli in their environment Reproduce

Homeostasis: maintain a stable internal environment Obtain and use material for energy Made of cells Characteristics of Living Things

Change over time: evolve, adaptations based on the genetic code with in kinds and species, variations and speciation Characteristics of Living Things

Central Themes of Biology living things are made of cells Universal genetic code – DNA nutrients Living things use material and energy, nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals)

Central Themes of Biology specializedirreducible cells are specialized, irreducible, and very complex: grow, develop, and reproduce Homeostasis Homeostasis evolutionadaptations variationsspeciation Change: evolution, adaptations, variations, speciation are based on DNA

Central Themes of Biology structure: design, how something is assembled/put together function: purpose, what something is supposed to do

Central Themes of Biology element Unity and Diversity of Life: carbon is the base element in living things, DNA is the source of biodiversity means “life/variety” Living things are Interdependent: biosphere means “life/3-D circle” Science as a Way of Knowing: observations, inferences, questions, research and experiments

Big Ideas in Biology study of biology revolves around several interlocking big ideas: Cellular basis of life. Living things are made of cells. Information and heredity. Living things are based on a universal genetic code written in a molecule called DNA. Matter and energy. Life requires matter that provides raw material, nutrients, and energy. The combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials is called metabolism.

Big Ideas in Biology study of biology revolves around several interlocking big ideas: Growth, development, and reproduction. All living things reproduce. In sexual reproduction, cells from two parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism. In asexual reproduction, a single organism produces offspring identical to itself. Organisms grow and develop as they mature. Homeostasis. Living things maintain a relatively stable internal environment. Evolution. Taken as a group, living things evolve, linked to a common origin.

Big Ideas in Biology study of biology revolves around several interlocking big ideas: Structure and function. Each major group of organisms has evolved structures that make particular functions possible. Unity and diversity of life. All living things are fundamentally similar at the molecular level. Interdependence in nature. All forms of life on Earth are connected into a biosphere—a living planet. Science as a way of knowing. Science is not a list of facts but “a way of knowing.”