Biology The Study of Life

Levels of organization. 1. Biosphere Consist of all parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things (land, water and atmosphere)

2. Ecosystems The community of living things in an area, along with nonliving features (sun, water, wind, soil)

3. Organisms Individual living things Dynamic – Constantly changing.

4. Cells Life’s basic unit of structure and function. Smallest form of life Anything beyond the cell is not living

5. Atoms The basic building blocks of all materials both living and nonliving. Not living

6.DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid Genetic material Inheritance Non living

Biology Explores Life at its Many Levels

The Characteristics of Living Things 1. Living Things Reproduce Sexual Reproduction – Cells from two parents unite to form a new organism Asexual Reproduction – a single organism produces offspring identical to itself.

2. Interaction with the Environment Respond to environment Stimulus – a signal to which organism responds; something that causes a response

3. Use Energy Moving, growing, reproducing, etc Food gives us energy Metabolism – the combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials

Organisms are composed of one or more cells 4. Made of Cells Organisms are composed of one or more cells The smallest units considered fully alive. Cells can grow Respond to the environment Despite their small size they are highly organized Phytoplankton – primary producer in the oceans and provides the majority of oxygen production on Earth

Organisms have the ability to regulate their internal conditions 5. Regulation Organisms have the ability to regulate their internal conditions Sweating on a warm day Dogs panting to cool off Homeostasis – internal stability or “steady state” maintained by the body

6. Adapt and Evolve Over generations, groups of organisms evolve, or change over time

7. Grow and Develop Grow in size (including cells) Cells become specialized (skin, liver, nerves, etc)

8. DNA Universal Code All organisms store the information they need to live, grow, and reproduce in a genetic code written on a molecule called DNA. This information is passed from parent to offspring