1. Biology 107 General Biology
Pat Akrabawi
Michael Cullen
Brian Ernsting
Biology 107 General Biology

2. Introduction to General Biology
Student Objectives: As a result of this lecture and the assigned reading, you should understand the following:
1. Cells form the simplest, independent units of organization of living organisms. Cells arise from other cells.
2. There is a unity and a diversity of cells. Living cells all have a similar basic chemistry, yet cells may vary enormously in appearance and function.
3. Cells are broadly categorized as either prokaryotic or eukaryotic.

3. Introduction to General Biology
There is a hierarchy of structural levels and orders associated with living organisms, from simple molecules to complex ecosystems of the biosphere.
Atoms Molecules (organelles) CELLS
Organisms Organ Systems Organs Tissues
Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere
Life is associated with emergent properties. These properties are the consequence of the hierarchies of structure.

4. Introduction to General Biology
Living organisms are characterized by:
order
energy utilization
response to the environment
reproduction
growth and development
homeostasis
evolutionary adaptation
Structures and functions are related.

5. Introduction to General Biology
Organisms interact continuously with their environments, and exchanges of energy and materials between organisms and their environments are essential for living matter.
DNA is the basis of heritable information and the mechanism of transferring archived information from one generation to another of a species.   All species of life, whether plant, animal or bacterium, employ essentially the same genetic code.

6. Introduction to General Biology
Organisms are in a struggle to survive in an environment, and there are individual variations in organisms of a population that provide differential advantages for reproductive success in that environment. All populations of organisms undergo genetic changes through time, and this may lead to organisms better adapted to the environment and may in turn give rise to different species.