1. Biology and Science

2. What is Biology? Living vs. Nonliving Bios = life, logy = study of
Biology is the study of life
Many forms of life are yet to be discovered and millions have yet to be named or even studied!
Living vs. Nonliving
Biotic = living or once-living things ex. plants, animals, bacteria, fungi
Abiotic = things which have never or ever will be alive ex. sunlight, temperature, water, dirt
Biotic organisms depend on abiotic factors for life
ex. All living things need water

3. Studying Biology Organism = 1 living thing ex. You
Biologists study organisms and their behavior patterns.
Living things do not live in isolation. They constantly interact with other living things & there environment.
Organism = 1 living thing ex. You
Species = all the same type of living thing which can interbreed & produce fertile offspring ex. Humans
Some living things cannot be considered a species because the cannot interbreed ex: liger, tigon, zorse, zonkey, zony

5. zorse
zonkey
zony

6. What makes something Living?
There are 6 Characteristics of living things
Orderly Structure
Produce Offspring
Share a Genetic Code with other living things
Growth and Development
Obtain & Use Materials to Get Energy for Life Processes
Respond & Adjust to Changes in their Internal & External Environment

7. Orderly Structure: Reproduction:
All living things are made of one or more cells that have a specific job to do (specialization) Ex. Eye cells-sight, skin cells-protection
Cell = living matter separated by a membrane from its surroundings. It is the smallest unit of life
Unicellular = only 1cell (single celled) ex. Bacteria
Multicellular = many cells ex. Any living thing you can see with the naked eye
Reproduction:
Two ways to produce offspring:
sexual reproduction: 2 parents’ DNA make one new organism
asexual reproduction:1parent makes one new organism (usually by binary fission or budding)
A species must reproduce to survive BUT it is NOT necessary for every individual within the species to reproduce

8. Genetic Code: Growth and Development:
Offspring resemble others of the same species
Organisms inherit traits/characteristics by a molecule called DNA
Heredity is the passing of traits from parent(s) to offspring
Growth and Development:
Growth= increase in the amount of living material.
ex. getting bigger
Development = sum of all the changes during ONE organism’s lifetime. ex. egg > tadpole > frog

9. Obtaining Energy: Responding to Environment:
Organisms take in materials and convert them into energy
Metabolism = all the chemical reactions that break down materials to produce energy so an organism can carry out its life processes. Ex. Respiration: breaking down food for energy
Responding to Environment:
Environment can be internal or external
Organisms respond to stimuli in their environment
Stimulus = signal that causes a response, the cause
Response = what an organism does, the effect
Homeostasis = maintaining an internal balance, no matter the external environment
Responses can lead to adaptations or evolution

10. Adaptation vs. Evolution
Individual organisms adapt to the environment during their lifetimes
May have some differences of individuals in a pop., but basic traits of parents are kept
Better adaptations, more likely the individual survive!
Ex. Fish grow to size of tank
A change in a species over time
Evolution is due to the gradual accumulation
of adaptations over time.
Helps the species survive, not a particular individual
Ex. Giraffes have long necks