1. CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE

2. What is biology? Definition: scientific study of life
Focuses on biosphere—made of all living things and all the places they are found on Earth
Studies biodiversity (biological diversity)
Studying biology gives 4 types of information:
Origins & history of living and once-living things
Structures of living things
How living things function
How living things interact with each other

3. All living things… (1) are made of cells Cell—basic unit of life
Two types
Eukaryotic (contains nucleus)
Prokaryotic (doesn’t have a nucleus)

4. All living things…
(2) are based on a genetic code

5. All living things…
(3) grow, develop and die

6. All living things… (4) reproduce Two types
Asexual—offspring identical to parent; no egg and sperm involved
Sexual—genetic variation in offspring; sperm and egg combine

7. All living things… (5) use and need energy Gain energy from food
Need energy for metabolism—all of the chemical processes that build up or break down material

8. All living things… (6) maintain homeostasis
Homeostasis—the maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism
Example: Maintaining temperature by sweating or shivering

9. All living things… (7) react to stimulus
Person walking into sunlight out of a building
Plants facing sunlight
Someone taps you on the shoulder, you look at them

10. All living things… (8) have adaptations and/or evolve
Evolution—the change in living things over time
Thorn bug

11. Examples--Characteristics of Life
You eat a hamburger for lunch.
A baby gains 3 pounds in one week and begins to recognize voices.
A polar bear has white fur to blend in with the snow.
Your start to cry whenever you get a shot at the doctor’s office.
You begin to shiver because it is cold outside.
Red and white particles make up part of your blood.
A chick breaks out of an egg.
Adapt
Genetic code
Respond to stimulus
Made of cells
Grow and develop
Homeostasis
Reproduce
Use/need energy
Fill in the blank (Nearpod)

12. Organization of Life Ecosystem Community Populations Organism
Organ Systems
Organs
Tissue
Cell
Atoms

13. Organization of Life Vocabulary
Species—a particular type of living things that can reproduce by interbreeding among themselves
Ecosystem—a physical environment with different species that interact with one another and with nonliving things
Organism—any individual living thing

14. Understanding Question #1
What makes up Earth’s biosphere?
All the living things and their environments on Earth
Only the living things found on Earth
Only the environments in which living things are found
All the living things found in Earth’s land environments A

15. Understanding Question #2
Which is an example of homeostasis?
A snake’s blood is the same temperature in hot water and in cold water.
A turtle sits in the sun on warm days and in the shade on cool days.
A polar bear catches fishes with its front paws.
A human sweats in hot weather and shivers in cold weather. D

16. Understanding Question #3
The energy that drives metabolism in animals comes from
Homeostasis
Food
Water
Heredity B

17. References
Most information from Biology, McDougal Littell (2008)