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Introduction
Why Study Biology???
Biology frequently plays a role in dealing with
various challenges that face society
Why Study Biology?
It’s EVERYWHERE!
Biology helps us answer
questions about facts of life
Biology is the study of Life (Bios = life, logos= knowledge)
 Plant Biology or Botany is the part of Biology that studies plants.
 Zoology (Zoo= animal) is the part of Biology that studies animals.
 Microbiology is the area of Biology that studies microorganisms.
 Ecology deals with the relations of organisms to one another and
to their physical surroundings.
 Entomology focuses on insects, etc...
 We divide biology in order to concentrate and focus on specific
areas of study, but don’t forget: Everything in nature is connected.
Even though this is Botany class
Everything in
Biology is
connected
GOOD THINGS TO KNOW
 Biodiversity
 Biomes
 Ecosystem
 Where are the tropics? What are they major
characteristics?
 Where are the subtropics? What are they major
characteristics?
 Where is the Artic and the Antarctic? What are they
major characteristics?
 Where do we LONG ISLAND Fits?
What is life?
There is not an agreed definition, however
All living things share these 6 features.






All Living things are organized.
All living things metabolize.
All living things reproduce.
All living things interact with their environment.
All living things evolve.
All living things have DNA as their genetic
blueprint.
Living things…
1. Are organized: They
maintain stable
chemical composition.
Hierarchy of Life
Biosphere
Ecosystem
Florida coast
Level
Community
All organisms on
the Florida coast
Population
Group of brown
pelicans
Organism
Brown pelican
Spinal cord
Nerve
Organ system
Nervous system
Brain
Organ
Brain
Tissue
Nervous tissue
Cell
Nerve cell
• Ecosystem
• Community
• Population
• Organisms
• Systems
• Organs
• Tissues
Atom
Nucleus
Organelle
Nucleus
Molecule
DNA
• Cells
• Molecules
• Atoms
 Atoms
 Molecules
 Cells
 Tissues
 Organs
 Systems
CELLULAR
LEVEL
Nerve cell
ORGAN SYSTEM
LEVEL
Nervous system
 Organism
 Population
 Community
 Ecosystem
ECOSYSTEM
LEVEL
Eucalyptus forest
From the
smallest
to the
largest
Levels of Organization
Atom
Carbon C
Nitrogen N
Hydrogen H
Oxygen O
Sulfur S
Phosphorus P
Molecule
H2O
DNA
Cell
Single Cell
organisms or
multicellular.
Tissue
Muscle, bone,
xylem,
phloem, etc.
Prokaryotic Cells:
Cells
without a nucleus
Eukaryotic Cells: Cells with a nucleus
2. All living organisms metabolize
 Metabolism is management of energy. (Energy is the
ability to produce work).
 Management of energy means that organisms obtain and
use energy.
 Living organisms take energy from environment, transform
it & use it. They use the energy to grow and develop.
 Autotrophs: Transform energy from the environment. i.e.
plants.
 Heterotrophs: Ingest their energy in the form of food. i.e.
humans.
Autotrophs:
Photosynthesis
Heterotrophs:
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores.
Sun
Inflow
of
light
energy
Loss
of
heat
energy
Air
Chemical
energy
Organisms
Soil
Cycling
of
chemical
nutrients
ECOSYSTEM
Metabolism: Food Chains
Heterotrophs eat autotrophs (and other heterotrophs)
3. All living organisms reproduce
Reproduction can be sexual or
asexual reproduction, or both
4. Living Organisms Interact with their
environment
• Respond to different
stimuli
• Exchanges gases
Environmental interaction
A Venus
flytrap
responds to
the stimulus of
a dragonfly
landing on it
A web of
interactions in a
rain forest
ecosystem
5. All living organisms evolve.
 All living things evolve
 Evolution is a gradual change over a long
period of time (most of the time!)
 Evolution explains the diversity and
adaptations of life
 Evolution is the change in genetic
material of a population of organisms
from one generation to the next (we’ll
come back to this)

Living organisms show variations based on heredity.

These variations allow them to adapt to their
environments and ways of life.

The theory of natural selection explains the main
mechanism whereby all species of organisms change,
or evolve
6. All living organisms have DNA as their genetic
blueprint
These orchids show the variety possible within one
species. Even, when the orchids look similar, each
species has its own DNA sequence.
Living Things Use DNA to Store Genetic Information.
Organisms can be grouped into three domains
• Scientists classify organisms into a
hierarchy of groups.
• Grouping organisms by fundamental
features helps make the vast diversity
of life manageable for study.
All organisms are grouped into three DOMAINS
• Domain Archaea
• Domain Bacteria
• Domain Eukarya: Protistans, Fungi, Plants and
Animals
The domain Eukarya is classified into four
KINGDOMS
Kingdom Protista: Single cells
organisms,including algae.
Kingdom Fungi: Includes mushrooms,
mildews, yeasts and molds.
Kingdom Plantae:
Multicellular autotroph
organisms.
Kingdom Animalia:
Multicellular heterotroph
organisms.
Classification
Domains are further classified/categorized into:
 Kingdom
 Phylum (Protistans and Animals) Division (Plants)
 Class
 Order
 Family
 Genus
 Species
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Diversification
Genus
Species
What is a species?
Species: a set of individuals that are closely
related by descent from a common
ancestor and ordinarily can reproduce
with each other, but not with members of
any other species.
Biological species: group of interbreeding
populations. Offspring are fertile.
Biological species concept
Humans may
have
considerable
diversity, but we
all belong to the
same species
because of our
ability to
interbreed
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings
Homo sapiens
Species name
Each species has a single correct scientific name in Latin
called a binomial (two names) – it is always italicized or
underlined.
First name is genus name.
Second name is species name
Human: Homo sapiens
Cat:
Felis catus
Dog: Canis familiaris
Wolf: Canis lupus
Examples
Genus of maple trees is Acer
It has many species including:
Common name
“Red maple”
“Sugar maple”
“Black maple”
Scientific name
Acer rubrum
Acer saccharum
Acer nigrum