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Biology in the 21st Century
Study of Life Learning Targets
I can Explain how the biosphere is related to biodiversity
 Explain common characteristics of organisms
 Understand and be able to use these terms:
 Biosphere
 Biodiversity
 Species
 Biology
 Organism
 Cell
 Metabolism
 DNA
Biosphere and Biodiversity
 The biosphere includes all living things and where they
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are found on Earth.
All parts of the biosphere are interconnected.
Biodiversity is the wide variety of life in the
biosphere.
FAQ: Why does biodiversity generally increase on the
Earth from the poles to the equator?
FAQ: What is a species?
A species is a particular type of organism, that can
reproduce by interbreeding and produce viable
offspring.
Common characteristics of All
Organisms
 Biology: the study of life and living things
 Organisms are living things
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Organisms are classified and organized according to
imperfect human systems (binomial nomenclature)
All living things are/have:
 Cells (the basic unit of life) uni- and multi- cellular with
cell differentiation/specialization
 Require energy in chemical form
 FAQ: What is metabolism?
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Metabolism is the term for how organisms break down
chemicals to get energy
 All living things are/have/can:
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Response to their environment
 Plants grow towards light
 Pupils of your eyes contract when you
walk out of a dark room into light
 FAQ: Think of an example where an
appropriate response to a stimulus is
critical for an organism’s survival.
 All living things are/have/can:
 Reproduce and develop
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Organisms pass on genetic material (instructions) to
offspring using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
All of us started out as one cell, then 2, then 4, then a
lot more than that.
Our cells are specialized, many different cell types with
many different functions
FAQ: Give some examples of specialized cells with
specialized jobs.
Stem Cells
Unifying Themes of Biology Learning Targets
 I can explain/understand
 How all levels of life have systems of related parts
 Structure and function are related in biology
 Why homeostasis is critical for survival
 How evolution can explain unity and diversity of life
 Understand and be able to use these terms:
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System
Ecosystem
Homeostasis
Evolution
adaptation
All levels of life have systems of
related parts
 A system is an organized group of related parts
that interact to form a whole
 Car example in textbook
 In biology, system may be on a large or small scale
 An ecosystem is a physical environment and the
various species that interact with each other and
the non-living things in it (coral reef, forest,
prairie)
Structure and Function are related
 At EVHS, different people have different jobs.
 In organisms, different cells have different jobs
 Different types of cells have specialized structures
suited to their jobs.
 FAQ: Give examples of different types of cells
with specialized structures and functions.
 Ducks have webbed feet, eagles have talons
 Wolves have powerful jaws, fish have fins,
 Form follows function
Homeostasis
 The maintenance of constant internal conditions in an
organism is homeostasis
 We sweat when our body temp rises, we shiver when we
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are cold.
Homeostasis is often maintained by a negative feedback
system
Homeostasis is also maintained by behavior.
FAQ: Give examples of how plants, animals, and single
cells maintain homeostasis.
FAQ: What may result if an organism cannot maintain
homeostasis?
Homeostasis is a type of biological balance
Evolution is change in living things over time.
 Evolution occurs through the natural selection of
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adaptations
An adaptation is an inherited trait that gives an
advantage to individuals that is passed on to offspring.
Evolutionary adaptations are NOT choices made by
individuals, but rather are species changes over time
and many generations
Evolution is a long-term response to the environment.
Evolution has occurred, is occurring, and will continue
to occur.
Unity and diversity
 Evolution is a unifying theme in biology because it
accounts for the diversity and similarities, or the
unity of life
 Humans have things in common with any organism
you can name.
 FAQ: What do humans have in common with
bacteria?
Biology and Your Future Learning Targets
 I can explain/understand:
 How our health and the health of our environment
depend upon our understanding of biology
 How biotechnology offers great promise but also
raises questions and issues
 Biology presents unanswered questions
 Understand and be able to use these terms:
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Biotechnology
Transgenic
Health, the Environment, and Biology
 MN State Fair pig barn 2012. What was the
issue?
 Ever get sick from something you ate? Food
poisoning maybe.
 We all have choices to make. Drink alcohol,
smoke, drugs, etc. These are biology related
issues.
Biology around the world ( and close to home)
 Frog deformities observed by students in central
Minnesota in 1995.
 What was the cause? Why does it matter?
Maybe I don’t like frogs so why should I care?
 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/janfeb01/d
eformedfrogs.html
 The canary in the coal mine analogy
Biotechnology raises issues
 Biotechnology is the use and application of living things and
biological processes.
 Biotechnology is not new, but there has been an exponential
growth in the field in recent years.
 Cheese had been made for centuries using biotechnology
 More recent advances in biotechnology include:
 DNA fingerprinting
 Transgenic organisms (have genes from other organisms)
 Genetically modified food (corn that can grow in dry
conditions)
 Genetic screening
 Stem Cells
 Cloning
Biotechnology issues
 FAQ: What are some issues that can come up
with advances in biotechnology?
Biology and unanswered questions.
 Biology will never be a “finished product”.
 There will always be unanswered questions,
sometimes because the right question isn’t being
asked.
 NASA/Mars/Curiosity
 Where do you fit in to the biology picture?