Unit 1 - Basics of Biology

The Big Fat Book of Biology

Biology

study of life and living things

Biologists

scientists who study biology

Organisms

living things

Life Cycle

the series of changes that an organism can go through

Who was said to be the first biologist and what did he first develop?

Aristotle

Developed the first organized study of he natural world

Scientific Method

the use of a system of experimentation and analysis to explore observations and answer questions

Hypothesis

the proposed answer to a scientific question

Cells

the basic units of life

Stimulus

anything that causes a response

Life Functions + what they are

certain behaviors that all organisms carry out

Growth, Reproduction, Nutrition, Respiration, Transport, Synthesis, and Regulation

Growth

an increase in the number of cells

Reproduction

the creation of a new organism with its own cells

Asexual reproduction

offspring looks identical to the parent

i.e bacteria

Sexual reproduction

when two parents reproduce and produce diverse offspring

i.e plants and animals

Nutrition

the taking in of nutrients to survive

Nutrients

any substance that promotes life and provides energy

Autotrophs

organisms that can produce their own nutrients

i.e plants

Heterotrophs

organisms that cannot create their own nutrients and rely on other organisms for sustenance

i.e animals

Respiration

the breakdown of nutrients for energy

When does metabolism occur?

after nutrients are ingested

Metabolism

the set of chemical reactions that maintain the life of an organism

What are the two metabolic processes?

Digestion and Cellular Respiration

Digestion

nutrients are broken down to simpler forms that are easier for the organism to utilize

Cellular Respiration

using glucose, oxygen, and chemical reactions to produce energy from nutrients

Transport

the movement of nutrients from one place to another

Circulation

the movement of something through the body of an organism

Synthesis

the use of energy to build more complex chemicals within the body, like proteins and carbohydrates

Excretion

the removal of waste products from the body

Regulation

organisms survive in changing envrionments

Homeostasis

a state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions set by the body. It keeps an organims alive despite a changing envrionment.

Adaptation

a behavior or physical characteristic that allows an organism to survive and reproduce within its environment

Scientific Inquiry

the process of which scientists use evidence from observations and experiments to explain an event or occurence

Great Rats Need Regular Training, So Everyone Rows

Life Functions

Growth, Reproduction, Nutrition, Respiration, Transport, Synthesis, Excretion, Regulation

Demanding Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach

Classification Hierarchy

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

Domain

broadest of all categories

divides life forms into eukarya, bacteria, and archaea

Kingdom

divides organisms further into six groups

Archaebacteria

orginates from the Archaea domain

single-celled

lives in extreme environments

Eubacteria

oringiates from the Bacteria domain

single-celled

they live everywhere that the archaebacteria do not

Protista

from the Eukarya domain

can be single-celled or multicellular

similar to Fungi, Plantae, or Animalia kingdoms

Fungi

originates from the Eukarya domain

can be single-celled or multicellular

decomposers

mainly live in soil

Plantae

originates from the Eukarya domain

multicellular

primary producers of oxygen

crucial to the life of almost every other organism

Animalia

from the Eukarya domain

multicellular

breathe in oxygen

Vertebrates

derives from the Animalia kingdom

animals that have a backbone

Invertebrates

derives from the Animalia kingdom

animals that don’t have a backbone

Chordata

the phylum that vertebrates have due their small size in population

Agnatha

jawless fish species

Chondrichthyes

catilagnious fish species

osteichthyes

bony fish species

amphibia

amphibians

repitilia

reptiles

aves

birds

mammalia

mammals

Order

different groups of animals in each class

Family

subgroups of orders

Genus

subgroup of families

Species

smallest and most specific unit of classification

groups of organisms with similar chaaracteristics that are able to reproduce only with each other

Carolus Linnaeus

father of taxonomy, creation of binomial nomenclature

Binomial Nomenclature

names a species using two terms

first word defines the Genus, the second word defines the species itself