Chp 1- Evolution, the Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry

biology

the scientific study of life

unifying themes of biology

1. Organization

2. Information

3. Energy and Matter

4. Interactions

5. Evolution

characteristics of life

• Order

• Energy Processing

• Growth and development

• Evolutionary adaptation

• Response to the environment

• Regulation

• Reproduction

levels of biological organization

1. Molecules
2. Organelles
3. Cells
4. Tissues
5. Organs
6. Organ systems
7. Organisms
8. Populations
9. Communities
10. Ecosystems
11. Biosphere

relationship between structure & function

knowing the function of something provides insight into its structure and organization

eukaryotic cell

has membrane-enclosed organelles

prokaryotic cell

does not contain a nucleus or other membrane-enclosed organelles

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

genetic material

genes

unit of inheritance

gene expression

the process of converting information from gene to cellular product

genome

entire “library” of genetic instructions

genomics

the study of whole sets of genes

proteomics

the study of whole sets of proteins

proteome

the entire set of proteins

bioinformatics

the use of computational tools to process a large volume of data very rapidly

producers

chemical energy generated by plants

consumers

organisms that feed on other organisms

3 domains of life

1. Bacteria

2. Archaea

3. Eukarya

Kingdoms in Domain Eukarya

• Plants

• Fungi

• Animals

• Protists

fossil

a preserved remnant of an organism that lived in the past

fossil record

provides evidence of the extinction of species, the origin of groups, and changes within groups over time

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution main points

1. Descent with modification

2. Natural selection

natural selection

the environment “selects” for the propagation of beneficial traits