NOTE SHEET 1 Introduction to Biology What is

NOTE SHEET 1 – Introduction to Biology

What is biology? n n Biology is the study of living things An organism is a living thing

Some examples of organisms: n Animals (humans, insects, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians)

Some examples of organisms: n Plants (trees, grasses, bushes, shrubs)

Some examples of organisms: n Fungi (mushrooms, mold, yeast)

Some examples of organisms: n Bacteria

Some examples of organisms: n Protists

Over 1. 4 million species of living things have been identified

Why study biology? n Humans depend on other living things for food, medicines, materials

Why study biology? n To understand human health and the health of the Earth

Why study biology? n Careers in Biology (medical, agricultural, forensic)

What is this? n It’s a human spine

Who is this? n It’s Mr. Vigliotti’s brother Dan

What is he doing? n n Dan is a mechanical engineer He designs tools used during back surgery, and does many different labs in order to better understand the anatomy and physiology of the back

What does it mean to be living? ● All 1. organisms share some basic characteristics: Reproduction – living things make more living things that are like themselves by passing genetic information (DNA) from one generation to the next

What does it mean to be living? ● All organisms share some basic characteristics: 2. Organization - Living things are made of one or more cells that use energy and are put together in a specific way to do specific things (structure & function)

Organization Continued… n In multicellular organisms, similar cells are arranged into tissues, similar tissues arranged into organs, organs arranged into organ systems, and organ systems arranged into large, complex organisms.

What does it mean to be living? ● All organisms share some basic characteristics: 3. Adjust to the environment - Living things can respond to their surroundings in different ways (ex. sweating, hibernation, movement)

What does it mean to be living? ● All organisms share some basic characteristics: 4. Development and Growth - Living things use energy to get larger (growth) and change over a lifetime (development)

Reproduction, Growth, & Development

The ROAD to life… n Reproduction n Organization n Adjust to the environment n Develop and Grow

Is fire a living thing? n Nonliving things may have some of the characteristics of life, but they DO NOT have all 4

Some of the fields of Biology: n n n Cell Biology – Study of cell structure and function Botany – Study of plants Zoology – Study of animals Genetics – Study of heredity (how traits are passed from one generation to another) Ecology – Study of living things and their interactions with the environment Evolution – Study of how species change over time