What is Biology Mr Lane Biology the study

What is Biology? Mr. Lane

Biology • the study of living things and their surroundings.

What are some living things? What makes them living?

The Basic Functions of Life Living things MUST perform ALL of these functions. • Respiration • Regulation • Reproduction • Excretion • Growth • Nutrition • Transport • Synthesis • Homeostasis • Metabolism

Respiration • The process of converting energy stored in food into a more usable form. • Respiration does NOT mean breathing, but we use Oxygen to help us make energy.

Regulation • The control and coordination in a living organism.

Reproduction • The process of making new cells or new individuals. • This is important to the survival of the species, not the individual.

Excretion Getting rid of wastes produced by the cell. WASTES • Urea • CO 2 WAYS TO ELIMINATE • Sweat • Urine

Growth • Increase in cell size or number.

Nutrition • Getting nutrients (food) from the environment to help make energy. • Digestion vs. Ingestion • Autotrophic vs. Heterotrophic

Transport • The movement of nutrients and wastes around the body (absorbing and distributing materials to cells). • How does transport occur in human beings? • Circulatory System (Blood)

Synthesis • The build up of smaller molecules into bigger ones. • Synthesis is the opposite of…? • Digestion

Homeostasis • Maintaining a stable internal environment. • Failure to maintain homeostasis leads to illness or death. • Body temperature, blood pressure, amount of sugar, water, p. H of the blood, etc.

Metabolism • The rate of all of the chemical activities that occur in the body. • Rate = how fast are they occurring?