Chapter 1The Science of Life
1. Biology2. Organization3. Cell4. Unicellular5. Multicellular6. Organ7. Tissue8. Organelle
Section 1 Vocabulary Pretest
A. Made of one cellB. The smallest unit that can perform
all life’s processesC. Made of many cellsD. The study of lifeE. The high degree of order within an
organism’s internal and external parts and in its interactions with the living world.
F. Tiny structures inside living cellsG. A group of similar cells working
togetherH. A group of tissues that work
together to perform a specific job in a living thing.
9. Biological molecule
10. Homeostasis
11. Metabolism
12. Cell Division
13. Development
14. Reproduction
15. Gene
I. The sum of all chemical reactions in a living thing that take in and transform energy and materials from the environment
J. Formation of two new cellsK. Chemical compounds made up
of atomsL. A short segment of DNA that
had coded instructions for a single trait in an organism
M. To produce new organisms similar to oneself
N. Process by which an organism becomes a mature adult
O. To maintain stable internal conditions
Biology D Biological Molecule K Organization E Homeostasis O Cell B Metabolism I UnicellularA Cell Division J Multicellular C Development N Organ H Reproduction M Tissue G Gene L Organelle F
Answer Key
Biology is the study of life◦ From the Latin:
Bios = life and ology = study of
What is Biology?
1. Cellular Organization◦ Organization is the high degree of
order within an organism’s internal and external parts and in its interactions with the living world.
◦ All living things are made of one or more cells and these cells are highly organized. Unicellular = made of one cell
Multicellular = made of many cells
7 Characteristics of Life
Atoms are the smallest particle of an element. They combine to form:
Biological molecules which are chemical compounds that join to form:
Organelles —Each of these tiny structures within a cell has a special job to do to keep the cell alive
The cell is the smallest unit of life A group of cells working together
make up a tissue A group of tissues make up an
organ Organs combine to form organ
systems An organism is a complete and
whole living thing
2. Response to stimuli◦ A stimulus is a sudden change in an organism’s
environment◦ All organisms must be able to respond or react to
these sudden changes
3. Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable level of internal conditions even though environmental conditions are constantly changing.
4. Metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions that take in and transform energy and materials from the environment.◦ Different organisms have different metabolic rates
Describes as a fast or slow metabolism
5. Growth and Development◦ All living things grow or increase in size◦ Growth results from the division and enlargement
of cells◦ Cell division is the formation of two new cells
from an existing cell.◦ Development is the process by which an
organism becomes a mature adult.◦ A multicellular organism is composed of
trillions of specialized cells, all which developed from a single cell, the fertilized egg.
6. Reproduction◦ All organisms produce new organisms like
themselves. This is essential for the survival of the species.
Hereditary information is passed from parent to offspring on the coded information molecule known as deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA.◦ A gene is a short
segment of DNA that contains the instructions for a single trait of an organism.
7. Change Through Time◦ All populations of living things evolve or
change through time. This is important for species survival in a changing world.
◦ This also helps to explain the diversity of life-forms on Earth.
Domain Kingdom Ecology Ecosystem Evolution Natural Selection Adaptation
Section 2 Vocabulary Pretest
A. Communities of living species and their environments
B. Branch of biology that studies how organisms interact with the environment
C. Largest division in the classification of living things
D. Traits that improve an individual’s ability to survive
E. Theory stating that organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and pass on those traits
F. Second largest division in the classification of living things
G. Descent with modification
Domain C Kingdom F Ecology B Ecosystem A Evolution G Natural Selection E Adaptation D
Answer Key:
Three important themes help explain the living world and are part of biology◦ Diversity and Unity of
Life◦ Interdependence of
Organisms◦ Evolution of Life
Three Themes in Biology
1. Diversity and Unity of Life◦ These terms seem to
contradict each other Diversity = variety. Over
1.5 million species of living things exist on Earth. They are extremely different from each other.
Unity = similar. There are certain genetic similarities common to all living things, no matter how different they appear to be.
All living things have a genetic code found in the DNA molecule.
They share certain genes, yet no two types of organisms have the same full set of genes.
A tree of life places organisms with more similarities in their genes on closer branches.
All life is connected, yet there are different lineages representing different species.
The three branches represent the three Domains in the living world: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya
Most scientists also recognize six kingdoms:◦ Archaeabacteria◦ Eubacteria◦ Protista◦ Fungi◦ Plantae◦ Animalia
2. Interdependence of Organisms◦ Organisms interact with each other. Nothing can
survive completely independent of another living thing. Ecology =the branch of biology that studies how
organisms interact with each other and their environment.
Ecosystem = communities of living species and their physical environments.
3. Evolution of Life◦ Populations of living organisms change through
time or “evolve” Evolution =descent with modification. It is the
process by which the inherited characteristics of a species change over time.
Natural Selection = theory that states organisms with traits best suited to their environment will most likely survive and pass on those favorable traits. It explains how species evolve and new species emerge.
Adaptation = traits that improve an individual’s ability to survive. Genetic variety allows some organisms to be born with favorable adaptations.
Scientific Method Observation Hypothesis Prediction Experiment Control group Experimental group Independent variable Dependent variable Theory Peer review
Section 3 Vocabulary Pretest
A. Forecasts what would happen in a test
B. Used to test a hypothesisC. Organized set of steps used to
solve a problemD. Provides a standard for
comparisonE. The act of perceiving somethingF. A proposed explanationG. A highly tested and generally
accepted principle that explains an observation
H. Experts critique each others workI. A.k.a. manipulated variableJ. A.k.a responding variableK. Group in which one factor is
different
Scientific method C Observation E Hypothesis F Prediction A Experiment B Control group D Experimental group K Independent variable I Dependent variable J Theory G Peer review H
Answer Key:
The scientific method is an organized set of steps used to solve problems:◦ Make an Observation —perceive a
natural occurrence which causes you to pose a question
◦ State the Question◦ Hypothesize and Predict—give an
explanation that tries to answer the question and then make predictions as to what would happen if the hypothesis were true.
◦ Experiment—design and run a test for the hypothesis
◦ Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions◦ Publish Conclusions—so that others can
verify, reject, or modify your results.
Scientific Method
A good experiment is called a controlled experiment. It has several parts:◦ Control group —this group provides a normal
standard against which results are compared◦ Experimental group —this group is identical to
the control group except for one factor◦ Independent variable —the factor that changes
in an experiment. Also called the manipulated variable.
◦ Dependent variable —the factor that is being observed or measured. Also called the responding variable.
The Experiment
Scientists collect two types of data:◦ Quantitative Data —data measured in numbers◦ Qualitative Data —data recorded as a
description of something◦ Both must be detailed
Data
A scientific theory is a highly tested, generally accepted principle that explains a vast number of observations and experimental data.
Examples: Cell Theory, Quantum Theory, Theory of Relativity, Theory of Natural Selection
Scientific Theories
A typical research paper has four sections:◦ Introduction —states the
problem and hypothesis to be tested
◦ Materials and Methods —describes the experiment
◦ Results —states the findings◦ Discussion —gives the
significance of the experiment and future directions the scientist will take.
Research Papers
The microscope will be used quite often throughout this course. Proper use will be covered in a lab activity.
The metric system will be used to take measurements in several lab activities. The metric system will be reviewed during that time.
Microscopes and Metrics