Hierarchy of BiologyAdditional Notes

Elements Element = all same type of ATOM

• Atom defined by # p+

Ions = change # e-

Isotopes = change # no

Periodic Table = a wealth of information for all scientists

Compounds

Compounds Ionic compounds dissolve in water

to form AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

•Life processes occur in aqueous solutions!

Nanosystems Nanoscale = between 1-1000 nm

• Usually 1-100 nm Nanotechnology

• Relates to biomedical research MEDICINE• Nanoshells = a novel drug deliverysystem

Basic Chemistry Biochemistry Nanotechnology BIOTECHNOLOGY

• Manipulation of DNA, genes, and chromosomes

Organelles

Cells Basic structural and functional units

of ALL LIFE ON EARTH! Vary widely across the six kingdoms

of life (sizes range from 0.1µm to 1 mm!)

Two basic types:• Prokaryotic = ALL bacteria• Eukaryotic = ALL other kingdoms

(Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia)

Tissue Only occurs in organisms that are

multicellular• NO bacteria have tissue!• Unicellular life forms do not have tissue!

Most Protista Many Fungi

ALL Plantae and Animalia have tissue!

Organs, Organ Systems Only occur in complex multicellular

organisms:• Plantae,• Animalia, • some Fungi, • few Protista

Organism An individual living thing. Can be:

• Unicellular• Multicellular

Species and Population Complex definition in biology Generally a biological species is:

• A group of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations which are reproductively isolated from other such groups

• What is a species? In biology, populations are groups of

individuals belonging to the same species that live in the same region at the same time.

Communities A community, also

called biological community, in biology, an interacting group of various species in a common location. • For example, a forest

of trees and undergrowth plants, inhabited by animals and rooted in soil containing bacteria and fungi, constitutes a biological community.

Ecosystems An ecosystem is a

natural system consisting of all plants, animals and microorganisms (biotic factors) in an area functioning together with all the non-living physical (abiotic) factors of the environment (Christopherson 1997). 

The Ecosystem Concept

Biomes Biome, also called major

life zone, the largest geographic biotic unit, a major community of plants and animals with similar life forms and environmental conditions.

It includes various communities and is named for the dominant type of vegetation, such as grassland or coniferous forest.

Biosphere The biosphere is the

zone of air, land and water where organisms exist.

It is commonly known as the global sum of all ecosystems and consists of several layers including the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the hydrosphere.