The Science of Biology

The Science Of Biology:

· Biology is the study of life

· Biology is formed by the concepts, principles and theories that allow people to understand the natural environment

· There is an order in the natural world

Biologists Study The Interactions Of Life:

· Living things do not exist in isolation: they all contribute to the fragile balance of nature

· Livings things depend on each other and nonliving things

Biologists Study The Diversity Of Life

Biologists Study The Interactions Of The Environment:

· The study of one species always involves the study of another species with which it interacts

Biologists Study Problems And Propose Solutions:

· Biological research can lead to advances in medical treatment and disease

· The study of biology will teach you how humans function and how we fit with the rest of the natural world

Characteristics Of Living Things:

· Sometimes nonliving things have characteristics of living things (i.e. fire)

· An organism is something possesses all of the characteristics of life

· All Organisms:

-have and orderly structure

-produce offspring

-grow and develop

-adjust to changes in the environment

Living Things Are Organized:

· All living things show an orderly structure (organization)

· All living things are

-filled with one or more cells

-contain the genetic material DNA (provides info needed to control the organisms life processes)

-are unified by cellular organization

Living Things Make More Living Things:

· Reproduction (the production of offspring) is the most obvious of all characteristics of life

· It is not essential for the survival of an organism to reproduce

· It is essential for the continuation of a species (group of organisms that can interbreed)

Living Things Change During Their Lives:

· Organisms begin as a single cell

· An increase in the amount of living material and the formation of new structures is growth

· Development is the changes your body undergoes in a lifetime

Living Things Adjust To Their Surroundings:

· Environment is your surroundings

· A condition that requires an organism to adjust is a stimulus

· A reaction to a stimulus is a response

· Adaptation is an important characteristic of a living thing

· Homeostasis is the regulation of an organisms internal environment to maintain conditions suitable for its survival

· Homeostasis occurs in all living things

· Organisms would die without the ability to make internal changes

· Energy is the ability to do work

· Energy makes it possible for all life processes to occur

Living Things Adapt And Evolve:

· An adaptation is anything that enables an organism to respond to a stimulus and better survive

· Adaptations are inherited

· Organisms with the most adaptations are the most likely to survive and reproduce

· Evolution is the gradual accumulation of adaptations

Observing And Hypothesizing

The Methods Biologists Use:

· Scientific methods are common steps that biologists use to gather information and answer