what is biology ( lecture 1)

Question 1

What are the four questions Biology addresses

Answer 1

1.what are the shared properties that make something alive?
2. How do those various living things function?
3. How do we as scientists organize all of the different kinds of living organisms so that we can better understand them?
4. How did the diversity of life on earth arise and how is it continuing

Question 2

What are the eight characteristics of life

Answer 2

1) order
2) sensitivity or response to stimuli
3) reproduction
4) adaptation
5) growth and development
6) regulation
7) homeostasis
8) energy processing

Question 3

What is order? Provide example.

Answer 3

-Order is known to be all living organisms are highly organized structures that consist of one or more cell
- Inside each cell, atoms make up molecules, which makes cell components/ organelles
- Multicellular organisms are even more complex, with cells specialized to perform various functions

example is a toad
- because it is a highly organized structure made of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems

Question 4

What is sensitivity or response to stimuli? Provide example.

Answer 4

• Organisms responds to diverse stimuli ( can be both positive/ negative response)
• can move towards/ away from a stimulus

example:
-are when bacteria can move toward/ away from chemicals
-plants can bend toward a source or light or respond to touch
- leaves will droop/fold when touched then return back to their regular shape minutes later

Question 5

What is reproduction? Provide example.

Answer 5

• All living things produce offspring
• single - celled organisms duplicate their genetic material, then divide to form two new cells
  -When reproduction occurs, DNA containing genes is passed along to an organism’s offspring. These genes are the reason that the offspring will belong to the same species and will have characteristics similar to the parent, such as fur color and blood type.
• GENE: the molecular unit of heredity of a living organism

Example: A litter of kitten will inherit genes from both parents which will result in them to have similar characteristics to the parents but won’t be identical

Question 6

What is Adaptation? Provide example.

Answer 6

Is when living organisms “fit” themselves to their environment. This is when an organism has adapt to have increased ability to survive and enhance their capability to reproduce.
- Adaptation is not constant because natural selection pressures organisms to change over generations as their environment changes

Example : heat - resistant Archae bacteria that live in boiling hot springs
- the tongue of a nectar - feeding moth that is sized for the flow it eats

Question 7

What is Growth and development? Provide example.

Answer 7

• Organisms grow and develop according to specific instructions coded for by their gens
• the genes will provide further instructions that will direct cellular growth and development
• Genes ensure that the offspring will grow up to have multiple same traits as their parents ( NOT IDENTICAL)

Examples : Siblings will inherit many of the same characteristic from their parent but are not identical

Question 8

What is regulation? Provide example.

Answer 8

• All living things require regulatory mechanisms to coordinate internal functions
• All life must have a way to transport nutrients, respond to stimuli, and cope with environmental stresses
• Even single - celled organisms have component parts with different functions( organelles)
• Larger organisms have organ systems, such as the circulator and digestive systems

Example: digestive system delivers nutrients to every cell in the body and removes the waste

Question 9

What is Homeostasis? Provide example.

Answer 9

• It is the ability to maintain constant internal conditions
  -Organisms are able to maintain homeostatic internal conditions within a narrow range almost constantly, despite environmental changes, by activation of regulatory mechanisms.
  -This is when an organism can maintain internal conditions within their preferred narrow range

Example: is a polar bear have the body structures that help them deal with low temperatures and conserve heat

Question 10

What is Energy Processing? Provide example.

Answer 10

• All organisms need a source of energy for their metabolic activities

Example: plants capture energy from the sun and convert it to chemical energy in food
- some animals use chemical energy from food molecules they consumed