Lesson 1 Study Guide Welcome to your study guides! These consist of the important concepts I want you to learn from this chapter, and a step-by-step guide, further explanation, and interesting examples added to the text material. The study guides help you figure out what I’m placing emphasis on (and therefore, what you are likely to see on a test or quiz). Also, they tell you which sections to read, and which sections not to read. I’d suggest that you follow along with them while you read your text, section by section. Note – you do NOT have to hand these in – the work contained in them is for your own use. Important Concepts: Section 1.1 – Themes and Concepts of Biology Read the first section on the properties of life. As you read, pick an animal or plant that you know something about, and jot down how they demonstrate the properties of life being discussed. Your animal or plant: _______________ How does it…. Show order: Within the cells of single-celled organisms, atoms make up molecules. Then the molecule in turn makes up cell components or organelles. Multicellular organisms have greater advantages over single-celled organisms, their cells can be specialized to perform specific functions, which also includes sacrificing in certain situations for the good of the whole organism. Respond to stimuli in its environment: Organisms respond to diverse stimuli. Movement toward a stimuli is considered a positive response, while moving away from the stimuli is considered a negative response. Reproduce: For single-celled organisms to reproduce, they first duplicate their DNA and then divide it equally as soon as the cell prepares to form two new cells. Multicellular organisms produce specialized cells that will form new individual. Adapt to its environment (or, how IS it adapted to its environment): Living organism exhibit a “fit” to their environment, known as adaptation. All adaptation enhances the reproductive ability for an individual and the individual’s ability to survive in order to reproduce. Grow and develop: Organisms grow and develop based on certain instructions already encoded in their genes. Regulate its body’s processes: To coordinate internal functions such as transport of nutrient, response to stimuli, and changes of environment, even the smallest organisms require complex and multiple regulatory mechanism. Maintain homeostasis: Organisms can maintain internal conditions constantly even after environmental conditions changes. Organisms that live in cold climates use the process known as thermoregulation to help them withhold low temperatures and conserve body heat. Process energy: All organisms have sources of energy for their metabolic activities. Read the section on Levels of Organization, and study Figure 1.8. You will need to understand what each of these levels are, how they relate to each other, and their order from least to most complex. Use the space to jot down notes: Atom The atom is the smallest and most fundamental unit of matter. Atom consists of nucleus surrounded by electrons. Atom forms molecule. Molecule Molecule is a chemical structure formed by two or more atoms and held together by a chemical bond. o Macromolecules – Molecules that are biologically important o Monomer – large molecules formed by combining small units. Organelle Aggregates of macromolecules surrounded by membranes. Small structures with cells that perform specialized functions. Cell The smallest fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms. Cells are considered as prokaryotic or eukaryotic. o Prokaryotes – single-celled organisms that lacks organelles and do not have nuclei surrounded by nuclear membranes. o Eukaryotes – Single-celled organisms that have membrane-bound organelles and nuclei. Tissue Group of cells carrying out the same task Organ Collections of tissues grouped together based on common function Organ system Higher level of organization consisting of functionally related organs Organism Individual living entities Population Individuals of a species living collectively in a specific area Community The set of populations inhabiting a specific area Ecosystem Consists of living things and non-living things Biosphere Consists of all ecosystem, and it represent the zone of life on earth (land, water, and portions of the atmosphere). Which of the following statements is false? (You may very well have a test question or two that look like these) 1. Tissues exist within organs which exist within organ systems. 2. Communities exist within populations which exist within ecosystems. 3. Organelles exist within cells which exist within tissues. 4. Communities exist within ecosystems which exist in the biosphere. If you said #2, you are correct! What would be the correct order in #2? Populations exist within communities which exist within ecosystems. Incidentally, this organization scheme basically describes the organization of this course. o Beginning of the course – atom through cell levels (basis of life, genetics) o Midway – tissue through organism level (anatomy) o Last part – species, population through biosphere level (evolution and ecology) The Diversity of Life section You need to understand the following: Taxonomy – the study of the organization of living organisms Living things are divided into levels – dependent on how closely related they are to each other. Highest level is Domain (three of them) – what do they include? Archae: Single-celled organisms without nuclei and has many extremophiles that lives in harsh conditions. Bacteria: Single-celled organisms without nuclei Eukarya: Organisms that have cells with nuclei it includes kingdoms of fungi, plants, animals, and protists. Levels (from most inclusive to most specific): Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species (study figure 1.9 to get an idea of how inclusive or specific each level is) Binomial nomenclature – each species’ scientific name is always its genus AND species (ex. Homo sapiens). The genus is always capitalized, the species is always lower case, and the name is either italicized or underlined. This is important for your papers!! Study Figure 1.11, and be able to recognize a phylogenetic tree, and how to tell which branches are more closely related to each other than other branches. Branches of Biological Study The book describes several careers in biology. What others can you come up with? Ecologist – studies the interactions of organisms in their natural habitats. Physiologist – studies the functions of cells, tissues, and organs. You may want to do the exercises after the section summary for practice. Section 1.2 - Things to think about HOW we study things will be a common theme throughout the course – we’ll see again and again how the state of knowledge about a topic had to wait until the technology was available to study it! What are some of the innovations/technologies that this section discusses that have changed how we live? (Jot them down as you read them). What they are writing about in here is totally relevant to your first discussion post assignment, as well as your information literacy assignment. When you read your article and critique it, you’ll be using what you’re learning about how good science is done to determine if good science was done in your article. As you read through this section – jot down definitions to these words, and make sure you understand how they relate to the process of how scientists methodically investigate the world around us Inductive reasoning Logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion Deductive reasoning Logical thinking that uses a general statement to forecast specific results Theory Scientific method (see Fig. 1.18) Observation Question Hypothesis Experiment Analysis/Conclusion Hypothesis An explanation for an event Control A part of an experiment that does not change Variable A part of an experiment that is liable to change during experiment. Falsifiable A claim that can be disproven by experimental results One little note here – we are human, and the scientific method is one way in which human beings explore the world around them. But – science cannot answer ALL questions. (For instance, science can answer if I CAN, say, use embryonic stem cells for research (of course I can, it’s totally possible), but it CAN’T answer if I SHOULD use them (that is a different element of human understanding, one that involves ethics, values and emotions – all perfectly valid realms of human thinking, but not answerable by science). What are the differences in basic vs applied science? You should be able to provide an example of each. Basic science also know as “pure” science is used to expand knowledge regardless of questions or whether it’ll be used long-term or short-term. Applied science also known as “technology” is used to solve real-world problems. For instance, DNA structure led to an understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing DNA replication. Last section: Reporting scientific work. When you are evaluating articles for their scientific accuracy, one of the ways that you can determine if it is a reliable article is if it references the peer reviewed literature that this section describes. As with the last section of the chapter, completing the questions at the end of the section to test yourself is always a good idea. Now you can proceed with your first lab!
