Chapter 1 NotesBiology: The Study of Life

Section 1.1 -What is BiologyA. The Science of Biology

• Biology is the study of ____LIFE____

• Biology is formed by understanding the natural environment. (theories, concepts, principles)

• All life interacts and depends on:– BIOTIC factors – living things– ABIOTIC factors – nonliving things

Name some topics that you think you will learn as you study

Biology.

B. Biologists Study the Diversity of Life• Nothing exists in ___isolation___ – the

study of one living thing always involves the study of the others in which it interacts.

• The study of biology will teach you how humans __function___ and how we fit in with the rest of the natural world.

Why is it important to know human/earth interactions?

C. Characteristics of Living Things

• Anything that possesses all of the following life functions is alive:

1. Organization- have an orderly structure

- made up of: cells – tissues – organs – organ systems – organism

• 2. Reproduction – production of offspring

– Species - a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

• 3. Grow and Develop

– Growth – the increase in the amount of living material and the formation of new structures

– Development - refers to the changes that occur in each organisms life

• 4. Adjust to changes in the environment

– Stimulus – anything in an organism’s external or internal environment that causes the organism to react.

– Response – a reaction to a stimulus

– Homeostasis – regulation of an organism’s internal environment to maintain conditions suitable for survival.

• The tiger is living because:1.

2.

3.

4.

• What is an example of a stimulus and a response?

• What do you think would happen to an organism if they did not have the ability to adjust to internal changes?

D. Scientific Measurement Precision – how close measured

values are to each other.Accuracy – how close a measured

value is to the actual (true) value.