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Class notes for lecture 1 on chapter 1 of general biology.
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Bio 101 Chapter 1 – Evolution, the Themes of Biology, and Scientific Inquiry Unifying biology themes o Organization o Information o Energy + matter o Interactions o Evolution Levels of Biological Organization
Systems biology – exploration of a biological system by analyzing interactions among its parts o A system can be a single leaf, a frog, an ant colony, or a desert ecosystem Examining + modeling dynamic behavior of an integrated network of components Structure + Function At each level of biological hierarchy there is a correlation between structure + function o Ex. A broad leaf shape to maximize sunlight capture by chloroplasts Natural selection The Cell Smallest unit of organization that can perform all activities required for life Cell theory – all living organisms are made of cells o Actions of organisms are all based on activities of cells All cells share certain characteristics: o Prokaryotic – bacteria + archaea o Eukaryotic – plants + animals Eukaryotic cell – membrane- enclosed organelles Prokaryotic cell – lacks a nucleus or other membrane – enclosed organelles o generally smaller than eukaryotic cells
Producers – plants + photosynthetic organisms Consumer – organism that feeds on other organisms or their remains Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, usually exiting as heat Chemicals cycle within an ecosystem, where they are used + recycled Interactions in Biological Systems Molecules o Feedback mechanism – allows biological processes to self – regulate o Feedback regulation – the output or product of a process regulates that very process Ecosystems Every organism interacts with other organisms o Ex. Acacia tree w/ soil microorganisms Organisms interact w/ physical factors in its environment o Ex. Tree leaves absorb sunlight, take CO2 from the air, release O2 into the air Evolution Evolution – process of biological change in which species accumulate differences from their ancestors as they adapt to different environments over time Theory of Natural Selection Natural selection – the natural environment consistently “selects” for the propagation of certain traits among naturally occurring variant traits in the population
