Title: Topic 1 Introduction to the Study of Life
1Topic 1Introduction to the Study of Life
- 1.1 The Unifying Characteristics of Life
- Biology 1001
- September 9, 2005
2Why Study Biology?
- Rooted in the human spirit
- Curiosity, recreation, enjoyment of nature
- Our connectedness to living things
- Conservation of biodiversity important
- E. O. Wilsons biophilia
3Why is Biology Important?
- Woven into the fabric of society
- - Health and disease
- - Nutrition
- - Agriculture
- - Management of natural resources
- Applicable in diverse disciplines
- - Psychology, sociology, criminal science
- - Even architecture!
4Life Is A Myriad of Diverse Forms
5So How Do We Recognize Life?Unifying Properties
Processes Characterize Living Things
- Response to environment
- Reproduction
- Energy processing
- Growth and development
- Regulation and homeostasis
- Order
- Evolutionary adaptations
- ? Cells as the basic unit of structure
- ? DNA as the hereditary material
- The study of life has both horizontal and
vertical dimensions! -
6Figure 1.2 Some properties of life
7Examples Order Energy Utilization
8Examples Reproduction, Growth Development
9A Hierarchy of Biological Organization
- The study of life
- Extends from the microscope scale of molecules
and cells to the global scale of the entire
living planet - The hierarchy of life
- Extends through many levels of biological
organization - The challenge is integration across dimensions!
10Figure 1.3 Exploring Levels of Biological
Organization
1 The biosphere
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12Cells
- A diversity of cell form!
13Cells
- The cell
- Is the lowest level of organization that can
perform all activities required for life - All cells share certain characteristics
- They are all enclosed by a membrane
- They all use DNA as genetic information
- They all contain a cellular fluid and ribosomes
- There are two main forms of cells
- Eukaryotic
- Prokaryotic
14Prokaryotic Vs. Eukaryotic Cells
- Profirst, eutrue, karyonnucleus
- Eukaryotic cells
- Are subdivided by internal membranes into various
membrane-enclosed organelles - Nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts
- All other organisms
- Prokaryotic cells
- Lack the kinds of membrane-enclosed organelles
found in eukaryotic cells - Are smaller than eukaryotic cells
- Prokaryotes
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16DNA - The Cells Heritable Information
- Cells contain chromosomes made partly of DNA, the
substance of genes - Which program the cells production of proteins
and transmit information from parents to offspring
17The molecular structure of DNAaccounts for its
information-rich nature
18Feedback Regulation in Biological Systems
Feedback can be Negative or Positive
- A supply-and-demand feature regulates some of
the dynamics of living systems - The output, or product, of a process regulates
that very process
19In negative feedbackAn accumulation of an end
product slows the process that produces that
product
20In positive feedbackThe end product speeds up
production
21The Emergent Properties of Biological Systems
- A system is a combination of components that form
a more complex organization - Biological systems are much more than the sum of
their parts - New properties emerge with each step upward in
the hierarchy of biological organization
22Examples of Emergent Properties
- Non-Living Examples
- Graphite vs. diamond ?
- NaCl
- A hammer
- Biological Examples
- Ecosystems
- Feedback regulation
- Consciousness
- Photosynthesis
- Enzymes other proteins ?
23Systems Biology
- Systems biology seeks to create models of the
dynamic behavior of whole biological systems - With such models scientists will be able to
predict how a change in one part of a system will
affect the rest of the system - Is now taking hold in the study of life at the
cellular and molecular levels - Includes three key research developments
high-throughput technology, bioinformatics, and
interdisciplinary research teams
24Examples of Systems Biology
2. A systems map of interactions between proteins
in a cell
3. The Human Genome Project
1. The greenhouse effect
25Correlation Between Structure and Function at All
Levels of Biological Organization