The science of biology reaches from the global scale of the entire planet down to the microscopic world of cells and molecules. Some biologists ask questions they can answer only with images of Earth beamed down from satellites in space. Other biologists use the world's most powerful microscopes to explore life in its tiniest dimensions. Biologists divide this enormous range of scales into different levels of organization.
The biosphere consists of all the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things. The biosphere includes most regions of land; most bodies of water, such as oceans, lakes, and rivers; and the atmosphere to an altitude of several kilometers.
An ecosystem is the community of living things in an area, along with the nonliving features of the environment that support the living community. For example, this woodland ecosystem's community includes various types of trees and other plants, squirrels and other animals, and countless microscopic forms of life such as bacteria. The woodland's nonliving features include the sunlight, water, air, and soil upon which the living things depend. All of Earth's ecosystems combined make up the biosphere.
Individual living things are organisms. A squirrel living near the pond in Central Park is an organism. So is the oak tree that produces acorns that the squirrel eats. There are many insects living on and around the tree and in the soil. Some organisms are too small to see at the scale of the squirrel and oak tree. Microscopic organisms—also called microorganisms—in the soil are decomposing (breaking down) the leaf litter and other wastes on the woodland floor.
Cells are life's basic units of structure and function. All organisms are made of one or more cells.
DNA is the chemical responsible for inheritance—the passing on of traits from parent organisms to their offspring. A DNA molecule contains the instructions for a cell to make all the other molecules it needs to function. Along the length of each DNA molecule are units of inherited information called genes.
10 Themes of BIOLOGY
With life's many levels of organization and great diversity of organisms, biologists have a huge subject to study. And it gets bigger every year as researchers continually make new discoveries. How can anyone make sense of all this information? Fortunately, there are some basic ideas, or themes, that apply to biology at all levels and for all organisms. The ten themes will help you connect the many things you'll learn as you explore life.
1. Biological Systems
2. Cellular Basis of Life
3. Form and Function
4. Reproduction and Inheritance
5. Interaction with the Environment
6. Energy of Life
7. Regulation
8. Adaptation and Evolution
9. Biology and Society
10. Biological Inquiry
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?? You will be assigned one of the 10 themes of biology to investigate further. In the DISCUSSION page for this unit, you will include the following:
- Create a podcast that describes your theme... what does it mean? What are some examples? (you will upload your podcast to the class moodle)
- Find and link to a current event news article (use your BioNews guidelines) that relates to your theme. In your podcast, provide a brief synopsis of the article, and describe how it relates to your theme.
The SCOPE of BIOLOGY
The science of biology reaches from the global scale of the entire planet down to the microscopic world of cells and molecules. Some biologists ask questions they can answer only with images of Earth beamed down from satellites in space. Other biologists use the world's most powerful microscopes to explore life in its tiniest dimensions. Biologists divide this enormous range of scales into different levels of organization.The biosphere consists of all the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things. The biosphere includes most regions of land; most bodies of water, such as oceans, lakes, and rivers; and the atmosphere to an altitude of several kilometers.
An ecosystem is the community of living things in an area, along with the nonliving features of the environment that support the living community. For example, this woodland ecosystem's community includes various types of trees and other plants, squirrels and other animals, and countless microscopic forms of life such as bacteria. The woodland's nonliving features include the sunlight, water, air, and soil upon which the living things depend. All of Earth's ecosystems combined make up the biosphere.
Individual living things are organisms. A squirrel living near the pond in Central Park is an organism. So is the oak tree that produces acorns that the squirrel eats. There are many insects living on and around the tree and in the soil. Some organisms are too small to see at the scale of the squirrel and oak tree. Microscopic organisms—also called microorganisms—in the soil are decomposing (breaking down) the leaf litter and other wastes on the woodland floor.
Cells are life's basic units of structure and function. All organisms are made of one or more cells.
DNA is the chemical responsible for inheritance—the passing on of traits from parent organisms to their offspring. A DNA molecule contains the instructions for a cell to make all the other molecules it needs to function. Along the length of each DNA molecule are units of inherited information called genes.
10 Themes of BIOLOGY
With life's many levels of organization and great diversity of organisms, biologists have a huge subject to study. And it gets bigger every year as researchers continually make new discoveries. How can anyone make sense of all this information? Fortunately, there are some basic ideas, or themes, that apply to biology at all levels and for all organisms. The ten themes will help you connect the many things you'll learn as you explore life.
1. Biological Systems
2. Cellular Basis of Life
3. Form and Function
4. Reproduction and Inheritance
5. Interaction with the Environment
6. Energy of Life
7. Regulation
8. Adaptation and Evolution
9. Biology and Society
10. Biological Inquiry
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?? You will be assigned one of the 10 themes of biology to investigate further. In the DISCUSSION page for this unit, you will include the following:
- Create a podcast that describes your theme... what does it mean? What are some examples? (you will upload your podcast to the class moodle)
- Find and link to a current event news article (use your BioNews guidelines) that relates to your theme. In your podcast, provide a brief synopsis of the article, and describe how it relates to your theme.