Biodiversity Notes Week of 8 25 14 Chapter 1 Biology scientific study of life and all its forms Biodiversity study of all the variety of forms of life variety goes from genes to species to ecosystems to landscapes Key Properties of Life Order highly structured Ex butterfly is structured because it has structured wings Reproduction how they replicate sexually 2 parents or asexually 1 parent Growth and Development cells divide repair and replace each other Energy Processing metabolism is the total of all the chemical reactions in cells autotrophs are self feeders that produce their own food use photosynthesis to make their food heterotrophs rely on organic matter from other organisms Response to the environment Homeostasis the ability to keep a constant internal environment Adaptation how the organism adapts to the environment Form fits function an organism is built in a certain form for a certain function Ex A bird is built with wings so that it can fly What do biologists do Inquire about life Example studying flying patterns of Monarch butterflies how do they know where to fly when they fly back to where they came from Lake Erie water issue record amounts of dissolved phosphorus that hit the lake Determine the problem o too much fertilizer o green microorganisms excrete toxins o problem is biological and chemical Cyanobacteria organisms that form bloom the expansive growth of the microscopic bacteria plant Subsurface drainage contributor to problem Raingarden mini version of the wetland parking lots of cities where rainwater drains Levels of Biological Organization Biosphere all living organisms and their abiotic or biotic spheres Ecosystem organisms living in an area and their abiotic environment Community organisms interacting with each other Population group of organisms of the same species living in the same area Organisms Organs and Organ Systems make up organisms Tissue makes up organs and organ systems Cells make up tissues have cell wall and cell contents Organelles make up cells Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll reflect green light use red and white light for photosynthesis Molecules Atoms o Every time you move up a level that level has more properties than the properties of the atom below combined o Ex Molecules have more properties than atoms combined o Each level of Biological organization has properties that are not found at lower levels Methods of Science Reductionism Holism dissecting the problem into parts to solve it whole is sum of its parts go from one level to higher levels to solve problem the total is more than sum of its parts Ecologists use Holism Medical Biologists use Reductionism Discovery Science Descriptive approach using careful observation and analysis of data Induction Abduction what positions do diagnosis based on what you know Scientific Method o 2 methods o Science 1 Observation 2 Propose explanation for observation make hypothesis and make prediction 3 Test the prediction to see if it comes true 4 Formulate a new hypothesis that includes the increased knowledge about an observation o Engineering Identify the problem 1 2 Propose a tentative solution to the problem 3 Test a solution in the form of a model mathematical physical or other to see if it solves the problem Implement the solution in the real system and monitor its effectiveness 4 A good hypothesis is o testable falsifiable o specific Core themes in Biology paradigms all organisms are composed of cells their basic unit of structure and function new properties emerge at each level in biology hiearchy structure and function are correlated at all levels of biological organization organisms interact with each other take in energy from the environment and convert it to useful format universal genetic code is shared by all organisms and it transfers between generations evolution results in adaptation o What is evolution genetic changes over time
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