Cell Biology- Chapter 1

What are the 10 levels of biological organization?

(1) The Biosphere (2) Ecosystem (3) Community (4) Populations (5) Organisms (6) Organs and organ systems (7) Tissues (8) Cells (9) Organelles (10) Molecules

What is the dilemma of scientist seeking to understand biological systems?

(1) we cannot fully explain a higher level of order by breaking it down into its parts (2) Disrupting a living system interferes with its functioning On the other hand, something as complex as an organism or cell cannot be analyzed without taking it apart

How do you distinguish living from nonliving things?

(1)- Order (2)- Response to environment (3)- Evolutionary adaptation (4)- Reproduction (5)- Growth and development (6)- Energy processing (7)- Regulation

Examples of how some organisms transform one form of energy into another

An animal's muscle cells use sugar as fuel to power movements, converting chemical energy to kinetic energy, the energy of motion. The cells in a leaf use sugar to drive the process of cell proliferation during leaf growth, transforming stored chemical energy into cellular work. In both cases, some of the energy is converted to thermal energy, which dissipates to the surroundings as heat. In contrast to chemical nutrients, which recycle within an ecosystem, energy flows through an ecosystem, usually entering as light and exiting as heat.

What is Evolution?

An organism's adaptations to its environment; the process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today

The Biosphere

As soon as we are near enough to Earth and make out its continents and oceans, we begin to see signs of life; consists of all life on Earth and all the places where life exists- most regions of land, most bodies of water, the atmosphere to an altitude of several kilometers and even sediments far below the ocean floor and rocks many kilometers below the Earth's surface.

Tissues

Each tissue is made up of a group of cells that work together, performing a specialized function. Each tissues has a distinct cellular structure

________ is the fundamental organizing principle of Biology

Evolution

Organelles

Example of organelles: chloroplast. The various functional components present in all cells.

Ecosystem

Example: forest with an abundance of trees that lose their leaves in one season and grow new ones in another (deciduous trees). Such a deciduous forest is an example of an ecosystem. Grasslands, deserts, and ocean's coral reefs are other types of ecosystems. An ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area along with all the nonliving components of the environment, along with all the nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts, such as soil, water, atmospheric gases, and light. All of Earth's ecosystem make up the biosphere.

Organisms

Individual living things. Example: Each of the maple trees and other plants in the forest is an organism, and so is each forest animal-whether deer, squirrel, frog, or beetle. The soil teems with microorganisms such as bacteria

Theme 2:

Life requires energy transfer and transformation

In the business of living,

Most organisms transform one form of energy to another.

Them 1: One theme of biology

Organisms interact with other organisms and the physical environment

What is scientific inquiry?

Posing questions about the living world and seeking science based answers; the central activities of biology

Communities

The entire array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem. The community in our forest ecosystem includes many kinds of trees and other plants, a diversity of animals, various mushrooms and other fungi, and enormous numbers of diverse microorganisms, which are living forms, such as bacteria, that are too small to see without a microscope. Each of these forms of life are called species.

Organs and Organ Systems

The structural hierarchy of life continues to unfold as we explore the architecture of the more complex organisms. A maple leaf is an example of an organ, a body part that carries out a particular function in the body. Stems and roots are the other major organs of plants. Examples of human organs are the brain, heart, and kidney. The organs of humans, other complex animals, and plants are organized into organ systems, each a team of organs that cooperate in a large function. For example: human digestive system includes such organs as the tongue, stomach, and intestines. Organs consist of multiple tissues.

What is systems biology?

a combination of components that function together. A biologist can study a system at any level of organization.

Systems biology

an approach that attempts to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions among the system's parts. Successful models enable biologists to predict how a change in one or more variables will affect other components and the whole system.

Molecules

chemical structure consisting of two or more small chemical units called atoms.

Population

consist of all the living individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specified area. For example, our Ontario forest includes a population of sugar maple trees and a population of white-tailed deer. We can now refine our definition of a community as the set of populations that inhabit a particular area.

What is emergent properties?

depend on the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases. Requires specific organization.

The study of life____

extends from the microscopic scale of the molecules and cells that make up organisms to the global scale of the entire living planet

Theme 3: Structure and function are correlated at All levels of Biological organization

form fits function. How device works is correlated with its structure.

Cells

fundamental unit of structure and function. Some organisms, such as amoebas and most bacteria, are single cells. Other organisms, including plants and animals, are multicellular. Instead of a single cell performing all the functions of life, a multi-cellular organism has a division of labor among specialized cells. A human body consists of trillions of microscopic cells of many different kinds, such as muscle cells and nerve cells, which are organized into the various specialized tissues. For example: the muscle tissue consists of muscle cells.

A fundamental characteristic of living organisms

is their use of energy to carry out life's activities. ex. moving, growling, reproducing, and work. all requires energy.

Interactions between organisms

result in the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems

What is reductionism?

the approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study; a powerful strategy of biology.

What is Biology?

the scientific study of life.