LifeA Short

Summary

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Slime Mold

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Tardigrade

What is Life?• Composed of organic compounds• Resistance to entropy (disorder)

– Requires energy (must be able to gather and process (metabolize) energy)

• Ability to maintain a controlled environment– Requires ability to be isolated from environment

• Information storage• Self replication

– Including ability to pass on information

• Ability to adapt to its environment– Undergoes biological evolution

Life on Earth:Organic Compounds

HumanHuman AlfalfaAlfalfaBacteriaBacteria

•Oxygen(O) 62.8% 77.9% 73.7%•Carbon (C) 19.4% 11.3% 12.1%•Hydrogen (H) 9.3% 8.7% 9.9%•Nitrogen (N) 5.1% 0.8% 3.0%•Phosphorous (P) 0.6% 0.7% 0.6%•Sulfur (S) 0.6% 0.1% 0.3%

Carbon is found in all organic compounds

Important Elements

Why Carbon?

• Small and Abundant• 4th most abundant element in the Solar System

• Bonds with a lot of different atoms• Forms lots of different organic compounds

• Forms long chains (polymers)• Forms very strong bonds

• Hard to destroy (Stable)• Bonds “store” a lot of energy• Forms compounds that are water soluble

Life on Earth:Organic Compounds

Types of Organic Compounds

1. Lipids - (H,C (hydrocarbons)) Fats and Oils

cell membranes & energy storage

2. Carbohydrates - (C, H, O) Sugars, Starches and

Cellulose energy storage &

structure

Life on Earth:Organic Compounds

Types of Organic Compounds

3.Amino Acids Proteins - (C, H, O, N, S)

Enzymes - catalysts for chemical reactions

also Hair, silk, fingernails, etc.

4. Nucleic Acids - (C, H, O, N, P)

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

store & transfer genetic information

Organic Compounds

Cells

Organisms

Not Alive

Alive

Life on Earth:Controlled Environment

Cell

Eukaryote

Prokaryote

Prokaryote - E. coli

• Small (<5m)• No nucleus• Unicellular

Eukaryote- Frog & Ameba

• Larger (> 10 m)• Nucleus• Organelles• Cytoskeleton• Uni- and multi-cellular

Life on Earth:Controlling Entropy

Gathering Energy

Photosynthesis

Carbon Dioxide + Water + Sunlight --> Sugar + Oxygen

Chemosynthesis

Hydrogen Sulfide + Carbon Dioxide + Water + Oxygen+ Geothermal Heat --> Sugar + Sulfuric Acid

Chloroplasts

Life on Earth:Controlling Entropy

Releasing Energy

Respiration

Sugar + Oxygen --> Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy

Mitochondria

Life on Earth:Information

Storage

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid

RNA - Ribonucleic Acid

Chromosomes

Human Chromosomes

Chromosome Numbers

Life on Earth:Information

Storage

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid

RNA - Ribonucleic Acid

DNA

RNA

Protein

Replication

Transcription

Translation

The Universal Genetic Code

AUG - UGC - CAU - AAA - UGAStart - Cysteine - Histidine - Lysine - Stop

DNA TranslationInstructions: How to make proteins from amino acids

Genetics Produce Variety

Life on Earth:Self

Replication

Life on Earth:Self Replication

Cloning (Mitosis)

Life on Earth:Self Replication

Sexual Reproduction(Meiosis)

Sperm & Egg

Fertilization(Combination of genes

from 2 parents)

CompleteOrganism

What is Life? (Reminder)

• Composed of organic compounds• Resistance to entropy (disorder)

– Requires energy (must be able to gather and process (metabolize) energy)

• Ability to maintain a controlled environment– Requires ability to be isolated from environment

• Information storage• Self replication

– Including ability to pass on information

• Ability to adapt to its environment– Undergoes biological evolution

How is Life Organized: Taxonomy (Linnaeus)

KingdomPhylumClassOrderFamilyGenusSpeciesSubspecies

AnimaliaChordataMammaliaPrimatesHomididaeHomosapienssapiens

AnimaliaChordataOsteichthyesSalmoniformesSalmonidaeOnchorhynchustshawytscha

PlantaePinophytaPinopsidaPinalesCupressaceaeSequoiasempervirens

Human King Salmon Coast Redwood

Kingdoms of Life

Single Celled - prokaryotes and eukaryotes• Archaea (“extremophiles”)• Bacteria (“germs” & blue-green algae)• Protista (one-celled eukaryotes)

Metazoans - multicellular, eukaryotes• Fungi• Plantae• Animalia

Extremophiles (Archea)Thermophiles Halophiles

Methanogens

Cryophiles

Bacteria

Protista

Fungi

Plantae

AnimaliaImportant Phyla• Porifera (Sponges)• Cnideria (Corals, Jellyfish)• Platyhelminthes (Flatworms)• Arthropoda (Crabs, Insects, Spiders)• Annelida (Segmented Worms)• Mollusca (Clams, Snails, Cephalopods)• Echonodermata (Starfish, Sea Urchins)• Chordata (Fish, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals)

Porifera & Cnideria

Flatworms &

Arthropoda

Annelida & Mollusca

Echondermata & Chordata