Nino A. EspinasBiology Unit

PSHS-Main Campus

Biology = bios (life)+ logos (study of)

1. The living world is a hierarchy, with each level of biological structure building on the level below it.Life is highly

organizedLevels of biological

organization: atoms- molecules- organelles- cells- tissues- organs- organ systems- organism- population- community- ecosystem- biosphere

What level/s of bioorganization is/are featured in each item?

1. Gregorio T. Velasquez National Scientist Pioneer Scientist in Blue Green Algae

2. Google Earth

2. Each level of biological structure has emergent properties. Novel properties

emerge that were not present at the simpler levels

“An organism is a living whole greater than the sum of its parts”Are Emperor penguins

(Aptenodytes forsteri) cooperative or selfish?

3. Cells are an organism’s basic units of structure and function. Cell is the lowest

level of structure capable of performing ALL life’s activities

All living things consist of cells

Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell types

Mitosis- cell divisionWhite blood cells-

human macrophage ingesting Candida albicans

Sperms- Sperm race

4. The continuity of life is based on heritable information in the form of DNA Deoxyribonucleic

acidSubstance of genesUnits of inheritance

that transmit information from parents to offspring

Nucleotides: A, T, G, C, & U

5. Structure and function are correlated at all levels of biological organization Form fits functionBiological structure

gives us clues about what it does & how it works

Function of a structure provides insight about its construction

6. Organisms are open systems that interact continuously with their environmentsAn organism is an

open system- an entity that exchanges materials and energy with its surroundings.

Nutrient Cycling & flow of E from sunlight to photosynthetic life forms

7. Regulatory mechanisms ensure a dynamic balance in living systems. Biological processes

are self regulating, operating by a mechanism called feedback- in which an output or product of a process regulates that process

8. Diversity and Unity are the dual faces of life on earth. There is Unity in

Diversity in ALL living entities of the Earth Paramecium cilia

Throat and intestine villi

9. Evolution is the core theme of biology.Life evolvesEvolution, the process

that have transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to its vast diversity today, is the one biological theme that ties together all others

Natural Selection = Differential Reproductive Success

10. Scientific Inquiry Observation-based

discovery and the testing of explanations through hypothesis based inquiry

11.Science, Technology, and Society Technologies are

goal oriented applications of science

Science and technology must promote and improve NOT just human lives, but ALL organisms on earth as well.

An Inconvenient Truth

Main ReferencesCampbell NA, Reece, JB, and Mitchell

LG.2000. Biology. Addison Wesley Longman. 1175 pp.

Campbell and Reece. 2005. Biology. Pearson Benjamin Cummings. 1231 pp.