CHAPTER 1

Biology: Exploring Life

Chapter Objectives
Opening Essay
Explain how snowy owls are well adapted to their life in frozen, barren habitats.

Themes in the Study of Biology

1.1 Describe seven properties common to all life.
1.2 Describe the levels of biological organization from molecules to the biosphere,
noting the interrelationships between levels.
1.2 Define the concept of emergent properties and describe an example of it.
1.3 Explain why cells are a special level in biological organization. Compare
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
1.3 Describe the relationship between structure and function.
1.4 Compare the dynamics of nutrients and energy in an ecosystem.

Evolution, the Core Theme of Biology

1.5 Explain how DNA encodes a cell’s information.
1.6 Compare the three domains of life. Distinguish between the three multicellular
kingdoms within Eukarya.
1.7 Describe the process and products of natural selection.

The Process of Science

1.8 Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data. Compare the definitions
and use of inductive and deductive reasoning in scientific investigations.
1.8 Distinguish between a hypothesis and a scientific theory.
1.8 Explain how science is a social activity.
1.9 Describe the structure of a controlled experiment and give an example.

Biology and Everyday Life

1.10 Explain how evolution impacts the lives of all humans.
1.11 Compare the goals of science and technology. Explain why an understanding of
science is essential to our lives.

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. 1

Lecture Outline
I. Introduction
A. Snowy owls exhibit adaptations for life in their frozen, barren habitat, including
1. feathers that provide insulation in subzero weather and
2. keen vision and acute hearing that help owls locate prey.
B. Snowy owls are the result of evolution, the process that has transformed life from its
earliest beginnings.
II. Themes in the Study of Biology
A. 1.1 All forms of life share common properties
1. Biology is the scientific study of life.
2. Properties of life include
a. Order—the highly ordered structure that typifies life,
b. Reproduction—the ability of organisms to reproduce their own kind,
c. Growth and development—consistent growth and development controlled by
inherited DNA,
d. Energy processing—the use of chemical energy to power an organism’s activities
and chemical reactions,
e. Response to the environment—an ability to respond to environmental stimuli,
f. Regulation—an ability to control an organism’s internal environment within limits
that sustain life, and
g. Evolutionary adaptation—adaptations evolve over many generations, as individuals
with traits best suited to their environments have greater reproductive success and
pass their traits to offspring.
B. 1.2 In life’s hierarchy of organization, new properties emerge at each level
1. Biological organization unfolds as follows:
a. Biosphere—all of the environments on Earth that support life,
b. Ecosystem—all the organisms living in a particular area and the physical compo-
nents with which the organisms interact,
c. Community—the entire array of organisms living in a particular ecosystem,
d. Population—all the individuals of a species living in a specific area,
e. Organism—an individual living thing,
f. Organ system—several organs that cooperate in a specific function,
g. Organ—a structure that is composed of tissues,
h. Tissue—a group of similar cells that perform a specific function,
i. Cell—the fundamental unit of life,
j. Organelle—a membrane-bound structure that performs a specific function within a
cell, and
k. Molecule—a cluster of small chemical units called atoms held together by chemical
bonds.
2. Emergent properties are new properties that arise in each step upward in the hierarchy
of life from the arrangement and interactions among component parts.
C. 1.3 Cells are the structural and functional units of life
1. Cells are the level at which the properties of life emerge.
2. A cell can
a. regulate its internal environment,
b. take in and use energy,

2 INSTRUCTOR GUIDE FOR CAMPBELL BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS & CONNECTIONS Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
 c. respond to its environment,
d. develop and maintain its complex organization, and
e. give rise to new cells.
3. All cells
a. are enclosed by a membrane that regulates the passage of materials between the cell
and its surroundings and
b. use DNA as their genetic information.
4. There are two basic types of cells.
a. Prokaryotic cells
i. were the first to evolve,
ii. are simpler, and
iii. are usually smaller than eukaryotic cells.
b. Eukaryotic cells
i. are found in plants, animals, fungi, and protists and
ii. are subdivided by membranes into various functional compartments, or organelles,
including a nucleus that houses the DNA.
5. Systems biology is the study of a biological system and the modeling of its dynamic
behavior, ranging from the functioning of the biosphere to the complex molecular
machinery of an organelle.
6. Cells illustrate another theme in biology: the correlation of structure and function.
7. Structure is related to function at all levels of biological organization.
D. 1.4 Organisms interact with their environment, exchanging matter and energy
1. Living organisms interact with their environments, which include
a. other organisms and
b. physical factors.
2. In most ecosystems,
a. plants are the producers that provide the food,
b. consumers eat plants and other animals, and
c. decomposers act as recyclers, changing complex matter into simpler chemicals that
plants can absorb and use.
3. The dynamics of ecosystems include two major processes:
a. the recycling of chemical nutrients from the atmosphere and soil through producers,
consumers, and decomposers back to the air and soil and
b. the one-way flow of energy through an ecosystem, entering as sunlight and exiting
as heat.
III. Evolution, the Core Theme of Biology
A. 1.5 The unity of life is based on DNA and a common genetic code
1. All cells have DNA, the chemical substance of genes.
2. Genes
a. are the unit of inheritance that transmits information from parents to offspring,
b. are grouped into very long DNA molecules called chromosomes, and
c. control the activities of a cell.
3. A species’ genes are coded in the sequences of the four building blocks making up
DNA’s double helix.
a. All forms of life use essentially the same code to translate the information stored in
DNA into proteins.
b. The diversity of life arises from differences in DNA sequences.

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. CHAPTER 1 Biology: Exploring Life 3

 4. The entire “library” of genetic instructions that an organism inherits is called its
genome.
5. In recent years, scientists have determined the entire sequence of nucleotides in the
human genome.
B. 1.6 The diversity of life can be arranged into three domains
1. We can think of biology’s enormous scope as having two dimensions.
a. The “vertical” dimension is the size scale that stretches from molecules to the
biosphere.
b. The “horizontal” dimension spans across the great diversity of organisms existing
now and over the long history of life on Earth.
2. Diversity is the hallmark of life.
a. Biologists have identified about 1.8 million species.
b. Estimates of the actual number of species range from 10 million to over
100 million.
3. Taxonomy is the branch of biology that
a. names species and
b. classifies species into a hierarchy of broader groups: genus, family, order, class,
phylum, and kingdom.
4. The diversity of life can be arranged into three higher levels called domains.
a. Bacteria are the most diverse and widespread prokaryotes.
b. Archaea are prokaryotes that often live in Earth’s extreme environments.
c. Eukarya have eukaryotic cells and include
i. single-celled protists and
ii. multicellular fungi, animals, and plants.
C. 1.7 Evolution explains the unity and diversity of life
1. Evolution can be defined as the process of change that has transformed life on Earth
from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today.
2. The fossil record documents
a. that life has been evolving on Earth for billions of years and
b. the pattern of ancestry.
3. In 1859, Charles Darwin published the book On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection, which articulated two main points.
a. Species living today are descended from ancestral species in what Darwin called
“descent with modification.”
b. Natural selection is a mechanism for evolution.
4. Natural selection was inferred by connecting two observations.
a. Individual variation: Individuals in a population vary in their traits, many of which
are passed on from parents to offspring.
b. Overproduction of offspring: A population can produce far more offspring than the
environment can support.
5. From these observations, Darwin drew two inferences.
a. Unequal reproductive success: Individuals with heritable traits best suited to the
environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than less well-suited
individuals,
b. Accumulation of favorable traits over time: As a result of this unequal reproductive
success over many generations, an increasing proportion of individuals in a
population will have the advantageous traits.

4 INSTRUCTOR GUIDE FOR CAMPBELL BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS & CONNECTIONS Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
 6. Darwin realized that numerous small changes in populations as a result of natural
selection could eventually lead to major alterations of species.
7. The fossil record provides evidence of such diversification of species from ancestral
species.
IV. The Process of Science
A. 1.8 In studying nature, scientists make observations and form and test hypotheses
1. Science is a way of knowing that stems from our curiosity about ourselves and the
world around us.
2. Science is based on inquiry, the search for information and explanations of natural
phenomena.
3. Scientists typically
a. make observations,
b. form hypotheses, proposed explanations for a set of observations, and
c. test them.
4. Two types of data are frequently collected in scientific investigations.
a. Qualitative data are descriptive.
b. Quantitative data include numerical measurements.
5. Scientists use two types of reasoning.
a. Inductive reasoning makes generalizations based on collecting and analyzing a
large number of specific observations.
b. Deductive reasoning flows from general premises to predicted and specific results.
6. We solve everyday problems by using hypotheses.
a. A common example would be the reasoning we use to answer the question, “Why
doesn’t a flashlight work?”
b. Two reasonable hypotheses are that
i. the batteries are dead or
ii. the bulb is burned out.
7. A scientific theory is
a. much broader in scope than a hypothesis and
b. supported by a large and usually growing body of evidence.
8. Science is a social activity in which scientists
a. work in teams,
b. share information through peer-reviewed publications, meetings, and personal
communication, and
c. build on and confirm each other’s work.
B. 1.9 SCIENTIFIC THINKING: Hypotheses can be tested using controlled field studies
1. Scientists conducted a controlled experiment to test the hypothesis that color patterns
have evolved as adaptations that protect animals from predation.
2. The experiment compared an experimental group consisting of noncamouflaged mice
models and a control group consisting of camouflaged models that matched the mice
native in each area.
3. The groups differed by only one factor, the coloration of the mouse models.
4. As presented in Table 1.9,
a. the noncamouflaged models had a much higher percentage of attacks in the beach
and inland habitats and
b. these data fit the key prediction of the camouflage hypothesis.

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. CHAPTER 1 Biology: Exploring Life 5

 V. Biology and Everyday Life
A. 1.10 EVOLUTION CONNECTION: Evolution is connected in our everyday lives
1. Evolution is a core theme of biology.
2. Humans selectively breed plants and animals in the process of artificial selection to
produce
a. more productive crops,
b. better livestock, and
c. a great variety of pets that bear little resemblance to their wild ancestors.
3. Humans also unintentionally cause
a. the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,
b. the evolution of pesticide-resistant pests, and
c. the loss of species through habitat loss and global climate change.
B. 1.11 CONNECTION: Biology, technology, and society are connected in important ways
1. Many issues facing society
a. are related to biology and
b. often involve our expanding technology.
2. The basic goals of science and technology differ.
a. The goal of science is to understand natural phenomena.
b. The goal of technology is to apply scientific knowledge for some specific purpose.

Chapter Guide to Teaching Resources

Themes in the Study of Biology (1.1–1.4)

Student Misconceptions and Concerns
• Many students enter our courses with a limited appreciation of the diversity of life. Ask
any group of freshmen at the start of the semester to write down the first type of animal
that comes to mind, and the most frequent response is a mammal. As the diversity of life is
explored, the common heritage of biological organization can be less, and not more,
apparent. The diverse forms, habits, and ecological interactions overwhelm our senses with
striking distinctions. Emphasizing the diversity and the unifying aspects of life is necessary
for a greater understanding of the rich evolutionary history of life on Earth. (1.1–1.4)
• We live in a world that is largely understood by what we can distinguish and identify with
our naked senses. However, the diversity of life and the levels of biological organization
extend well below the scale of our unaided perceptions. For many students, appreciating
the diversity of the microscopic world is abstract, nearly on par with an understanding of
the workings of atoms and molecules. The ability to examine the microscopic details of the
world of our students (the surface of potato chips, the structure of table salt and sugar, the
details of a blade of grass) can be an important sensory extension that prepares the mind
for greater comprehension of these minute biological details. (1.1–1.4)

Teaching Tips
• Consider asking students to bring to class a page or two of some article about biology that
appeared in the media in the last month. Alternatively, you might have each student post a
recent biology-related news article on a course website. (1.1–1.4)

6 INSTRUCTOR GUIDE FOR CAMPBELL BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS & CONNECTIONS Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
 • The scientific organization Sigma Xi offers a free e-mail summary of the major science
news articles appearing each weekday in major U.S. news media. The first paragraph or so
of each article is included in the e-mail with a hyperlink to the rest of the article. The
diverse topics are an excellent way to learn of general scientific announcements and reports in
the national media. Typically, 5–10 articles are cited in each e-mail. To sign up for this free
service, go to www.sigmaxi.org and sign up for the Sigma Xi Smart Brief. (1.1–1.4)
• For a chance to add a little math to the biological levels of organization, consider calculat-
ing the general scale differences between each level of biological organization. For exam-
ple, are cells generally 5, 10, 50, or 100 times larger in diameter than organelles? Are
organelles generally 5, 10, 50, or 100 times larger than macromolecules? For some levels
of organization, such as ecosystems, communities, and populations, size/scale differences
are perhaps less relevant and more problematic to consider. However, at the smaller levels,
the sense of scale might enhance an appreciation for levels of biological organization. (1.2)
• The U.S. Census Bureau maintains updated population clocks that estimate the U.S. and
world populations on its website at www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html. If students
have an accurate general idea of the population of the United States, statistics about the
number of people affected with a disease or disaster become more significant. For example, the
current population of the United States is about 318 million (in 2014). It is currently estimat-
ed that about one million people in the United States are infected with HIV. The number of
people infected with HIV is impressive and concerning, but not perhaps as meaningful as
realizing that the number of people infected represents about one out of every 318 people
in the United States. Although the infected people are not evenly distributed among
geographic and ethnic groups, if you apply this generality to the enrollments in your
classes, the students might better appreciate the tremendous impact of the infection. (1.2)
• Here is a simple way to contrast the relative size of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Mitochondria and chloroplasts are thought to have evolved by endosymbiosis. Thus,
mitochondria and chloroplasts are about the size of bacteria, contained within a plant cell.
A figure of a plant cell therefore provides an immediate comparison of these sizes, not
side-by-side, but one inside the other! (1.3)
• Examples of biological form and function relationships are nearly endless. Those immedi-
ately apparent to your students will be easiest to comprehend. Have your students examine
(in photos or in specimens) the teeth of various vertebrates. The diet of these animals is
implied by the shape of the teeth (sharp teeth in carnivorous cats and blunted molars in a
rat). Sliding your tongue over your teeth reveals our omnivorous history, with sharp canine
teeth for slicing flesh and flat rear molars well suited for grinding plant material. (1.3)
• Help the class think through the diverse interactions between an organism and its environ-
ment. In class, select an organism and have the class develop a list of environmental com-
ponents that interact with the organism. Items in this list will likely fall into living and
nonliving categories. (1.4)
• Perhaps you have seen and can find a photo of a glass-enclosed miniature ecosystem, likely
containing some plants and shrimp. These are sometimes called a “shrimp biosphere,” an
“Aqua-Biosphere,” or an “Ecosphere.” Present this system to your students and challenge
them to explain the dynamics of energy and nutrients in this system. Such an analysis will
reveal that energy flows through but nutrients cycle within this system. (1.4)

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. CHAPTER 1 Biology: Exploring Life 7

Active Teaching Tips
• Consider asking students to pair up with someone sitting near them to identify examples of
the seven properties of life in some organism from your region (or perhaps a school
mascot, if appropriate). (1.1)

Evolution, the Core Theme of Biology (1.5–1.7)

Student Misconceptions and Concerns
• Students likely have heard the terms chromosome, DNA, and gene. But distinguishing
between a chromosome and DNA is often difficult for students, and defining a gene has
been problematic even for scientists. Consider spending additional time to distinguish be-
tween these terms and note how our understanding has dramatically changed in the last 60
years. (1.5)
• As noted in the text, the classification of life has changed significantly in recent years.
Many of your students may have used outdated materials in high school, increasingly
common in difficult financial times. Therefore, the current descriptions may be contrary to
schemes already understood by your students. Noting these revisions in classification can
also be an opportunity to reflect on the nature of science, as new information is used to re-
vise our understandings. (1.6)
• Students often misunderstand the basic process of evolution and instead express a
Lamarckian point of view. Organisms do not evolve structures deliberately or out of want or
need, and individuals do not evolve. Evolution is a passive process in which the environment
favors one or more variations of a trait that naturally exist within a population. (1.7)
• Students often believe that Charles Darwin was the first to suggest that life evolves; the
early contributions by Greek philosophers and the work of Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck and
others may be unappreciated. Consider emphasizing this earlier work in your introduction
to Darwin’s contributions. (1.7)

Teaching Tips
• The authors make an analogy between the four bases used to form genes and the 26 letters
of the English alphabet used to create words and sentences. One could also make an
analogy between the four bases and trains composed of four different types of railroad cars
(perhaps an engine, a boxcar, a tanker, and a flatbed). Imagine how many different types of
trains one could make using just 100 rail cars of four different types. (The answer is 4100.)
(1.5)
• An excellent introduction to the domains and kingdoms of life is presented at
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/historyoflife.php. (1.6)
• Many resources related to Charles Darwin are available on the Internet.
a. General evolution resources:
http://evolution.berkeley.edu
www.ncse.com
http://nationalacademies.org/evolution
b. An outstanding source for Darwin’s writings and other resources can be found at
http://darwin.amnh.org

8 INSTRUCTOR GUIDE FOR CAMPBELL BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS & CONNECTIONS Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
 c. The complete works of Charles Darwin can be found at
http://darwin-online.org.uk/life20.html
d. Details about Charles Darwin’s home are located at
http://williamcalvin.com/bookshelf/down_hse.htm
e. An extensive Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological and
physical origins is at www.talkorigins.org. (1.7)
• Many games model aspects of natural selection. Here is one that is appropriate for a labor-
atory exercise. Purchase several bags of dried grocery store beans of diverse sizes and
colors. Large lima beans, small white beans, red beans, and black beans are all good
options. Consider the beans food for the “predatory” students. To begin, randomly distribute
(throw) 100 beans of each of four colors onto a green lawn. Allow individual students to
collect beans over a set period, perhaps 2 minutes. Then count the total number of each
color of bean collected. Assume that the beans remaining undetected (still in the lawn)
reproduce by doubling in number. Calculate the number of beans of each color remaining
in the field. For the next round, count out the number of each color to add to the lawn such
that the new totals on the lawn will double the number of beans that students did not find
in the first “generation.” Before each predatory episode, record the total number of each
color of beans that have “survived” in the field. Then toss out the new beans and let your
student predators search for another round (generation). Repeat the process for at least
three or four generations. Note what colors of beans have been favored by the environ-
ment. Apply Darwin’s observations and inferences to this exercise. Ask students to
speculate which colors might have been favored during another season of the year, perhaps
after a deep snowfall, or in another location, such as a parking lot. (1.7)

Active Lecture Tips

• See the Activity, What Is That Adapted For? on the Instructor Exchange. Visit the Instruc-
tor Exchange in the Mastering Biology instructor resource area for a description of this
activity. (1.7)
• See the Activity, What Do My Classmates Think About Evolution? What Do Scientists
Believe About Religion? on the Instructor Exchange. Visit the Instructor Exchange in the
Mastering Biology instructor resource area for a description of this activity. (1.7)

The Process of Science (1.8–1.9)

Student Misconceptions and Concerns
• The common use of the terms law and theory by the public often blur the stricter defini-
tions of these terms in science. In general, laws describe and theories explain. Both are
typically well-established concepts in science. A free online publication by the National
Academy of Sciences helps to define these and related terms more carefully. See Chapter 1
of Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science at
www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=5787. (1.8)
• Contrasting the concept of faith with the tentative nature of science can help to define and
distinguish science from other ways of knowing. Students sometimes enter science classes
expecting absolutes of facts and rigid dogma. Instead, scientific knowledge reflects tentative
knowledge with degrees of confidence closely correlated to the related evidence. (1.9)

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Teaching Tips
• Consider using a laboratory exercise to have your students plan and perhaps conduct a
scientific investigation. Emphasize the processes and not the significance of the questions.
Students can conduct descriptive surveys of student behavior (use of pens or pencils for
taking notes, use of backpacks) or test hypotheses using controlled trials. Students will
need some supervision and advice while planning and conducting their experiments. (1.8)
• Consider presenting your class with descriptions of several scientific investigations that
you have written or found described in the media. Edit or include numerous examples of
improper methodology (small sample size, several variables existing between the control
and experimental groups, failure to specifically test the hypothesis, etc.). Let small groups
or individuals analyze the experiments in class to identify the flaws. This critical analysis
allows students the opportunity to suggest the characteristics of good investigations in
class. (1.9)

Active Lecture Tips

• Have your students turn to a few other students seated nearby to explain why a coordinated
conspiracy promoting a specific idea in science is unlikely to succeed. Have your students
describe aspects of science that would check fraudulent or erroneous claims and/or
political efforts. (1.8–1.9)
• See the Activity, Practicing the Scientific Method: Are Girls Better than Boys at Some
Tasks? on the Instructor Exchange. Visit the Instructor Exchange in the Mastering Biology
instructor resource area for a description of this activity. (1.9)

Biology and Everyday Life (1.10–1.11)

Student Misconceptions and Concerns
• Few students are likely to understand the tremendous benefits that result from an under-
standing of evolution. For some, evolution may seem like an abstract concept that is still
up for debate. Yet evolution, like gravity, is a daily part of our lives, recognized or not.
(1.10)
• Many students will be unable to distinguish between science and technology before
reading through this textbook chapter. The discussion in Module 1.11 makes several
distinctions worth emphasizing that may promote interest in your course. (1.11)

Teaching Tips
• Module 1.11 lists some of the biggest human challenges impacted by evolution. Our ability
to feed ourselves, respond to infectious disease, and understand the interrelationships of
our crops, agricultural animals, pets, and each other, are all enriched by an appreciation of
evolution. Understanding evolution allows us to work more deliberately in our evolving
world. (1.10)
• Look around your classroom to identify examples of technology. Perhaps a video projector, a
telephone, a wall clock, or other devices are available for quick reference (or perhaps your
students are distracted by technology they brought with them). Then challenge your
students to suggest examples of science in their immediate world, which is important to
them. (These might include dietary guidelines, other suggestions to improve health and
fitness, and medications.) (1.11)

10 INSTRUCTOR GUIDE FOR CAMPBELL BIOLOGY: CONCEPTS & CONNECTIONS Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
Key Terms
Archaea emergent properties organ system
artificial selection Eukarya organelle
Bacteria eukaryotic cells organism
biology evolution population
biosphere genes prokaryotic cells
cell genome systems biology
community hypothesis technology
controlled experiment molecule theory
domains natural selection tissue
ecosystem organ

Word Roots
archae = ancient (Archaea: One of two prokaryotic domains of life, the other being Bacteria.)
bio- = life (biosphere: all the environments on Earth that support life); -logy = the scientific study
of a subject (biology: the scientific study of life)
-ell = small (organelle: a membrane-bound structure that performs a specific function in a cell)
eu- = true; karyo- = nucleus (eukaryotic cell: a cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and other
membrane-enclosed organelles)
pro- = before (prokaryotic cell: a cell that has no nucleus)
tech- = skill or art (technology: the practical application of scientific knowledge)

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. CHAPTER 1 Biology: Exploring Life 11