Life is diverse.

1. The Properties of Life Bacteria Paramecium Morel Sunflower Snow goose

(Bacteria): © Dr. Dennis Kunkel/Phototake; (Paramecium): © M. Abbey/Visuals Unlimited; (Morel): © Royalty-Free Corbis; (Sunflower): © Photodisc
Green/Getty Images; (Snow goose): © Charles Bush Photography

The figure above illustrates the major groups of living things also called organisms. From left
to right, you can find:

1. Bacteria – widely distributed, tiny microscopic organisms with a very simple structure;
2. Paramecium – a microscopic protist; unicellular organism found in freshwater environment;
3 . M orel is a fungus that digests its food externally.
4. Sunflower is a photosynthetic plant that makes its own food (producers).
5. Snow goose is an animal that ingests its food (consumers).
Each of these organisms is a living thing, i.e. each of them has life. But what is LIFE?
Life is hard to define.
Life resists a simple, one-sentence
definition. Like non-living things,
organisms are composed of chemical
elements and obey the same laws of
chemistry and physics. The
characteristics of life, however, will
help us distinguish living from non-
living things.
1. Living things exhibit organization.
Whether it is a single-celled bacterium or a
multicellular human being, a living thing displays
some sort of organization. All living things are
made up of cells, which are made up of different
macromolecules. Aggregation of cells that
perform similar functions are called tissues and
when different tissues work together for a more
defined function, they form an organ. Our heart,
the pumping organ. has muscle, nervous,
epithelial, and connective tissues. Different
organs that work together form an organ
system, and an organism has several organ
systems working to make it alive. As you can
notice, moving up the hierarchy requires new
emergent properties that are determined by the
interactions between the individual parts.
2. Living Things Metabolize. 2. Living Things Metabolize.
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for
reproduction or display.
food M etabolism is the sum of the chemical
reactions taking place in living cells
through which energy and new materials
a. d. are provided for vital processes and The ultimate source of energy is the sun. All life
activities. Living things cannot maintain on Earth acquires energy, directly or indirectly,
their organization or carry on life’s by metabolizing nutrient molecules made by
activities without a source of nutrients and autotrophs.
e. energy. Food provides nutrients, which are
used as building blocks or for energy.
Energy is the capacity to do work, and it
takes work to maintain the organization of
b.a: © Niebrugge Images; b: © Pch.otodisc Blue/Getty Images; c: © Charles Busfh.Photography; d:
© Michael Abby/Visuals Unlimited; e: © Pat Pendarvis; f: National Park Service Photo
the cell and the organism.
2. Living Things Metabolize.
To survive, it is imperative that an organism
maintains a state of biological balance or
homeostasis. For life to continue, temperature,
moisture level, acidity, and other physiological
factors must remain within the tolerance range
of the organism. Homeostasis is maintained by
systems that monitor internal conditions and
make routine and necessary adjustments.
Organisms have intricate feedback and control
mechanisms that do not require any conscious
activity.
2. Living Things Metabolize.
An example of maintenance of homeostasis is
shown in the left. Too much (hyperglycemia)
and too low (hypoglycemia) sugar levels in the
blood are lethal to the organism. Hence, the
organism must have a mechanism to maintain
blood sugar levels. When blood sugar level
rises, our pancreas produces insulin, which
causes our cells to absorb glucose; the liver also
absorbs glucose and store it as glycogen. This
lowers down our blood sugar level. When our
blood sugar drops, our pancreas releases
glucagon, which interacts with our liver to
release glucose. This increases our blood sugar
levels. This mechanism maintains our blood
sugar level at tolerable range—not to high, not
too low.
3. Living Things Respond to Stimuli 3. Living Things Respond to Stimuli

Living things interact with the environment.

Since the environment is never static and is Vulture can detect and find carcass a mile away
always changing, living organisms must have and soar toward dinner.
the capabilities to respond to these changes.
Organisms display a variety of behaviors as
they maintain homeostasis and search and
compete for energy, nutrients, shelter and
mates. Response ensures survival of the
organism and it often, not always, results
movement

Makahiya (Mimusa pudica)

3. Living Things Respond to Stimuli 4. Living Things: Reproduce and Develop

Some snakes have very sensitive

Eye infrared receptors that detect
body heat of prey against a colder
background.

Infrared
receptor
Life comes only from life. Living things have the capacity to grow and reproduce.
Growth is defined as the irreversible increase in size and should no be confused
with expansion as seen in balloons and crystals. The ability to reproduce, produce
Rattlesnake new individuals, is common to all life.
4. Living Things: Reproduce and Develop 4. Living Things: Reproduce and Develop

Organisms live and die. Therefore, all

Heritable programs (DNA) direct pattern
living things must reproduce to ensure
of growth and development. Our DNA
continued existence and maintain their
contains codes that direct every aspect
p o p u l a t i o n . In m o s t m u l t i c e l l u l a r
of our lives, such as our development. All
organisms, reproduction begins with the
human beings have the same pattern of
union of sperm and egg (fertilization) and
development, as shown in the left.
followed by cell division and
differentiation.
4. Living Things: Reproduce and Develop
Reproduction can also be asexual, i.e.
production of new individuals without
the union of sperm and egg. Budding in
Hydra is a good example. Young hydras
just grow as “bump” on the side of its
parent, which eventually grows into a
mature hydra, and then buds off from the
side. The juvenile is genetically-identical
to its parent.
5. Living Things Adapt to Change
Adaptation includes any modification
that makes an organism more suited to
its way of life. Organisms become
modified over long period time as they
continuously respond to environmental
changes. The killer whale on the left is
more closely-related to cows but
because of its marine habitat, it looks and
behave like a fish. These are its main
adaptations.
5. Living Things Adapt to Change 5. Living Things Adapt to Change

At first glance, there is nothing Looking closer, we can find a snake. Its
in this photo. camouflage serve as a strategy to ambush its
prey.
5. Living Things Adapt to Change
Question to Ponder

Pepper moth is a common example of evolution What is difference between nonliving things
due to adaptation during the Industrial
Revolution. and dead?
 All living things rose from a common ancestor.

Despite diversity, organisms share the

2. Evolution
same basic characteristics, as follows:
1. They are composed of cells which are
organized in a similar manner;
2. Their genes are stored in DNA;
3. Carry out the same metabolic
reactions to acquire energy.
These suggest that they are descended
from a common ancestor
All living things rose from a common ancestor.
Evolution
Primordial soup is a theory that all life on
Earth started from the ocean due to the
accumulation of organic compounds. Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck’s theory of
Tiktaalik was believed to be the first land evolution revolved
organism that evolved from fishes. around the idea of use
and disuse

Evolution
The evolutionary view
of life came into focus in
1859 when Charles
Darwin published The
Origin of Species.
The O rigin of Species articulated two main points:
1. Descent with modification- a view that
contemporary species arose from a
succession of ancestors)
2. Natural selection is the proposed
mechanism for descent with modification.
Some examples of descent with modification are
unity and diversity in the orchid family.
Natural Selection
Darwin thought of adaptation to the
environment and the origin of new
species as closely related processes. As
populations are separated by a
geographic barrier, they adapted to
local environments and eventually
became separate species.
Natural selection can “edit” a
population’s heritable variations. An
example is the effect of birds preying
on a beetle population. Well-
camouflaged beetles are more likely to
survive than the ones that are less
camouflaged.
Artificial Selection can also drive evolution.

Darwin saw that when humans choose

organisms with specific characteristics
as breeding stock, they are performing
the role of the environment. This is
3. Taxonomy
called artificial selection. Example of
artificial selection in plants is shown on
the left. Five vegetables are derived
from wild mustard by artificial
selection.
Artificial Selection can also drive evolution. Six-Kingdom Classification
Taxonomy is the discipline of 1. Archaea
identifying and classifying organisms
according to certain rules. Organisms 2. Bacteria Traditionally, all living things are
are classified in various hierarchical 3. Protista organized into 6 Kingdoms shown
levels (taxa) based on hypothesized – protozoa, algae, water molds, slime in the left. As scientists report new
evolutionary relationships. These levels molds
data, the classification of
are from least inclusive to most 4. Fungi organisms changes, as shown in
inclusive, i.e. species, genus, family, – molds, yeasts
order, class, phylum, kingdom, and the following slides.
domain. A level (e.g. phylum) includes 5. Animalia
more species than the level below it (e.g.
class), and fewer species than the one
6. Plantae
above it (e.g. kingdom).
Three-Domain Classification Domains: The Bacteria
• Archaea • Prokaryotic cells
– Kingdom Archaea Many biologists now assign all of various shapes;
organisms to three domains. The
domain is a level of classification •Adaptations to
all environments;
• Bacteria above the kingdom and is based on
fundamental differences among
– Kingdom Bacteria •Absorb, photosynthesize,
organisms.
or chemo-synthesize food;

• Eukarya • Unique
– All other kingdoms chemical
characteristics.
Escherichia coli, a bacterium
Domains: The Archaea
• Prokaryotic cells of various
shapes;
• Adaptations to extreme
environments;
• Absorb or chemo-synthesize
food;
• Unique chemical characteristics.
Methanosarcina mazei, an archaeon
Domains: The Eukarya
• Algae, protozoans,
slime molds, and • Certain algae, mosses, ferns,
water molds conifers, and flowering plants
• Complex single cell • Multicellular, usually with
(sometimes filaments, specialized tissues,
colonies, or even containing complex cells
multicellular) • Photosynthesize food
• Absorb, photosynthesize,
or ingest food
• Molds, mushrooms, yeasts, • Sponges, worms, insects,
and ringworms fishes, frogs, turtles,
• Mostly multicellular filaments with birds, and mammals
specialized, complex cells • Multicellular with
• Absorb food1 specialized tissues
containing complex cells
• Ingest food
Kingdoms and Domains
Three Domains:

Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

Six Kingdoms:

Bacteria Archaea Protista Plantae Animalia Fungi

4. Scientific Method
Prokaryotes (lack Prokaryotes; Eukaryotes; mainly Eukaryotes; Eukaryotes; most
Eukaryotes; multicellular;
membrane-bound unicellular; unicellular or multicellular; multicellular;
heterotrophic; most
organelles); unicellular; microscopic; most simple photosynthetic; heterotrophic;
move about by muscular
most are heterotrophic live in extreme multicellular; life cycle with absorb nutrients;
contraction; nervous
(obtain food by eating environments; differ maybe alternation of do not photo-
system coordinates
other organisms), in biochemistry and heterotrophic generations; synthesize;
responses to stimuli.
but some are in cell wall structure or photosynthetic; cell walls of cell walls of chitin
photosynthetic or from bacteria include protozoa, cellulose
chemosynthetic algae, and slime
Molds.

Fig. 1-11, p.
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
• The goal of science is to
understand natural phenomena;
• Technology applies scientific
knowledge for some specific
purpose.
6 Steps to the Scientific Method
▷ 1. Make an observation
▷ 2. Form a hypothesis
▷ 3. Test the hypothesis
▷ 4. Collect, Organize and Analyze
the
Data
▷ 5. Draw Conclusions
▷ 6. Communicate the results
 Step 1: Observations
Step 2: Form A Hypothesis
▷ Observations based on senses or tools ▷ Inference
○ Sight, Smell, Touch etc. ○ A logical interpretation
▷ This is a question you DO NOT know the of events based on ▷ Based on your observation, a hypothesis
answer to and can’t look up. prior knowledge or is formed that tries to explain your
opinion
▷ “Why” and “What would happen if..” observation or answer your question
are ○ A hypothesis tries to predict or determine the
good beginnings of scientific questions. outcome of your experiment even before the
experiment is done
▷ Observations of natural events usually ■ Predictions usually stated in an “if ….. Then”
raise a question statement. Ex: If I drop a rock then it will fall
○ Why did the water rise when the candle down toward the ground
went out?
○ Research is usually done to help find ▷ HYPOTHESIS MUST BE TESTABLE!
out more about the question raised
Step 3: Test the Hypothesis VARIABLES
▷ INDEPENDENT
▷ Controlled Experiments are used to test a hypothesis ○ The variable being changed in the
experiment
○ A controlled experiment is an experiment that tests only one ○ It is the cause
factor at a time ▷ DEPENDENT
○ a control group is compared with an experimental group. ○ The variable that responds to the
Variables are not changed in the Control Group. change
○ Control groups allows you to see if a change in a variable creates ○ The variable being measured
an observed outcome by comparing the control group with the ○ It is the effect
exp gp
○ A variable is a factor that changes in a controlled experiment.
Variables are changed in the Exp Group AND SERVE
AS THE FACTOR TESTED
Step 4: Collect, Organize & Step 4: Collect, Organize &
Analyze Data Analyze Data

▷ Data collected from experiments ▷ “A picture is worth a thousand words”

○ Data is defined as: recorded observations or ▷ Compare and look for trends and patterns
measurements (qualitative = description,
quantitative = number data)
using graphs
○ Based on observations
○ Utilize tools or senses: sight, smell, temperature
change etc.
▷ Data is organized in tables, charts
and graphs so that it can be more
easily analyzed
Bar Graph Pie Chart

Used for
categorical data A Pie Chart
adds up to a whole
– 100% or
all of something

Line Graph Line graphs are used

for time interval data

Step 5: Draw Conclusions
▷ Scientists decide whether the results of
the
experiment support a hypothesis.
▷ When the hypothesis is not supported
by the tests the scientist must find
another explanation for what they have
observed
○ NO EXPERIMENT IS A FAILURE: All
experiments are observations of real
events
Step 6: Com municate the
Results
▷ Results must be communicated in the form
of a written paper or presentation
▷ Communication helps other scientists
performing the same experiments to see if
the results of your experiment are the same
as their results
○ Helps people see if results are
repeatable!
Scientific Theory Limitations of Science
Scientific Theory:

○ Joins together two or more related Scientific study is limited to

hypotheses that have been thoroughly area that can be observed and
tested over time, and generally
accepted by the scientific community. measured.
○ To the general public a theory is
synonymous with a guess due to lack of ○ Cannot be used to address all
knowledge. questions.
Scientific Principle /Law:
○ Bound by practical limits
○ W idely accepted set of theories ■ Temporal and spatial
considerations
○ No serious challenges to validity