Biology Class Summary Notes

The Building Blocks of Life:

● Cells: The basic unit of life, existing in unicellular (single-celled) and

multicellular organisms.

● Cell Structure: Different organelles with specific functions, like a nucleus

(control center), mitochondria (energy production), and membranes

(regulating entry and exit).

● Biomolecules: Organic molecules like carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and

nucleic acids that make up cells and carry out essential functions.

Fundamentals of Life:

● The Scientific Method: A process for asking questions, gathering evidence

through observation and experimentation, and forming conclusions.

● Homeostasis: Maintaining a stable internal environment despite external

changes.

● Biological Processes: Essential functions of living things like nutrition,

respiration, excretion, and reproduction.

The Diversity of Life:

● Biological Classification: Grouping organisms based on shared

characteristics, creating a hierarchy of categories (kingdom, phylum, class,

order, family, genus, species).

● Major Kingdoms of Life: These include Archaea, Bacteria, Protista, Fungi,

Plantae, and Animalia. Each kingdom has distinct characteristics.

The Blueprint of Life:

● DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic material that stores instructions for

building and maintaining an organism.

 ● Genes: Units of heredity within DNA that determine specific traits.

● Chromosomes: Thread-like structures containing DNA and genes.

How Life Works:

● Cellular Respiration: Breaking down glucose to release energy for cellular

functions.

● Photosynthesis: Plants capturing sunlight energy to produce glucose for

food.

● Cell Division: Mitosis (growth and repair) and meiosis (sexual reproduction)

ensuring proper chromosome distribution.

Remember, these are just some key topics in biology. There's so much more to

explore!