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Chapter 1 – An Introduction to Biology

Chapter Outline
1. Principles of biology and
the levels of biological
organization
2. Biological evolution
3. Classification of living things
(taxonomy)
4. Biology as a scientific
discipline

Remember blue font color

marks important ideas and
bold marks terms to master
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization

Section 1.1 Learning

Outcomes
1. Describe the principles of
biology
2. Identify and explain
examples of each principle
of biology
3. Explain how life can be
viewed at different levels of
biological complexity
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization

Biology is the study of life

• Investigations of living things can lead to discoveries with far-
reaching benefits
• Ex: salicylic acid (aspirin) from the willow tree and blood
pressure medicine (ACE inhibitor) from poisonous snakes
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization
The Study of Life Has Revealed a Set of Unifying Principles
• Biologists have described a set of principles that apply to all fields
of biology; principles 1 through 6 define the basic features of life

• Principle 1: Cells are the simplest units of life

• The cell theory is a foundation of biology
• All organisms are composed of 1 or more cells
• Cells are the smallest units of life
• New cells come from pre-existing cells by cell division
• Principle 2: Living organisms use energy
• The maintenance of organization requires energy
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization
The Study of Life Has Revealed a Set of Unifying Principles

• Principle 3: Living organisms interact with their environment

• Both living (ex: predator) and non-living components (ex: light)

• Principle 4: Living organisms maintain homeostasis

• The amount of variability for a parameter may differ between
species (ex: body temperature in mammal versus reptile)
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization
The Study of Life Has Revealed a Set of Unifying Principles

• Principle 5: The genetic material

(DNA) provides a blueprint that
allows organisms to grow,
develop, and reproduce

• Principle 6: Populations of organisms evolve from one generation to

the next and are related by an evolutionary history
• All organisms contain genetic material composed of DNA,
deoxyribonucleic acid
• The genetic information
of a population can
change over time
• Lines of evidence include
DNA sequences and
fossils
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization
The Study of Life Has Revealed a Set of Unifying Principles
• In addition to the preceding 6 characteristics of life, biologists have
identified other principles and skills that are important in all fields
of biology

• Principle 7: Structure determines function

• Principle 8: New properties of life emerge from complex interactions
• Principle 9: Biology is an experimental science
Group work
You just came back from a mission to Mars claiming
that you have discovered life there.
What types of things must your “lifeform” do or have
to justify your claim?
• Often our minds go blank when given a word problem
• Center yourself by asking
• What topic are we talking about right now
• What chapter?
• What section?
• What information in this section relates to the question?
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization
The Study of Life Has Revealed a Set of Unifying Principles
• Principle 10: Biology is a
quantitative science

• Principle 11: Biologists use

models and simulations to
test experimental predictions
and convey their ideas
• A model is a conceptual,
mathematical, or physical
depiction of a real-world
phenomenon

• Principle 12: Biology affects

our society
1.1 Principles of Biology & Levels of Organization
Organisms Are Studied at Different Levels of Organization
• The organization of living organisms can be analyzed at different
levels of biological complexity, ranging from atoms to the biosphere
• Atoms
• Molecules
• Cells
• Tissues
• Organs
• Organ systems
• Organism
• Population
• Community
• Ecosystem
• Biosphere
Group work
At what organizational level would you classify Death
Valley National Park?
1.2 Biological Evolution

Section 1.2 Learning

Outcomes
1. Explain the 2 basic
mechanisms by which
evolutionary change occurs:
vertical descent with
mutation and horizontal
gene transfer
2. Describe how evolution
accounts for unity and
diversity in biology
1.2 Biological Evolution

• Unity and diversity are terms

often used to describe life
• Unity refers to the common
characteristics displayed by
all forms of life
• Principles 1 through 6 in
previous section
• Diversity refers to the many
different forms of unicellular
and multicellular life
• The underlying factor that
explains the unity and
diversity of modern species
is evolution, the changing
genetic composition of a
population over time
1.2 Biological Evolution
Life Is Connected by an Evolutionary History
• Life began on Earth, as primitive cells, between 3.5 to 4 billion years
ago (bya); those primitive cells underwent evolutionary changes to
give rise to the species of today
• Evolutionary history helps us understand the structure and function
of an organism

• Evolutionary change involves

modifications of pre-existing
characteristics; structures
may be modified to serve
new purposes
• Ex: walking limbs were
modified into a dolphin’s
flipper or a bat’s wing
1.2 Biological Evolution
Vertical Descent with Mutation in Animals
• Vertical descent with mutation involves transfer of genetic
information from parents to offspring

1.Offspring inherit
mutations from parents
2. Nature determines if
those mutations lead to
success/death
1.2 Biological Evolution
Horizontal Gene Transfer Can Also Promote Evolution
• Horizontal gene transfer is a distinct process of exchanging genetic
information that is common in microbes
• An organism incorporates genetic material from another
organism without being the offspring of that organism
• Can occur between different species

Fig 1.8, Biology, Brooker

Group work
• List the two modes of evolution.
• What evolutionary method described here?
• Genes that confer antibiotic resistance are sometimes
transferred between different bacteria species
• How does natural selection fit into the discussion of
evolution?
• Tuskless elephants are becoming more common.
How does this fact support the concept that
evolution via natural selection results in
adaptations that favor reproductive success?
1.2 Biological Evolution
The Frequency of the Tuskless Elephant Appears to Be
Increasing in Elephant Populations Due to Poaching
• Evolution via natural selection results in adaptations that favor
reproductive success
• An adaptation is a characteristic in a species that is the result of
natural selection; adaptations affect survival and reproduction
• Artificial selection is a human driven form of selection (ex:
human choices of desirable traits led to various breeds of dogs)
• Tuskless elephants appear to be increasing due to poaching
• The tuskless condition is an
adaptation that may lessen poaching
• Less than 2% of elephants in well-
protected populations are tuskless
• Approximately 50% of the
survivors of a poached population
were tuskless
1.2 Biological Evolution
The Frequency of the Tuskless Elephant Appears to Be
Increasing in Elephant Populations Due to Poaching
• All tuskless elephants are female (females normally have tusks)
• The tuskless gene is found on the X chromosome; female elephants
have two X chromosomes (XX) whereas males have only 1 (XY)
• Tuskless (T) is a dominant allele
• Female tuskless elephants have the genotype XTXt
• Males cannot be tuskless because a single T allele is lethal
1.3 Classification of Living Things

Section 1.3 Learning

Outcomes
1. Outline how organisms are
classified (taxonomy)
2. Describe the 3 domains of
life and gives examples of
organisms classified within
each domain
1.3 Classification of Living Things
The Classification of Living Organisms Allows Biologists
to Appreciate the Unity and Diversity of Life
• Taxonomy is the grouping of species based on common ancestry
• Classification involves sorting at multiple levels, where species are
placed into progressively smaller groups that are more closely
related to each other evolutionarily
• The largest groups are the three domains of life:
• Bacteria (unicellular prokaryote), Archaea (unicellular
prokaryote), and Eukarya (unicellular and multicellular
eukaryotes)
• The smallest group is the species; each species has a unique
scientific name
• Genus name is capitalized; species descriptor (specific
epithet) is not capitalized
• Both names are italicized (ex: Amphiprion ocellaris,
commonly known as the Ocellaris clownfish)
1.3 Classification of Living Things
The Classification of Living Organisms Allows Biologists
to Appreciate the Unity and Diversity of Life
Group work
• Apply an easy to remember acronym to the taxa.
• List these taxa in order of least to most diverse.
• Species, class, phylum, family, order
1.3 Classification of Living Things
Each Species Is Placed into a Taxonomic Hierarchy
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline

Section 1.4 Learning

Outcomes
1. Explain how researchers
study biology at different
levels, ranging from
molecules to ecosystems
2. Distinguish between
discovery-based science
and hypothesis testing
3. Describe the steps of a
scientific method, also
called hypothesis testing
4. Explain the usefulness of
models in biology
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline

• Science is the observation, identification, experimental

investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena
• Many scientists utilize model organisms in their research and use a
scientific method to test hypotheses

• Different branches of biology study life at different levels using a

variety of tools
• Ex: ecology, anatomy, physiology, cell biology, molecular
biology, and systems biology
• As new tools become available, they allow scientists to ask new
questions
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Biologists Investigate Life at Different Levels of
Organization
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
A Hypothesis Is a Proposed Idea, Whereas a Theory Is
a Broad Explanation Backed by Extensive Evidence
• A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a natural phenomenon
• Based on previous observations or experiments
• Must yield predictions that can be shown to be correct or
incorrect (must be testable and falsifiable)
• Additional observations or experiments can support or reject a
hypothesis, but a hypothesis is never really proven

• Observation: maple trees lose their leaves during autumn

• Hypothesis: Maple trees drop their leaves in autumn
because of shortened hours of sunlight
• Alternative hypothesis: Maple trees drop their leaves in
autumn because of colder temperatures
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
A Hypothesis Is a Proposed Idea, Whereas a Theory Is
a Broad Explanation Backed by Extensive Evidence
• A theory is a broad explanation of some aspect of the natural world
that is substantiated by a large body of evidence
• Allows us to make many predictions
• Biological theories incorporate observations, hypothesis testing,
and the laws of other disciplines (physics and chemistry)
• Theories are viewed as knowledge

• Two key attributes of a theory:

• Consistent with a vast amount of known data
• Able to make many correct predictions

• Ex: DNA is the genetic material

• Overwhelming body of evidence supports this theory
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Discovery-Based Science and Hypothesis Testing Are
Scientific Approaches That Help Us Understand Biology
• Biologists do not follow a rigid path to discovery, rather they
• ask questions
• make observations
• conduct experiments
• ask modified questions
• learn from failure (lots of “trouble-shooting”)
• repeat experiments
• try new experimental approaches
• communicate their findings, and more…

• Researchers typically utilize 2 general approaches: discovery-based

science and hypothesis testing
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Discovery-Based Science and Hypothesis Testing Are
Scientific Approaches That Help Us Understand Biology
• Discovery-based science involves the collection and analysis of data
without having a preconceived hypothesis
• Goal is to gather information
• Ex: investigating a newly discovered gene without already
knowing the function
• Ex: testing drugs to look for action against disease
• Discovery-based science often leads to hypothesis testing
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Discovery-Based Science and Hypothesis Testing Are
Scientific Approaches That Help Us Understand Biology
• The scientific method of hypothesis testing is designed to be an
objective way to gather knowledge
• The steps involved:
1. Observations are made regarding natural phenomena
2. These observations lead to a testable hypothesis that tries to
explain the phenomena
3. Experiments are conducted to determine if the predictions are
correct
4. The data are analyzed (involves use of statistical analysis)
5. The hypothesis is supported or rejected based on the data

• Data are often collected in parallel control and experimental groups

• Groups differ by a single factor
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Discovery-Based Science and Hypothesis Testing Are
Scientific Approaches That Help Us Understand Biology

• Prediction: exposure of trees

to shorter amounts of daylight
will cause leaves to fall
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Model-Based Learning Will Enhance Your Understanding
of Biological Concepts and Improve Critical-Thinking Skills
• A model is a conceptual, mathematical, or physical depiction of a
real-world phenomenon
• Biologists use models to convey their ideas, evaluate experiments,
and make predictions that apply to research studies
• Models are evaluated by their consistency with experimental
data

• Models take many forms, including:

• Structural models
• Mechanistic models
• Mathematical models
• Temporal models
• Hierarchical models
1.4 Biology as a Scientific Discipline
Science Is a Social Discipline
• In addition to being a scientific discipline, biology is also a social
discipline; biologists engage in a variety of interpersonal
interactions and communication practices
• Within a lab, undergraduate & graduate students, postdocs,
technicians, and the Principal Investigator (PI) all work together
• Different labs collaborate on projects
• Research papers are peer-reviewed
• At meetings, scientists discuss new data – and debate!
• You can discuss science without having “all the answers”
 Chapter 1 Summary

1.1 Principles of biology and the levels of biological organization

• The study of life has revealed a set of unifying principles: cells
are the simplest units of life; living organisms use energy,
interact with their environment, maintain homeostasis; the
genetic material provides a blueprint for growth, development,
and reproduction, populations of organisms evolve from one
generation to the next, and all species (past and present) are
related by an evolutionary history
• Living organisms are studied at different levels of organization,
spanning from atoms to the biosphere
1.2 Biological evolution
• Modern forms of life are connected by an evolutionary history
• Vertical descent with mutation is the primary way that
evolution occurs
• Horizontal gene transfer can also promote evolutionary change
 Chapter 1 Summary

1.3 Classification of living things

• The classification of living organisms allows biologists to
appreciate the unity and diversity of life
• Each species is placed into a taxonomic hierarchy
1.4 Biology as a scientific discipline
• Biologists investigate life at different levels of organization
• A hypothesis is a proposed idea, whereas a theory is a broad
explanation backed by extensive evidence
• Discovery-based science and hypothesis testing are scientific
approaches that help us understand biology
• Observation and experimentation form the core of biology
• Model-based learning will enhance your understanding of
biological concepts and improve your critical-thinking skills
• Science is a social discipline