Principles of Biology I (BIOL 106)
Dr. Shonah A. Hunter
Chapter 1 - A View of Life
Chapter and Lecture Objectives
Introduction:
Biology is the study of the natural world. Everyone has some experience and perspective of the natural world and how it works. In this chapter, we examined how life is defined, and the process of scientific study of the living world. We also described what science is, and is not, and the role of science in our society.
Objectives:
o Be able to define what is meant by life.
o Be able to describe how the biosphere is organized.
o Be able to describe how living things are classified.
o Be able to describe the process of science.
o Be able to use the process of science to answer a question about the natural world.
o Be able to explain the difference between a hypothesis and a theory and use the terms correctly.
o Be able to explain the goals of scientific study
o Be able to explain the role of science in, and the responsibility of scientists to, society.
Lecture Outline
I. Introduction to Biology
A. How to Define Life
1. Characteristics of living things
a. Living things are organized
i. they show emergent properties
b. Living thing acquire material and energy
c. Living things respond to stimuli
d. Living things reproduce and develop
e. Living things have adaptations.
B. Evolution, the unifying concept of biology
1. How living things are classified
a. Domain Archaea
b. Domain Bacteria
c. Domain Eukarya
i. Kingdom Protista
ii. Kingdom Fungi
iii. Kingdom Plantae
iv. Kingdom Animalia
2. The Scientific name
3. Common descent with modification
C. How the Biosphere is Organized
1. Ecosystems
a. Energy flow
b. Nutrient / chemical cycling
2. Human interactions with the ecosystem
a. Biodiversity
b. Extinction
II. How to study Biology
A. The Process of Science
1. What scientists do
2. How scientists work
Different ways scientific studies can be conducted.
3. Theory vs. hypothesis.
B. Unifying Theories (Principles) of Biology
III. The Goals of Science
A. Science vs. Non-science or Pseudoscience
B. The Role of Science in Society
Study Questions (write out the answers based on lecture material and material from the text book)
1. What criteria do we have to apply if we are to determine whether or not something is living?
Give examples. Be able to recognize examples of these criteria.
2. What do we mean by emergent properties? Give/Recognize examples.
3. Explain why evolution is the "GUT" of biology and how it describes the unity and diversity of life.
4. What is significant about the way scientists ask questions and attempt to answer them and how
might this be different from the non-scientist?
5. Understand the process of the scientific method and be able to use it in problem solving.
6. Be able to describe different research projects such as field investigations or controlled
investigations.
7. Be able to identify the independent and dependent variables in a research project description.
8. What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory (principle)?
9. What are the unifying theories (principles) of biology?
10. Describe the characteristics of science (what scientists do!).
11. Describe the difference between science and non-science and be able to explain examples of each.
12. Describe the role of science in society.
Additional study materials
USE THE REVIEW MATERIALS AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER
Go to the web site for the book and check out the self study page online. Select Chapter 1. You do not need login information.
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007352543x/student_view0/index.html