Page _____- Biology Notes – Unit 1: The Characteristics of Life
The Characteristics of Living Things Notes
Term or Concept / Meaning / ExampleBiosphere
Biodiversity
Species
Biology
Organism
Cell
Metabolism
DNA
System
Ecosystem
Homeostasis
Evolution
Adaptation
Autotrophs
Chemoautotrophs
Heterotrophs
Abiotic
Biotic
Sexual Reproduction
Asexual Reproduction
Budding
Fragmentation
Binary Fission
Use Quizlet or Index Cards to help you prepare for vocabulary tests!
The Nine Characteristics of Living Things
1. ______6.______
2. ______7.______
3. ______8.______
4. ______9.______
5. ______
1. Cells:
· ______
· ______
· ______
· ______
· ______
· ______
· Different cells have specialized functions. For example, your muscle cells contract and relax, while your stomach cells secrete digestive juices.
2. Metabolism:
· ______
· ______
· ______
· Autotrophs- make their own food through photosynthesis, such as plants.
· Chemoautotrophs- make their own food through chemicals / chemosynthesis.
· Heterotrophs- rely on others for food.
· Where do we get our energy from?
i. Indirectly from photosynthesis and directly from cellular respiration, in the form of ATP- Adenosine Triphosphate.
3. Stimulus:
· ______
· ______
i. Abiotic- nonliving, such as rocks, temperature, nutrients, pH, etc
ii. Biotic- living things, such as plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, etc.
1. The relationship between abiotic and biotic factors
______are made up of both living and nonliving things.
The abiotic factors ______the biotic factors.
For example, if the temperature of the bay drastically drops, many of the fish may die because they can’t regulate their body temperature.
4. DNA- Deoxyribonucleic acid:
· ______
· Made up of nucleotides (4 nitrogenous base pairs-AGCT), sugars, and phosphates.
· Adenine (A) pairs up with Thymine (T)
· Guanine (G) pairs up with Cytosine (C)
· The sequence of the bases is what codes for the order of amino acids in the protein sequence (amino acids).
5. Evolution:
· ______
· ______
· Examples of evidence- fossil record, embryology, comparative anatomy, biogeography, and molecular DNA.
· ______- an inherited trait or gene that helps some individuals of a species survive and reproduce more successfully than others. The ones that don’t adapt will die off.
o Sometimes different populations of the same species live in different environments. Therefore, they have different needs and adapt differently, evolving into different species.
6. Reproduction:
· Goal= ______
· Two types- sexual and asexual
o ______- two parents required, exchange of gametes (sex cells), and the ______.
o ______- requires only one parent and the ______to the parent (ex- sea star).
· Budding
· Fragmentation
· Binary Fission
· Examples:
o Jawfish male holds unhatched eggs in his mouth. The male churns the eggs by spitting them out and sucking them back in. This allows the male to remove debris, aerate the eggs, and rotate eggs for proper development.
o The male seahorse carries the offspring
o Elephant gestation is 22 months
o Killer whale gestation is 16 months
o Human gestation is 9 months
7. Homeostasis:
o ______
o Controlled by ______and the ______
o Body temp. is ______or ______
o Important because cells function best within a certain range of conditions. Temperature, glucose, water, pH, gases, nutrients, salt, etc. must be maintained / balanced or it can be fatal.
o Negative and Positive feedback loops.
Background Vocabulary
______- a system of parts that operate or interact like those of a machine.
______- an instrument used to operate, regulate, or guide a machine.
______- a device that receives and responds to a signal.
______- the point at which a circuit is either activated or deactivated.
______- something aimed or fired at.
______- return of a portion of the output of a system to the input, used to maintain performance or control.
______- a closed circuit.
Simplified, real life example
Thermostat- senses the temperature of a system.
A sensor in the thermostat constantly measures the temperature of the room.
A control mechanism then compares the actual room temperature to the set temperature.
Let’s say the set temperature is 21C (70F). When the temperature falls below 21C, the thermostat kicks on by sending an electronic message to the furnace.
When the sensor on the thermostat indicates that the air temperature is back to 21C, another message is sent that turns off the furnace.
Result- the room is always within a few degrees of the desired temperature.
Of course in Florida this would resemble our air conditioners!
How is your body like a thermostat?
Your body is set up to regulate temperature just like a thermostat. It’s an internal control system that includes sensors, a control center, various communication systems, and targets.
Sensors
They are called ______in our body.
______
Ex- when it’s hot or cold, there are receptors in your skin and nose that gather information about the air temperatures.
Control Center
______- receives information from the sensors.
The brain will then compare information to the ideal / set points, at which the body functions best at.
If there is an issue, such as the body being above or below that set point, the ______will send a ______via a ______(nervous or endocrine system/ hormones).
Communication System
______
Nervous system= ______
Endocrine system= ______
The nerve impulses and hormones tell the targets in the body how to respond to the stimuli.
Target
______
Example- if it’s cold outside, a message may be sent to the muscles to start shivering. Shivering generates body heat, therefore increasing temperature.
Negative Feedback Loop / Positive Feedback Loop______
Continuous cycle
Example- Blood glucose concentrations rise after a meal (the stimulus), and insulin causes glucose to be removed from the bloodstream (the response), which decreases blood glucose.
Exercise creates metabolic heat, which raises body temperature (the stimulus) and vasodilation and sweating (the response) cools the body. / ______
Ex- cut your finger; positive feedback mechanisms increase the rate of change in clotting factors in the blood until the wound is sealed.
Ex- hormones during puberty. The body needs specific levels to accomplish the changes that need to take place.
Ex-when a baby first suckles its mother's nipple, a small amount of breast milk is released (the stimulus) and a hormone is released which increases milk production (the response).
8. Grow and Develop
______
Changes in size, shape, and differentiation in structures.
Unicellular = simple and muliticellular = complex.
Metamorphosis- many organisms have similar early stages of development and are hard to tell apart.
9. Chemical Uniqueness
______
______backbone.
______- Proteins, Lipids, Carbohydrates, and Nucleic Acids
Ex-DNA