Unifying Themes in Biology
Sunday, 17 September 2023 11:15 am
BIOLOGY
Definition
The scientific study of life
• Unifying themes:
a. Organization
b. Information
c. Energy and Matter
d. Interactions
e. Evolution
ORGANIZATION
Definition
The organization of complex biological structures and systems that define life
using a reductionistic approach
What is reductionism?
Reductionism is an approach that
reduces complex systems to simpler
components that are more manage-
able to study.
Levels
1. Biosphere
Consists of all life and all the places where life exists
2. Ecosystem
• Includes the living organisms or populations in an area and the non-living
aspects of the environment
• Types of ecosystems:
3. Community
All of the populations of different species that live in the same area and interact
with one another
4. Population
Consists of the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specified
area that interbreed
5. Organism
Individual living things
6. Organ
A body part made of multiple tissues and has a specific function in the body
7. Tissue
A group of cells that perform a specific function together
8. Cell
Life's fundamental unit of structure and function
The basic building block of all living things
9. Organelles
The various functional components present in cells
10. Molecules
Chemical structure made up of two or more units called atoms
Structure and Function
• At each level of the hierarchy, there is a correlation between structure and
function
• The match of form and function is explained by natural selection
The Cell
Smallest unit of organization that can perform all activities required for life
The Cell Theory:
- First developed in the 1800s by many scientists
- Principles
1. All organisms are made of cells
2. All existing cells are produced by other living cells
3. The cell is the most basic unit of life
- Main forms of cells:
1. Prokaryotic
○ No true nucleus
○ No membrane-bound cellular organelles
○ Prokaryotes are unicellular
2. Eukaryotic
○ Contain a true nucleus
○ Contain membrane-bound cellular organelles
○ Eukaryotes be unicellular or multicellular
INFORMATION
Expression and Transmission of Genetic Information
• Structures called chromosomes contain genetic material in the form of DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)
• They are thread-like structures in the nucleus made of protein nd a single
molecule of DNA that carry genomic information from cell to cell
• Each chromosome contains one very long DNA molecule with hundreds or
thousands of genes
• Genes are the units of inheritance and are passed from parents to offspring
• DNA encode necessary information to establish the cell's identity
• You begin as a single cell stocked with DNA from your parents, and the
replication leads to you becoming trillions of cells.
• A DNA molecule is made up of two long chains called strands arranged in a
double helix
• Each DNA chain is made up of four kinds of chemical building blocks called
nucleotides, abbreviated A, T, C, G.
• Specific sequences of nucleotides encode the information in genes
• The sequence provides the blueprint for making a protein
• Proteins are major players in building the call and carrying out its activities
• Protein-encoding genes control protein production using RNA
• The sequences of nucleotides is transcribed into mRNA, which is then translated
into a linked series of protein building blocks called amino acids
• The amino acid chain forms a specific protein with a unique shape and function
• Gene expression is the entire process by which the information in a gene directs
the manufacture of a cellular product
• The genome is the entire library of genetic instructions that an organism inherits
• A human has two similar sets of chromosomes, and each set has approximately
3 billion nucleotide pairs of DNA
Fields of Genetics
Genomics is study of the genetic sequence information of organisms
Proteomics is the study of sets of proteins and their properties
• What made research developments in genetics possible:
a. High-throughput technology
- Tools that can analyze many biological samples rapidly
b. Bioinformatics
- The use of computational tools to store, organize, and analyze the huge
volume of data from the high-throughput technology
c. The formation of interdisciplinary research teams
- Groups of diverse specialists
ENERGY AND MATTER
The Transformation of Energy and Matter
• Various activities of life are work, and work requires energy
• The input and transformation of energy from one form to another make life
possible
• The sun is the main source of energy
• Process:
- When an organism uses chemical energy to perform work, some of that energy
is lost to the surroundings as heat
- As a result, energy flows through an ecosystem
- In contrast, chemicals cycle within an ecosystem
- Eventually, the chemicals will be returned to the environment
INTERACTIONS
Molecules (Interaction Within Organisms)
• Interactions between components that make up living organisms are crucial to
their operation
• Feedback regulation:
- The output or product of a process that regulates every process
- Types of feedback:
1. Negative feedback - the response reduces the initial stimulus and reduces
change
2. Positive feedback - the end product seeds up its own production and
increases change
Ecosystems (Interactions with Other Organisms and the Physical
Environment)
• At the ecosystem level, every organism interacts with other organisms
• Types of interactions:
a. Mutualism
- Both organisms benefit from each other
b. Parasitism
- One organism benefits, the other is harmed
c. Commensalism
- One organism benefits, the other is unaffected
d. Competition
- Organisms compete for the same resource in a limited supply
e. Predation
- When a predator hunts its prey
