Biology- literally means “study of life”.
It comes from two Greek Words, arose from living matter such as maggots from eggs not from inanimate
“bios” (life) and “logos” (reason or study”.
-Science that deals with structures, functions and relationships of living
things and their environment. It is a broad field and may be studied at various
levels- molecular, cellular, organismal, population, community or
ecosystems.
Traditional Major Divisions of Biological Sciences:
1. Microbiology- Study of microorganisms
2. Botany- study of plants
3. Zoology- study of animals
Sub-divided into Specialized Branches:
1. Taxonomy- naming and classifying organisms
2. Cytology- structures and functions of cells
3. Embryology- formation and development of organisms
4. Anatomy- structures and parts of organisms
5. Physiology- functions of living organisms and their parts
6.Biochemistry- biochemical compositions of living things
7. Genetics- heredity and variation
8. Evolution- origin and differentiation of various organisms
9. Ecology- relationships of organisms with their environment
Early Beliefs about the Origin of Life
1. Spontaneous Generation/ Abiogenesis- is the idea that life could appear
from non-living material. This idea was proposed by Aristotle.
2. Biogenesis- is the belief that life originates from pre-existing life.
Several Experiments:
1. Redi’s Experiment_
Italian Physician Fransesco Redi conducted an experiment that challenged the
idea of spontaneous generation. His experiment focused on the idea that life
objects.
2. Needham’s Experiment-
English priest John Needham challenged Redi’s experiment. This experiment
focuses on the common knowledge that boiling could kill micoorganisms and
whether or not microorganisms can appear after boiling.
3. Spallanzi’s Experiment-
Italian scientist Lazzaro Spazallani challenged Needhams experiment. His
experiment focused on the idea that life occurred under the presence of air
4.Pasteur Experiment
Louis Pasteur experiment convinced most scientist about the theory of
biogenesis. His experiment made evidence suggesting that new bacteria
appear only when they are produced by existing bacteria.
Unifying Themes about Life
- Living things on Earth share common characteristics or properties typically
not found in inanimate things.
1. Gathering and Using Energy- one unique characteristic of living things
- Energy is the ability of organisms to do work that allows them to move.
- In order to perform vital activities such as growth, movement and
reproduction, all living things require energy.
Modes of Obtaining Energy
 Photosynthesis – derivation of energy directly from sunlight
 Ingestion - derivation of energy from other organisms or food. Energy is
produced when complex organic matters such as carbohydrates and
proteins are broken down into simple substances such as glucose and
amino acids. The process by which energy is released by the breakdown
of food substances is called Cellular Respiration
Nutrient Uptake and Processing
 Nutrition- the process by which organisms acquire food
(plants,animal,microorganism VS nonliving things like cotton)
 Enzymes- help regulate the rate at which the reactions occur including
the amount of nutrients to be processed into other forms
 Waste Elimination
 Homeostasis- the maintenance of the body’s internal environment
2. Adapting and Evolving
a- Motility/Locomotion- enables most animal to another by walking, flying,
swimming, gliding, creeping, blooming or jumping. Ex. Cilia, Flagella and
Pseudopods, Foot, Wings
b- Irritability/Sensitivity- the ability to respond appropriately against a
stimulus. It is the response to light, sound, temperature, pressure, food
sources.
c.- Adaptation- the ability to adjust to changes in the environment due to the
variation, threat and changes
d- Evolution- refers to the changes in characteristics of a group of organisms
(population) over time. Evolutionary adaptation is a gradual or rapid change
in body structure or behaviour to be better suited and to survive a new
environment.
3. Reproducing and Continuing Life- certain life properties relate to an
increase in the size of the organism or increase in the number of organisms.
Growth, development and reproduction are processes that require
metabolism because they cannot occur without nutrient uptake and
processing.
a- Growth- is the increase in size and volume by converting food to become a
part of body cells.
Intussusception- process where in living things exhibit growth from within the
cells
Organogenesis- growth involves more complex process of cell differentiation
and formation of new organs (batong buhay VS Scar
formation)
Accretion- growth by external addition of substances
b- Development and Reproduction- Development refers to the defined stages
a living thing undergoes in their life cycle which starts with birth and ends in
death. Reproduction is a process by which genetic information is passed on
from one generation to another as organisms produce offspring that resemble
their parents.
Two Ways of Reproduction
1. Sexual Reproduction- organisms reproduce with the use of two individuals
contributing their sex cells to produce a unique individual of their kind.
2. Asexual Reproduction- occurs when an organism makes copies of itself, as
commonly found in lower life forms.
c- Heredity: Unity Amidst Diversity- presence of DNA, differs in forms but
same in composition.
4. Organization of Life- the scope of life on Earth is so immense but it can
be viewed in to two dimensions, both following the Hierarchical Levels of
Biological Organization
- exhibits high degree of organization from molecular to cellular level.
Single Cellular Organisms- possesses only certain parts of a cell
Multicellular Organisms- groups of cells form tissue and different tissues form
organs, different organs comprise an organ system with a specialized function.
An Organism interacts with other organisms of the same kind known as
population, while an array of populations sharing their habitat compose a
community. These communities exist in an environment affected by both living
and non-living components known as ecosystem. All ecosystems on Earth
whether they support life on land, water or lower atmosphere make up what
we call the biosphere.