Unifying Principles of Biology

I. Introduction
   
     A. Overview
   
          1. Each discipline has certain underlying
               "themes"--the foundations upon which
               that discipline is built. These can be
               called the "Unifying Principles" of that
               discipline.
   
          2. "What is Life?" Revisited
   
II. Unifying Principles of Biology
   
     A. There are levels of organization in nature.
   
   
   
     B. All living things are made of chemicals.
   
          1. The Basic Elements
   
               a. Carbon                C
               b. Hydrogen              H
               c. Oxygen                O
               d. Nitrogen              N
               e. Phosphorus            P
               f. Sulfur                S
               g. Others                etc.
   
          2. The Basic Molecules
   
              a. Carbohydrates
   
   
   
              b. Lipids
   
   
   
              c. Proteins
   
   
   
              d. Nucleotides
   

              e. Water
   
   
   
   
     (Every living thing is made of chemicals, but
     so is everything else in the universe. What is
     the difference between them? Is there
     something special about the chemicals found
     in living things, some sort of vital element?)
   
          3. Living versus Nonliving
   
               a. The major difference between
                    living things and nonliving things is
                    not their chemical makeup, but
                    how those chemicals are arranged
                    and how those chemicals interact
                    with each other.
   
          4. Disciplines:
   
               a. Chemistry; Biochemistry
   
     C. All living things consist of cells.
   
          1. Cells
   
               a. Outer Membrane; Cytoplasm with
                    Organelles; Chromosomes
   
               b. Prokaryotic Cells
   
                    i. Bacteria, Cyanobacteria, etc.
   
               c. Eukaryotic Cells
   
                    i. All other living things
   
     (All living things have certain morphological
     characteristics that make them "look" alive.)
   
          2. Disciplines:
   
               a. Cytology; Histology; Anatomy
   
     (What about viruses? Are they alive?)
							
     D. All living things require energy
          (most of which comes from the Sun).
   
          1. Photosynthesis
   
          2. Cellular Respiration
   
   
   
   
          3. Reasons
   
               a. Eating
               b. Metabolism
               c. Homeostasis
               d. Growth and Development
               e. Responding to Stimuli
   
          4. Autopoiesis
   
          5. Disciplines:
   
               a. Physiology; Biochemistry
   
     E. All living things reproduce more of themselves.
   
          1. Disciplines:
   
               a. Genetics; Reproductive Biology
   
     (Life has been one continuous thread, that
     "property" which has been passed on from
     one generation to another, leading from the
     origin of life on this planet 3.5 or 4 billion years
     ago to the present day.)
   
     F. All living things evolve.
   
          1. Evolution
   
               a. Reproduction (or descent) with change
   
          2. Quick Summary
   
               a. Variation
               b. Adaptation
               c. Fitness
               d. Natural Selection
   
     G. All living things interact with their environment.
   
          1. The environment as a whole.
   
          2. You are an environment.
   
               a. Disease
   
          3. Disciplines:
   
               a. Ecology
   
     H. All living things die.
   
          1. Aging
   
          2. Extinction
   
          3. "Nonliving" versus "Dead"
   
III. Summary

Page obtained from link at URL: http://www.ric.edu/faculty/jmontvilo/109.htm Prepared by Jerome A. Montvilo, Ph.D. for the use of his students. Copyright © by Jerome A. Montvilo. All rights reserved. Please send questions, comments, or suggestions to jmontvilo@ric.edu. Last updated 15 January, 2008