Life Science

Life science: the study of all living things

Characteristics of Living Things

Living things have a life cycle of five stages: beginning;

growth; maturity; decline; death
Living things depend on a source of energy.
Living things reproduce.
Living things respond to stimuli.
Living things are composed of cells.

The Cell
The cell is the basic unit of life.
Common characteristics of cells:
cell membranea protective, soft and flexible covering
nucleusthe control center of the cell
cytoplasma jellylike fluid of important organic molecules
organellesspecialized structures within the cytoplasm
cell wallsupportive structure surrounding the cell
membrane (in plant cells)
chloroplastsorganelles that contain chlorophyll (in plant
cells)

Heredity
The study of genetics determines how characteristics are passed
from an organism to its offspring. The following structures and
processes all play a role in an organisms genetic makeup:
DNAa large, complex molecule in the shape of a double
helix (spiral) found in a cell's nucleus
chromosomea single DNA molecule that is made up
of genes, the coded instructions for individual traits
dominant geneone gene in a gene pair that determines
the effect of the gene pair
recessive genea gene that has no effect if a dominant
gene is present
mitosisthe division of a cell resulting in the formation of two
new cells, each containing the identical genetic information of
the original cell
mutationa change in a DNA molecule that creates a set of

coded instructions that are different from those contained in

the original cell
speciesorganisms that have the same number of
chromosomes and look alike

Characteristics of Simple Organisms

Unicellular organisms are single-celled organisms that carry on all
of life's essential activities:
prokaryotesorganisms, such as bacteria, whose cells do
not contain a nucleus or other specialized structures
eukaryotesorganisms, such as amoebas, whose cells do
contain a nucleus and other specialized structures
Simple multicellular organisms are simple organisms made up of
more than one cell:
fungisimple plants, such as mushrooms, that do not contain
chlorophyll
mossthe main type of nonvascular plant, a plant that has
no specialized tissue to transport water and nutrients to its
parts
fernthe simplest type of vascular plant, a plant that has
specialized tissue to transport water and nutrients to its parts

Characteristics of Flowering Plants

Flowering plants are complex multicellular organisms with a variety
of specialized structures:
rootsused for anchoring a plant to the ground and
absorbing water and minerals from the soil
stemsused for holding leaves up to the sunlight and for
transporting water and minerals from the roots
leavesthe site of photosynthesis, the process in which
food (sugar) results from a chemical process involving water
and carbon dioxide gas in the presence of sunlight
flowersthe place in which the reproductive parts of a plant
are located

Characteristics of Animals
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone or a skull. More
than 95 percent of all animals are invertebrates. Some of the most
common types are listed below:

spongeswater-dwelling invertebrates that do not have a

head, arms or legs, nerves, or a central digestive pathway
jellyfishinvertebrates that have a digestive cavity and a
central nervous system
wormsinvertebrates with a segmented body and a nervous
system that responds to both light and sound
mollusksinvertebrates that usually have a soft body
covered by a protective shell
arthropodsinvertebrates that have jointed limbs and
an exoskeleton (a hard outer covering)
Vertebrates are animals with a backbone and a skull. Cold-blooded
vertebrates cannot control their own body temperature:
fishvertebrates that live in water and use gills for breathing
amphibiansvertebrates that go through two different life
phases, the first in water and the second on land
reptilesvertebrates that live on land but are most
comfortable near water
Warm-blooded vertebrates can control their own body
temperature:
birdsvertebrates that have wings and fly
mammalsvertebrates that directly give birth to live young

Animal Behavior
Behavior refers to activities that animals engage in to ensure their
survival or the survival of their species:
animal sensessight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch
biological timekeepingan internal biological clock that acts
to control natural behavioral cycles such as sleeping and
eating
navigationmeans of finding direction and distance
animal defensesrunning away, natural camouflage, a
protective outer layer or shell, an ability to fight back, and the
ability to play dead
social behaviorcommunicating, courtship, playing, and living
peacefully in a group
toolmakingthe knowledge and ability to make tools to aid in
life processes

Communities of Living Things

An ecosystem is made up of a community of populations of
organisms, all the habitats of the organisms, and all the natural
resources that affect the community:
habitata home for a population of organisms
populationall the organisms in a single species

food chainan interdependence of a group of animals and

plants in which one eats the other to survive
food webmany different food chains that are linked in a
complex circular relationship

The Theory of Evolution

The modern theory of evolution began with the work of Charles
Darwin in the mid-1800s. The main ideas that form the theory of
evolution are listed below.
There are genetic variations among the members of every
species. A genetic variation is called a mutation. Some
mutations produce favorable traits that help an organism
survive. Some mutations produce unfavorable traits.
An ecosystem can support only a limited number of each
species. Competition for food, shelter, and other resources
limits the population of each species.
Members of a species with the most favorable traits are the
ones most likely to survive. Members that survive will pass
these favorable traits on to offspring.
Darwin's theory of evolution predicts that evolution takes place
slowlyperhaps over hundreds of thousands of yearsas species
gradually become better adapted to a slowly changing environment.
Catastrophic events can cause a type of rapid evolution
called punctuated equilibrium.

The Fossil Record

A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of an ancient living
thing. An organisms fossil can tell us many things about the
organism:
when an organism first appeared on Earth
how an organism differed from its ancestors
characteristics of an organism's life
how long the organism was on Earth before dying
what caused an organism to become die
Fossils also tell us many things about the first appearance of
different types of life on Earth:
The earliest form of life appears to have been blue-green
algae that appeared on Earth about 3.5 billion years ago.
The first complex organisms, jellyfish and worms, began
appearing on Earth about 680 million years ago.
The first ocean-dwelling vertebrates appeared about 570
million years ago.
The first amphibians appeared about 400 million years ago.

The first land-dwelling reptiles, including dinosaurs, appeared

about 300 million years ago.
The first land-dwelling mammals appeared about 100 million
years ago.
Mammals became the dominant life form on Earth about 65
million years ago, following the sudden extinction of
dinosaurs.