CHAPTER 1:

 Life is characterized into: order, evolutionary adaptation, response to the environment,

regulation, energy processing, reproduction, and growth and development.
 Levels of biological organization: the biosphere, ecosystems, communities, populations,
organisms, organs and organ systems, tissues, cells, organelles, and molecules.
 Biosphere- consists all of the environments on earth that are inhibited by life. Includes land,
water, and the atmosphere.
 Ecosystems- they consist of grasslands, deserts, and the ocean’s coral reefs. It also consists of all
living things in a particular area, along with nonliving components, such as water, soil,
atmospheric gases, and light.
 Communities- they consist of the entire array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem.
Array of organisms are also called species.
 Populations- they consist of all individuals of a particular species living within the bounds of a
specific area.
 Organisms- they are individual living things.
 Organs and organ systems- an organ is a body part consisting of two or more tissues. Organs are
organized into actions, which are called organ systems.
 Tissues- the inside parts of an object, known as the cellular structure.
 Cells- unit structure of function.
 Organelles- various functional components that make up cells.
 Molecules- a chemical structure consisting of two or more small chemical units called atoms.
 Ecosystem dynamics consist of the cycling of nutrients and the flow of energy from sunlight to
producers to consumers.
 The cell can perform all activities required for life.
 DNA is the substance of genes, the units of inheritance that transmit information from parents
to offspring, which make up chromosomes.
 DNA directs the development
 The electron transport system occurs in the cristae of the mitochondria, where a series of
cytochromes (cell pigments) and coenzymes exist.
 These cytochromes and coenzymes act as carrier molecules and transfer molecules.
 They accept high-energy electrons and pass the electrons to the next molecule in the system.
 At key proton-pumping sites, the energy of the electrons transports protons across the
membrane into the outer compartment of the mitochondrion.
 Enzymes speed up metabolic reactions by lowering energy barriers.