Campbell Biology Ninth Edition Notes
Chapter 1: Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life
Evolution process of change that has transformed life on Earth from earliest beginnings to the
diversity of organisms living today. This is the theme of the book
o This is the theme of the book
Biology scientific study of life
o Posing questions about the world and seeking science based answers to them
1.1 The theme of this book make connections across different areas of biology
Emerge Properties: New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life,
owning to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.
o Ex: Although photosynthesis occurs in an intact chloroplast, it will NOT take place in a
DISORGANIZED test-tub mixture of chlorophyll and other chloroplast molecules.
Photosynthesis requires a specific ORGANIZATION of those molecules in the
chloroplast
Recycling of chemical is essential to the life depends on a network of diverse organism
interacting with each other and with the soil, air, and water.
Emergent Properties is not unique in life
o Has to be arranged in a certain way to function
Ex) lead and diamond are both pure carbon, but have different appearance and
properties due to the different arrangements of their carbon atoms highlight the
importance of arrangement
The Power and Limitations of Reductionism
o Biologist seeking to understand biological system confront a dilemma because the
properties of life emerge from complex organization
Can’t fully explain a higher level of order by breaking it down into its parts
Ex) Disrupting a living system interferes with its functioning
Ex) a cell reduced to its chemical ingredients is no longer a cell
However, somethings are needed to be taken apart to be analyzed
o Reductionism the approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that ae
more manageable to study
Ex) Understanding the molecular structure of DNA its chemical basis to
inheritance
Understand its role in cells and organisms
o Balance emergent properties and reductionism how the parts of cells, organisms, and
higher levels of order work together
This approach is called SYSTEM BIOLOGY
System Biology
o A system is a combination of components that function together
o System Biology is an approach that attempts to model the dynamic behavior of whole
biological systems based on a study of the interactions among the system’s part
Successful models enable biologist to predict how a change in one or more
variable will affect other components and the whole system
Ex) Observing local traffic from which you can see how variables such as
time of day, construction projects, accidents and traffic-signal
malfunctions affect traffic throughout the city.
Enable us to pose new questions
, Ultimate goal of system biology is to answer large-scale questions
Levels of Biological Organization
o The Biosphere – As soon as we are near enough to Earth to make out its continents and
oceans, we begin to see signs of life – ex. In the green mosaic of the planet’s forest.
First view of biosphere which consists of all life on Earth and all the places where
life exists.
o Ecosystems – We can begin to make out forests with an abundance of trees that lose their
leaves in one season and grow new ones in another (deciduous trees example of
ecosystem is a deciduous forest)
Ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area, along with all the
nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts such as soil
and water
o Communities – Entire array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem
Example many kinds of tress and other plants, a diversity of animals
o Populations - Consists of all the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a
specified area.
Example Ontario forest contains sugar maple trees and a population of white-
tailed deer set of populations that inhabit a particular area
o Organisms Individual living things are called organisms.
Example The maple trees and the plants and the forest animals
o Organs and Organ System – The structure hierarcy of life continues to unfold as we
explore the architecture of more complex organisms.
Example Maple leaf is an organ, a body part that carries out a particular
function in the body. Stems and roots are the other major organs of the plants.
Human organs include the brain and the heart such organs are organized into
an organ system like the digestive system
o Tissues – Each tissue is made up of a group of cells that work together performing a
specialized function.
o Cells – The cell is life’s fundamental unit of structure and function. Some organs such as
most bacteria are single cells. Other organisms such as plants and other animals are
multicellular have a division of labor among specialized cells.
o Organelles --. Chloroplast are examples of organelles, the various functional components
present in cells.
o Molecules A molecule is a chemical structure consisting of two or more small chemical
units called atom which are represented as balls.
Most important molecule is chlorophyll because it absorbs sunlight during the
first step of photosynthesis.
Theme: Organisms Interact with Other Organisms and the Physical Environment
o In an ecosystem, each organism interacts continuously with its environment, which
includes both other organisms and physical factors.
Ex. The leaves absorb sunlight from the sun, take in carbon dioxide from the air,
and release oxygen to the air.
Plant takes up water and minerals from the soil through its roots and its roots help
form soil by breaking up rocks.
o Interactions between organism result in the cycling of nutrients in ecosystem
Humans interaction with the environment has consequences
Ex. The Industrial Revolution – burning of fossil fuels has been increasing
at a fast pace. This releases vast amount of gaseous compounds into the
, atmosphere, including carbon dioxide. Half of the human-generated CO2
stays in the atmosphere acting like a layer of gas around the planet that
admits radiation that warms the Earth but prevents heat from radiation into
outer space.
o Global climate change – has already had dire effects on life forms and their habitats all
over planet Earth.
Ex. Polar bears lost a significant amount of the ice platform.
Theme: Life Requires Energy Transfer and Transformation
o The input of energy from the sun make life possible: A fundamental characteristic of
living organisms in their use of energy to carry out life’s activities (Ex. Moving,
reproducing and growing)
o Chlorophyll molecules within the tree’s leaves harness the energy of sunlight and use it to
drive photosynthesis, converting CO2 and water to sugar and oxygen.
Chemical energy in sugar is then passed down by plants and other photosynthetic
organisms to consumers.
An animal’s muscle cells use sugar as fuel to power movement, converting
chemical energy to kinetic energy, the energy of motion.
Cells in leaf use sugar to drive the process of cell proliferation during leaf growth,
transforming stored chemical energy into cellular work.
Some energy disposed as thermal energy dissipates to the surrounding as heat
Energy flows through an ecosystem usually entering as light and exiting as heat
Theme: Structure and Functions Are Correlated at All Levels of Biological Organization
o The thing, flat shape of the plant maximizes the amount of sunlight that can be captured
by its chloroplast
o Knowing the function of something provides insight into its construction
Ex. The wing of a bird has an aerodynamically efficient shape. The shape and
structure of its bones make flight possible
Theme: The Cell Is an Organism’s Basic Unit of Structure and Function
o The cell has a special place as the lowest level of organization that can perform all
activities required for life.
Ex. The movement of the eyes is based on activities of muscle and nerve cell.
o Cells share certain characteristic
Ex. Every cell is enclosed by a membrane that regulates the passage of materials
between the cell and its surroundings.
Every cell uses DNA as its genetic information.
2 different types of cells
o Prokaryotic Cells (cells of two groups of micoorganisms called
bacteria and archaea) – the DNA is not separated from the rest of
the cell by enclosure in a membrane-bounded nucleus.
Lack the other kinds of membrane-enclosed organelles that
characterize eukaryotic cells
o Eukaryotic Cells (All forms of life including plants and animals) –
it’s a subdivided by internal membranes into various membrane-
enclosed organelles.
The largest organelle is the nucleus (which contains the
cell’s DNA) located in the cytoplasm (entire region
between the nucleus and outer membrane of the cell)
Chapter 1: Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life
Evolution process of change that has transformed life on Earth from earliest beginnings to the
diversity of organisms living today. This is the theme of the book
o This is the theme of the book
Biology scientific study of life
o Posing questions about the world and seeking science based answers to them
1.1 The theme of this book make connections across different areas of biology
Emerge Properties: New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life,
owning to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.
o Ex: Although photosynthesis occurs in an intact chloroplast, it will NOT take place in a
DISORGANIZED test-tub mixture of chlorophyll and other chloroplast molecules.
Photosynthesis requires a specific ORGANIZATION of those molecules in the
chloroplast
Recycling of chemical is essential to the life depends on a network of diverse organism
interacting with each other and with the soil, air, and water.
Emergent Properties is not unique in life
o Has to be arranged in a certain way to function
Ex) lead and diamond are both pure carbon, but have different appearance and
properties due to the different arrangements of their carbon atoms highlight the
importance of arrangement
The Power and Limitations of Reductionism
o Biologist seeking to understand biological system confront a dilemma because the
properties of life emerge from complex organization
Can’t fully explain a higher level of order by breaking it down into its parts
Ex) Disrupting a living system interferes with its functioning
Ex) a cell reduced to its chemical ingredients is no longer a cell
However, somethings are needed to be taken apart to be analyzed
o Reductionism the approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that ae
more manageable to study
Ex) Understanding the molecular structure of DNA its chemical basis to
inheritance
Understand its role in cells and organisms
o Balance emergent properties and reductionism how the parts of cells, organisms, and
higher levels of order work together
This approach is called SYSTEM BIOLOGY
System Biology
o A system is a combination of components that function together
o System Biology is an approach that attempts to model the dynamic behavior of whole
biological systems based on a study of the interactions among the system’s part
Successful models enable biologist to predict how a change in one or more
variable will affect other components and the whole system
Ex) Observing local traffic from which you can see how variables such as
time of day, construction projects, accidents and traffic-signal
malfunctions affect traffic throughout the city.
Enable us to pose new questions
, Ultimate goal of system biology is to answer large-scale questions
Levels of Biological Organization
o The Biosphere – As soon as we are near enough to Earth to make out its continents and
oceans, we begin to see signs of life – ex. In the green mosaic of the planet’s forest.
First view of biosphere which consists of all life on Earth and all the places where
life exists.
o Ecosystems – We can begin to make out forests with an abundance of trees that lose their
leaves in one season and grow new ones in another (deciduous trees example of
ecosystem is a deciduous forest)
Ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area, along with all the
nonliving components of the environment with which life interacts such as soil
and water
o Communities – Entire array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem
Example many kinds of tress and other plants, a diversity of animals
o Populations - Consists of all the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a
specified area.
Example Ontario forest contains sugar maple trees and a population of white-
tailed deer set of populations that inhabit a particular area
o Organisms Individual living things are called organisms.
Example The maple trees and the plants and the forest animals
o Organs and Organ System – The structure hierarcy of life continues to unfold as we
explore the architecture of more complex organisms.
Example Maple leaf is an organ, a body part that carries out a particular
function in the body. Stems and roots are the other major organs of the plants.
Human organs include the brain and the heart such organs are organized into
an organ system like the digestive system
o Tissues – Each tissue is made up of a group of cells that work together performing a
specialized function.
o Cells – The cell is life’s fundamental unit of structure and function. Some organs such as
most bacteria are single cells. Other organisms such as plants and other animals are
multicellular have a division of labor among specialized cells.
o Organelles --. Chloroplast are examples of organelles, the various functional components
present in cells.
o Molecules A molecule is a chemical structure consisting of two or more small chemical
units called atom which are represented as balls.
Most important molecule is chlorophyll because it absorbs sunlight during the
first step of photosynthesis.
Theme: Organisms Interact with Other Organisms and the Physical Environment
o In an ecosystem, each organism interacts continuously with its environment, which
includes both other organisms and physical factors.
Ex. The leaves absorb sunlight from the sun, take in carbon dioxide from the air,
and release oxygen to the air.
Plant takes up water and minerals from the soil through its roots and its roots help
form soil by breaking up rocks.
o Interactions between organism result in the cycling of nutrients in ecosystem
Humans interaction with the environment has consequences
Ex. The Industrial Revolution – burning of fossil fuels has been increasing
at a fast pace. This releases vast amount of gaseous compounds into the
, atmosphere, including carbon dioxide. Half of the human-generated CO2
stays in the atmosphere acting like a layer of gas around the planet that
admits radiation that warms the Earth but prevents heat from radiation into
outer space.
o Global climate change – has already had dire effects on life forms and their habitats all
over planet Earth.
Ex. Polar bears lost a significant amount of the ice platform.
Theme: Life Requires Energy Transfer and Transformation
o The input of energy from the sun make life possible: A fundamental characteristic of
living organisms in their use of energy to carry out life’s activities (Ex. Moving,
reproducing and growing)
o Chlorophyll molecules within the tree’s leaves harness the energy of sunlight and use it to
drive photosynthesis, converting CO2 and water to sugar and oxygen.
Chemical energy in sugar is then passed down by plants and other photosynthetic
organisms to consumers.
An animal’s muscle cells use sugar as fuel to power movement, converting
chemical energy to kinetic energy, the energy of motion.
Cells in leaf use sugar to drive the process of cell proliferation during leaf growth,
transforming stored chemical energy into cellular work.
Some energy disposed as thermal energy dissipates to the surrounding as heat
Energy flows through an ecosystem usually entering as light and exiting as heat
Theme: Structure and Functions Are Correlated at All Levels of Biological Organization
o The thing, flat shape of the plant maximizes the amount of sunlight that can be captured
by its chloroplast
o Knowing the function of something provides insight into its construction
Ex. The wing of a bird has an aerodynamically efficient shape. The shape and
structure of its bones make flight possible
Theme: The Cell Is an Organism’s Basic Unit of Structure and Function
o The cell has a special place as the lowest level of organization that can perform all
activities required for life.
Ex. The movement of the eyes is based on activities of muscle and nerve cell.
o Cells share certain characteristic
Ex. Every cell is enclosed by a membrane that regulates the passage of materials
between the cell and its surroundings.
Every cell uses DNA as its genetic information.
2 different types of cells
o Prokaryotic Cells (cells of two groups of micoorganisms called
bacteria and archaea) – the DNA is not separated from the rest of
the cell by enclosure in a membrane-bounded nucleus.
Lack the other kinds of membrane-enclosed organelles that
characterize eukaryotic cells
o Eukaryotic Cells (All forms of life including plants and animals) –
it’s a subdivided by internal membranes into various membrane-
enclosed organelles.
The largest organelle is the nucleus (which contains the
cell’s DNA) located in the cytoplasm (entire region
between the nucleus and outer membrane of the cell)
