Spring Biology Class

What to expect..

Tougher than Fall because of limited time for MCAS

Lots of classwork so make your class time useful
Simple but reinforcing assignments
Tough exams and quizzes
Vocabulary galore and its not simple
Notes and study habits
To learn new information
Enjoy the curriculum (or some of it!)
 Living and Non-Living
Viruses and the Classification of Living Organisms

The overall, generalized Tree of Life.

 Activator
We are living organisms.
The study of life is called Biology.
But what makes us living?
No Standard
There technically is not a standard for
this section of the notes, but you should
definitely know the ten (10)
characteristics of life and be able to
contrast these with the characteristics of
viruses.
 Characteristics of Living
Things
1. Biological
organisms are
composed of very
few elements. The
six most common
are S,P,O,N,C,H.
2. Living things
consist of cells
(unicellular or
multicellular).
 Characteristics of Living
Things
3. Living things are made up of cells.
4. Living things reproduce.
Asexual reproduction - a single parent
reproduces by itself
Ex. amoeba
Sexual reproduction - two cells from
different parents unite to produce the
first cell of the new organism
Ex. humans
 Characteristics of Living
Things
5. Living things are based on a genetic
code (DNA).
6. Livings things grow and develop.
7. Living things obtain and use energy.
The sun is the ultimate source of
energy for all life on Earth.
Certain organisms, like plants, capture
solar energy to carry out
photosynthesis.
 Characteristics of Living
Things
Photosynthesis transforms solar
energy into chemical energy.
Chemical energy is used by other
organisms. Ex. animals
Metabolism - all of the chemical
reactions that occur in a cell or in an
organism
 Characteristics of Living
Things
8. Living things respond to their
environment.
Ex. a monarch butterfly senses
approach of fall and migrates south.
9. Living things maintain a stable
internal environment (Homeostasis)
 Characteristics of Living
Things
10. Taken as a population, living
things change over time. (Evolution)
Adaptation - any modification that
makes an organism more suited to
its way of life.
 Ted Videos
Ted Education has very insightful and
meaningful videos for the Biology
curriculum. We will be watching many of
them throughout the semester. This first
one (although a little old) goes over
characteristics of living things in more
detail. Enjoy!!
The Characteristics of Living Things
 MCAS Standard
2.8 Compare and contrast a virus and a
cell in terms of genetic material and
reproduction.
 Viruses: What are they?
Tiny, non-living particles
Most biologists do not consider
viruses to be alive because they do
not have all of the characteristics
of life.
Viruses are not cells and are not
able to reproduce independently.
Only reproduce within a host cell
 Bacteriophage a virus that infects
bacteria
Viruses are species specific
Ex. Smallpox (affects humans)
Viruses are cell type specific
Ex. Polio (affects nerve cells)
Viruses can attack animals and
plantsnot just humans.
 Canine Parvovirus
In canines, this virus attacks cells of the
gastrointestinal tract (gut).
The virus is spread through the feces of
other dogs. And if you have dogs you know
their routine..
Symptoms include: vomiting and diarrhea
Affects puppies generally between 6-20
weeks of age
Puppies are vaccinated and given a booster
once a year for remainder of life.
 The best way to protect against most
viral diseases lies in prevention, often
by the use of vaccines.
A vaccine is a preparation of
weakened or killed virus or viral
proteins.
When injected into the body, a
vaccine stimulates the immune
system.
 Viral Structure
Each virus has at least two parts:
Capsid outer layer composed of
protein
Nucleic acid core DNA or RNA
Retrovirus a virus that injects RNA and
reverse transcriptase (transcribes RNA
into DNA) Ex. HIV
Viruses vary in shape from thread to
polyhedral.
 Viral Infection
Lytic Infection
A virus enters the cell, makes
copies of itself, and causes the cell
to burst.
 Lysogenic Infection
A virus embeds its DNA into the
DNA of the host cell and is
replicated along with the host cells
DNA.

Lengthy but informative video

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/hiv-and-flu-
the-vaccine-strategy-seth-berkley
The Classification of Life
 Activator
We classify things almost every day or in
mundane places. Can you think of ways in
our homes that we classify things?
Why do we classify items?
MCAS Standard
2.3 Use cellular evidence (e.g., cell
structure, cell number, cell reproduction)
and modes of nutrition to describe the six
kingdoms (Archaebacteria, Eubacteria,
Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia).
 Why Classification?
Biodiversity variety of life on Earth

Taxonomy branch of Biology

concerned with grouping and naming
organisms
The origin of
classification
Carolus Im
ma da
n!!
Linnaeus
developed
binomial
nomenclature
Ex. Haliaeetus
leucocephalus
$1 billion to whoever
guesses that organism
 Binomial
Nomenclature
Simply put, a two-name naming system. Observe
below.

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Genus Species

The great Swedish botanist (obvy Linnaeus), born in 1707, who

published the very famous Systema Naturae, proclaimed that every
species of plant/animal should have a 2-name naming system unique to
each species.
Common Name: Bald Eagle
 Taxon a group or level of organization into
which organisms are classified

Domain
Kingdom
Phylum/Division
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
DID---------> DOMAIN BROAD

KING--------> KINGDOM
PHILIP------> PHYLUM
CALL--------> CLASS
OUT ---------> ORDER
FOR----------> FAMILY
GRAPE-------> GENUS
SODA--------> SPECIES Specific
Lets classify. . .
Here is the classification for a Lion
Domain: Eukarya (eukaryotic cells)
Kingdom: Animalia (animal kingdom)
Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrates)
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Carnivora (carnivores)
Family: Felidae (cats)
Genus: Panthera
Species: leo
 Now compare to.
The American Black Bear:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdon: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus Ursus
Species: americanus
 The three domains are:
Bacteria, which corresponds to the
kingdom Eubacteria
Archaea, which corresponds to the
kingdom Archaebacteria
Eukarya, which is composed of
Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and
Animalia
 Eubacteria
Unicellular and prokaryotic (lacks a
nucleus)
Cell walls with peptidoglycan
Some photosynthesize while others do
not
Examples include; Escherichia coli and
Streptococcus
 Archaebacteria
Unicellular and prokaryotic
Cell walls without peptidoglycan
Autotroph or heterotroph
Live in the most extreme environments
Hot springs, thermal vents under
conditions with no oxygen or highly
acidic environments.
Examples include; Methanogens and
halophiles
 Protista
Most unicellular; some multicellular
Eurkaryote (have a nucleus)
Cell walls of cellulose in some; some
have chloroplasts
Autotroph or heterotroph
Examples include; Amoeba, Paramecia
slime molds, and giant kelp
 Fungi
Most multicellular; some unicellular
Eukaryote
Cell walls made of chitin
Heterotroph (by absorption)
Examples include; mushrooms,
yeasts, smuts, puffballs
 Plantae
Multicellular
Eukaryote
Cells walls of cellulose; chloroplasts
Autotroph (photosynthesis)
Examples include; mosses, ferns, and
flowering plants, shrubs, trees, cacti
 Animalia
Multicellular
Eukaryote
No cell walls or chloroplasts
Heterotroph
Examples include; sponges, worms,
insects, fishes and mammals
Phylogenetic Trees
Systematics - the diversity of organisms at all
levels
One goal of systematics is to determine phylogeny
(evolutionary history) of a group
Phylogeny often represented as a phylogenetic
tree
A diagram indicating lines of descent
Each branching point:
Is a divergence from a common ancestor
Represents an organism that gives rise to two new groups

50
Classification lists the unique characters of
each taxon and is intended to reflect
phylogeny

Primitive characters:
Present in all members of a group, and
Present in the common ancestor
Derived characters:
Present in some members of a group,
but
Absent in the common ancestor
Birds and mammals share the derived characteristic of a four-
chambered heart. Which of the above trees is the more simple
evolutionary explanation? Which is more simple if we
consider the shared primitive characteristic of no hair?