Objectives chapter 1

Why This Chapter Matters

1. We are living in the golden age of biology. Biological discoveries revolutionize medicine, change agriculture, and impact human culture.

2. Life is united not by a single trait, but by a common set of characteristics. Appreciating what it means to be living is as complex as life itself.

3. Life exists at many levels of biological organization. Understanding how these levels
interrelate provides insight into the mechanisms of living systems.

4. The diversity of life is nested into groups that are united and interrelated by their shared evolutionary histories.

5. Science is a way of knowing and exploring our natural world. Most scientists use a
combination of two main forms of inquiry: discovery science and hypothesis-driven science.

6. Understanding how science is done reveals the power and limits of this form of knowledge.

Chapter Objectives

Biology and Society: Biology All Around Us

1. Describe three examples of how biology is woven into the fabric of society.

The Scope of Life

2. Describe seven properties or processes we associate with life.

3. List and give an example of each level of biological organization, starting with an ecosystem and ending with atoms.

4. Describe the two main dynamic processes in an ecosystem.

5. Compare the structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

6. Distinguish between the three domains and four eukaryotic kingdoms of life.

Evolution: Biology’s Unifying Theme

7. Describe the two main points that Darwin made in his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

8. Describe the two observations that led Darwin to his inescapable conclusion. State this conclusion.

9. Compare artificial and natural selection, noting similarities and differences.

The Process of Science

10. Compare discovery science and hypothesis-driven science. Provide examples of each
regarding the study of trans fats in the human diet.

11. Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory. Explain why natural selection qualifies as a scientific theory.

12. Distinguish science from other styles of inquiry.

13. Describe examples of the interdependence of technology and science.

Evolution Connection: Evolution in Our Everyday Lives

14. Explain how changes in the effectiveness of antibiotics illustrate natural selection.