UNIT I: CELL MODULE

General Biology 1
First Semester | 2022-2023

Lesson 1A: Introduction to Biology

Topics:
1. Biology and its Importance
2. Unifying Themes of Life
3. Biological Organization

Introduction to Biology
Biology is the subject that studies life in all its forms, from the simple cell through to all the animals that
inhabit the planet. There is a huge amount we still don’t understand about how life works, how it started and
how it ended up with us. In this subject, we will study the known knowns of biology and hopefully it will
inspire you to explore the unknowns of life.
Before we start our first lesson, here is a 9-minute video of Domain of Science, which will give us insights
on Map of Biology. In this map they lay out the subject of biology and how all the sub-disciplines are related
to each other: microbiology, genetics, bioengineering, anatomy, physiology, medicine, neuroscience,
ecology, zoology to name but a few. Biology spans the scales, from biophysics and biochemistry studying
the basic elements of life, to the study of whole ecosystems and the environment. If there is one word that
describes biology, it is complexity.

BIOLOGY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

A. Biology

BIOLOGY is the study of life. Research works done by scientists have helped in revealing the basic
facts of life science and of life itself. One of the most basic information that the scientists discovered is that
DNA is the blueprint of life. This very basic of idea did not come to them overnight; instead, they performed
a series of queries and experiments before they arrived at that confirmed fact.

The study of Biology unravels a story that started at least 3.8 billion years back in an aquatic
environment devoid of life. The first living cells came about as a result of ancient events wherein lifeless
matter – atoms and molecules – became organized into an entity capable of capturing and using energy and
raw materials, able of sensing and responding to the environment and with a capacity of reproducing its own
kind. Provided with genetic materials that can change, the first living thing evolved from one generation to
the next, resulting to the present diversity of living animals, plants, and microorganisms.

B. The Importance of Studying Biology

Biology is the study of our body and its environment. It is science of our lives. For you, studying
biology will help in understanding the functions and reactions of your body. It will explain your similarity or
difference with others. Also, it can explain your behavior in various situations. Thus, biology should be great
importance to you because it will give you answers to the countless questions you might have about yourself.

Biology also involves studying and examining other animals. It also helps in understanding how these
animals survive, respond and interact in their environment. Other life forms are important because biology
uses some of them, such as mice, frogs, monkeys, as specimens to further understand our body systems.

This science of Biology also encompasses the study of different causative agents of diseases such
as bacteria and viruses. By studying the life process of these organisms, their reproductive cycles, and their
reaction to chemicals, you learn ways to fight and prevent the spread of diseases they cause.

Biology also helps you respond to the demands of an increasing human population, through careful
studies and research, plants and animals for consumption are improved to answer the need for increased

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General Biology 1
First Semester | 2022-2023

food production. Biology also studies the reproduction and population growth to assure that problems
regarding overpopulation will be given answer.

Biology takes into its realm the study of plants. Plants are important as they provide us with food,
oxygen, medicine, clothing, etc. Many of the building materials of our houses and furniture are from plants.
Thus, Biology takes upon itself to also study how the quality and quantity of these plants can be improved.

As a result, and man- made natural calamities, a great part of our environment is in danger of being
destroyed. Many plants and animal species are in danger of extinction. Understanding biological processes
that lead to such problems can help preserve these endangered species and their ecosystems.

UNIFYING THEMES OF LIFE

Biologists have identified various traits common to all the living organisms we know of. Although nonliving
things may show some of these characteristic traits, only living things show all of them.

1. Living things are made of cells and organized.

Living things are highly organized, meaning they contain specialized, coordinated parts. All living organisms
are made up of one or more cells, which are considered the fundamental units of life. The smallest unit of
organization of a living thing is the cell.
A cell is a collection of living matter
enclosed by a barrier known as the
plasma membrane that separates it from
its surroundings. Cells can perform all
the functions we associate with life.
Cells are organized and contain
specialized parts that perform particular
functions. Cells are very different from
each other. A single cell by itself can
form an entire living organism.
Organisms consisting of only a single
cell are called unicellular. A bacterium
or a protist like amoebas and paramecia
are unicellular. However, most of the
organisms you are familiar with, such as dogs and trees, are multicellular. Multicellular organisms contain
hundreds, thousands, even trillions of cells or more. Multicellular organisms may have their cells organized
into tissues, organs, and systems. Whether it is unicellular or multicellular, all structures and functions of an
organism come together to form an orderly living system. Functional cells are not found in nonliving matter.
Structures that contain dead cells or pieces of cells are considered dead. For example, wood or cork cut
from a tree is made up largely of cell walls. The cells are no longer functional.

2. Living things acquire materials and energy.

Life depends on an enormous number of

interlocking chemical reactions. These
reactions make it possible for organisms
to do work. Living things must use energy
and consume nutrients to carry out the
chemical reactions that sustain life. The
sum total of the biochemical reactions
occurring in an organism is called
its metabolism.

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General Biology 1
First Semester | 2022-2023

Energy is the ability to make things

change. Energy is important because it powers
life processes. It provides organisms with the
ability to maintain balance, grow, reproduce, and
carry out other life functions. Some organisms
obtain energy from the foods they eat or, in the
case of plants and several other types of
organisms, the foods that they produce.
Organisms that get energy from the food they eat
are called heterotrophs. Organisms that use
energy from the sun to make their own food (which
they then use for energy) are called autotrophs.
The process is called photosynthesis.

3. Living things maintain homeostasis.

Living organisms regulate their internal environment to maintain the relatively narrow range of conditions
needed for cell function. This maintenance of a stable internal environment, even in the face of a changing
external environment, is known as homeostasis.
An organism must respond
to changes in the internal
environment as well. Internal
conditions include the level of
water, nutrients, and minerals
inside the body. It also refers to
body temperature and hormone
levels. Adjustments to internal
changes help organisms maintain a
stable internal environment. The
regulation of an organism’s internal
environment to maintain conditions
suitable for life is called
homeostasis. Or you can just think
of it as keeping everything in
BALANCE! For example, you have
a “thermostat” in your brain that reacts whenever your body temperature varies slightly from 37°C (about
98.6°F). If this internal thermostat detects a slight rise in your body temperature on a hot day, your brain
signals your skin to produce sweat. Sweating helps cool your body. The ability of mammals and birds to
regulate body temperature is just one example of homeostasis. Mechanisms of homeostasis enable
organisms to regulate their internal environment, despite changes in their external environment.

4. Living things respond to their environment.

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General Biology 1
First Semester | 2022-2023

Living things find energy and nutrients by interacting with their surroundings. Living organisms respond to
stimuli or changes in their environment. The ability to respond often results in movement. The ability to
respond also helps ensure survival of organism and allows it to carry on its daily activities.
Living things live in a constant
connection with the environment,
which includes the air, water,
weather, temperature, any
organisms in the area, and many
other factors. These external
environmental factors act as stimuli
and can cause a response from living
things. Organisms need to respond
to the changes in order to stay alive
and healthy. For example, if you go
outside on a bright summer day, the sun may cause you to squint. Perhaps the bark of an approaching dog
causes you to turn your head quickly. Just as you are constantly sensing and responding to changes in your
environment, so are all other organisms. For example, a specialized leaf of the Venus’ flytrap senses the
light footsteps of a soon-to-be-digested green bottle fly. The plant responded to this environmental stimulus
by rapidly folding the leaf together.

5. Living things reproduce.

Life comes only from life. Living

organisms can reproduce themselves to
create new organisms.
Perhaps the most obvious of all the
characteristics of life is reproduction, the
production of offspring. Organisms don’t
live forever. For life to continue,
organisms must replace themselves.
Reproduction is not essential for the
survival of an individual organism.
However, it is essential for the
continuation of an organism’s species. A
species is a group of similar-looking organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. If individuals
in a species never reproduced, it would mean an end to that species’ existence on Earth.
Reproduction can be either asexual, involving a single parent organism, or sexual, requiring two parents.
Single-celled organisms can reproduce themselves without the aid of others. Examples of asexual
reproduction includes binary fission and fragmentation. Binary fission occurs when a parent cell splits into
two identical daughter cells of the same size. Fragmentation occurs when a parent organism breaks into
fragments, or pieces, and each fragment develops into a new organism.

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First Semester | 2022-2023

In sexual reproduction, two parent organisms produce

sperm and egg cells containing half of their genetic information, and these cells fuse to form a new individual
with a full genetic set.

6. Living things have a universal genetic code.

Living things store their genetic information in molecules

of DNA. This genetic information is copied and passed on
from parents to offspring. The instruction for organism’s
organization and metabolism are encoded in the genes
found in DNA.

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General Biology 1
First Semester | 2022-2023

7. Living things grow and develop.

Living organisms undergo regulated growth. Individual cells

become larger in size, and multicellular organisms accumulate
many cells through cell division. Growth depends on anabolic
pathways that build large, complex molecules such as proteins
and DNA.

Adults do not always look like the babies of a species. All organisms begin their lives as single cells. Over
time, these organisms grow and take on the characteristics of their species. Growth results in an increase in
the amount of living material and the formation of new structures. All organisms grow, and different parts of
organisms may grow at different rates. Organisms made up of only one cell may change little during their
lives, but they do grow. On the other hand, organisms made up of numerous cells go through many changes
during their lifetimes. Think about some of the structural changes your body has already undergone in your
short life. All the changes that take place during the life of an organism are known as its development.

8. Living things evolve as a group and have adaptations.

Populations of living organisms can

undergo evolution, meaning that the genetic
makeup of a population may change over
time. In some cases, evolution
involves natural selection, in which a
heritable trait let organisms survive and
reproduce better in a particular environment.
Over generations, a heritable trait that
provides a fitness advantage may become
more and more common in a population,
making the population better suited to its
environment. This process is
called adaptation.

BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

Life is characterized by a high degree of order, and the biological organization is based on this order. Each
level of organization is more complex compared with the level preceding it. The higher degree contains all
the characteristics of the one on its lower level, and it usually has other characteristics, called an emergent
property, in addition to what the former level has. Emerging properties arise because of the interactions
among the parts of the whole of the organism.

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General Biology 1
First Semester | 2022-2023

Atom the smallest particle

Molecule two or more atoms bonded together
Cell the smallest unit of life
Tissue a group of similar cells
Organ a group of similar tissues working together
Organ System/Body System a group of similar organs working together
Organism a complete multicellular individual
Population a group of the same species in an area
Community a group of different species in an area
Ecosystem all the biotic and abiotic factors in an area
An area of the planet that can be classified according to the
Biome
plants and animals that live in it
Biosphere a global ecological system (Earth)

REFERENCES

• Anna Cherylle Morales – Ramos, Jose Tolentino Olivar II: Exploring Life Through Science Series.
Phoenix Publishing house, Inc. 927 Quezon Ave., Quezon City, Philippines.

• Bailey, Regina. 2019. Cell Theory: A Core Principle in Biology. Retrieved May 23, 2019
from https://www.thoughtco.com/cell-theory-373300

• Knowledge Class: Levels of Organization. Retrieved May 23, 2019 from

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com

• Mader, S. S., Windelspecht, M., & Preston, L. (2007). Essentials of biology. McGraw-Hill
higher education.

• Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., & Jackson, R. B.
(2014). Campbell biology (No. s 1309). Boston: Pearson.

• Rey Donne S. Papa, Jonathan Carlo A Briones, Donna May DC Papa, Dino T. Tordesillas: Earth
and Life Science: Knowing and Understanding Nature. Abiva Bldg., 851 Araneta Ave., Quezon City

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