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BIOLOGY A – CH. 1 NOTES

________________ - study of living things

________________– complete, individual living thing

Characteristics of Living Things
1. All organisms are made of ____________ - these are the basic building blocks (smallest unit that can carry on the activities of life)
_____________ – organism composed of a single cell (bacteria)        _____________ – more than 1 cell (humans)

2. Organisms are highly organized – the basic difference between organisms is ______________________________________– cells are like miniature factories.  Living things are based on a ________________________________________.

3. Organisms use ______________– the ultimate source of energy is ___________ – Plants typically store excess energy as __________while animals typically store excess energy as ____________
________________– sum of chemical building up (____________) & breaking down (_______________________)

4. Organisms grow & develop – growth is _______________________while development is _________________________

5. Organisms have a _________________ (average length of life) & all organisms maintain a stable internal environment – this is called ____________________. 

6. Organisms _________________ – this is necessary for the continued existence of the __________________.  In _________________________, 2 cells from different parents unite to produce the first cell of the new organism (offspring & parents have different traits).  In _________________________________, the new organism has a single parent (offspring & parents have the same traits).

7. Organisms respond to a ________________ - this is any condition to which an organism can react; the resulting action is called a _______________; _____________________ refers to the ability to respond to stimuli

8. Organisms adjust to their_____________________– one must adapt to survive – any change in an organism that makes it better suited to its environment is an__________________________________.  ____________________ refers to a set of differences among individuals – sometimes these variations may give the organism an edge over others.  Any kind of organism can change, or __________ over time.

FIELDS OF BIOLOGY
___________________ – external & internal structures of organisms
___________________ – structure & activity of cells
___________________ – how organisms interact with one another & their environment
___________________ – insects
____________________ - heredity
____________________ – frogs & snakes
____________________ – fish
____________________ – bacteria, viruses
____________________ – birds
____________________ – grouping organisms based on evolutionary similarities
____________________ – chemical makeup & processes of organisms
____________________ – how organisms have changed through time
____________________ – life processes & functions of parts
____________________– animals

“The importance of science is not that it answers questions but that it continually discovers new questions to ask.”

_________________ – body of knowledge that exists about the world & the method of study used to arrive at that knowledge – The goal of science is to investigate & understand ________________, to explain events in nature, and to use those explanations to make useful ________________________.