What is photosynthesis?

process that plants use to convert sunlight into food

when photos are put into a specific order

Why do we need plants?

They produce usable chemical energy

What would happen if we didn't have the sun?

life would not be possible on earth

How energy is transferred to you

LESSON 4. Cellular Respiration • Define cellular respiration • Identify the stages of clan respiration You have just learned how the energy from the sun is captured, processed, and stored in the form of glucose. Cellular respiration, another important life process, is the means by which cells release the stored energy in glucose to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The primary goal of this life process is to convert stored energy into usable form, such as ATP, for the cells to carry out their functions. Cellular respiration involves several chemical reactions. The reactions can be summed up in the following equation: C6 H12 O6 + 602 ----- 6 CO₂ +6H₂O + ATP Glucose oxygen carbon dioxide water energy Aerobic respiration reactions, or cellular respiration that takes place in the presence of oxygen, can be grouped into three stages glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and electron transport chain (ETC). Stage 1: Glycolysis Glycolysis is the process that breaks down one molecule of 6-C glucose into 3-C pyruvates or pyruvic acids. It also releases four molecules of ATP. This process occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell. The following is the step-by-step process of glycolysis. Take note that several enzymes are involved in this process. 1. The first step of glycolysis requires energy. It can only proceed when the two ATP molecules donate energy to the glucose by transferring a phosphate group with the help of an enzyme, producing glucose 6-phosphate 2. Then, a specific enzyme promotes the rearrangement of the atoms, producing the fructose 6-phosphate. 3. The action of the enzyme in step 2 promotes the transfer of a phosphate group from another ATP molecule, forming fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. 4. The resulting fructose 1,6-bisphosphate molecules, with the help of another enzyme, splits into two molecules, each with three carbon backbones. These two sugars are dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. 5. Another important enzyme then rapidly interconverts the molecules of dihydro-xyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. This produces two molecules of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate or 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde (PGAL) 6. The succeeding step involves another enzyme-mediated action. The hydrogen (H) from PGAL is transferred to the oxidizing agent, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which forms NADH. A phosphate (P) is also added from the cytosol of the cell to oxidize the two molecules of PGAL, forming two 1.3-bisphosphoglycerate. 7. A phosphate (P) from 1,3-biphosphoglycerate is transferred to ADP to form ATP. This happens for each of the two 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate. resulting to a yield of two ATP and two 3-phosphoglycerate molecules. 8. A phosphate is transferred from 3-phosphoglycerate molecules from the third carbon to the second carbon, forming 2-phosphoglycerate molecules A hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl ((OH) group is released, which then combines to form water (H2O). The removal of H2O from 2-phosphoglycerate results in the formation of 2- phosphoglycerate molecules. 9. A hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl ((OH) group is released, which then combines to form water (H2O). The removal of H2O from 2-phosphoglycerate results in the formation of two phosphoenolpyruvic acid (PEP) 10. Phosphate (P) from PEP is transferred to ADP (and forms ATP) and the final product, pyruvic acid. This reaction yields two molecules of pyruvic acid and two ATP molecules In summary, a single glucose molecule that undergoes the process of glycolysis produces two molecules of pyruvic acid, four molecules of ATP, two molecules of NADEL and two molecules of H.O. However, only two molecules of ATP are counted as net products since two molecules of ATP are spent throughout the process. Stage II: Krebs Cycle The Krebs cycle, named after its proponent Sir Hans Adolf Krebs, is a cyclical series of enzyme-controlled reactions. This stage of cellular respiration occurs in the matrix of the mitochondria. It is sometimes. called the citric acid cycle (CAC) since it produces citric acid. Citric acid contains three carboxyl (COOH) groups; hence, it is also called the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA). This requires the pyruvic acids produced during glycolysis. The main function of this cycle is to produce high-energy-yielding molecules, namely, NADH and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH) that will later on be used in the electron transport chain reaction. Figure 6-7. Summary of glycolysis and corresponding products in each reaction presented (See Appendix F on page 285 for an enlarged and complete version of the image.) An initial process is needed for the Krebs cycle to begin. As a pyruvate molecule from glycolysis enters the mitochondrion, it undergoes an important preliminary ate to form acetyl-CoA reaction. Coenzyme-A (COA) combines with pyruvate help of an enzymatic complex. This conversion also produces CO, and NADH. The Krebs cycle is summarized as follows. Take note that several enzymes are involved in this process. 1. The Krebs cycle technically begins when the acetyl-CoA combines with oxaloacetic acid (OAA), a 4-C molecule, to produce citric acid, a 6-C molecule. 2. With the aid of an enzyme, the citric acid now goes through a series of reactions that releases energy. Water molecule is removed from the citric acid and is returned in a different location. The-OH group is repositioned, forming the molecule isocitrate. 3. Isocitrate is then oxidized, forming the a-ketoglutarate, a 5-C molecule. The byproducts of this reaction are NADH and CO, 4 The a-ketoglutarate loses its CO, and a coenzyme-A is added in its place. The decarboxylation occurs with the help of NAD, which then becomes NADH. The resulting molecule is called succinyl-CoA. 5. Succinyl-CoA is converted into succinate. Also in this reaction, a molecule of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) is synthesized. The GTP molecule has similar structure and energy properties to that of ATP and is used by cells the same way. The free phosphate group attacks the succinyl-CoA molecule, which detaches the COA. Then, phosphate is attached to GDP to come up with GTP, similar to the process that occur in ATP synthesis (from ADP to ATP). 6. Two hydrogens are removed from succinate, A molecule of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), a coenzyme similar to NAD, is reduced to FADH, as it takes the hydrogens from the succinate. This reaction produces the fumarate. 7. Fumarate is then converted into malate as the addition of a water molecule is catalyzed. The final reaction is the regeneration of oxaloacetate. The resulting byproduct of this regeneration is NADH Recall that two pyruvate molecules were produced during glycolysis, causing the Krebs cycle to turn twice. Each tuts produces three molecules of NADH, single ATH one FADIH, and the by-product CO, which is exhaled. Stage III: Electron Transport Chain The electron transport chain (ETC) is a series of photon pumps on the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. Electron transport is the last stage of the cellular respiration. In this stage, the energy from NADH and FADH, from the Krebs cycle is transferred to ADP to produce ATP. This process is generally known as oxidative phosphorylation. This energy coupling mechanism in the cell was revealed by the work of Peter stored energy in the form of proton (1) gradient to phosphorylate (add phosphate) ADP and produce ATP. The pumping of hydrogen sons across the inner membrane creates higher concentration ions in the inner membrane than on the outside of the membrane. This chemiosmotic gradient causes the ions to flow back across the membrane where the concentration of ions is lower. ATP synthase lined in the matrix serve as a channel protein, helping the ions to move across the membrane. The chemiosmotic gradient powers the phosphorylation of ADP to ATP, which also occurs in the ATP synthase. After passing through the ETC, the oxygen, being the final hydrogen acceptor, combines with two electrons and two protons, forming a water molecule. Water is a by-product of cellular respiration and is excreted. MINI TEST 6-3 1. Which energy-releasing pathway yields the most ATF in each glucose molecule? 2. Briefly describe the two stages of aerobic respiration that follow glycolysis: (a) Krebs cycle (b) Electron transport chain Anaerobic Respiration Most cells carry out arrobic respiration when oxygen is present. Aerobic respiration is an efficient process that yields a lot of ATP. However, many organisms thrive in mud, marshes, animal gut, canned goods, sewage treatment pond, and deep oceans where oxygen is scarce. Organisms that can live without oxygen are called anaerobes. Cellular respiration that proceeds without the presence of oxygen is called anaerobic respiration. In the event that the oxygen supply becomes low, aerobic cells also perform fermentation and lactic acid fermentation anaerobic pathways. There are two common anaerobic pathways in these cells, alcoholic fermentation and lactic acid fermentation. In alcoholic fermentation, ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced by some cells using the pyruvate from glycolysis. Each pyruvate molecule is rearranged into acetaldehyde and carbon dioxide, which is eventually released. NADII gives up electrons to acetaldehyde to form ethanol Fermentation is widely used in the industry. Yeast, a fungus used in making bread. can undergo anaerobic respiration. Bakers aux sugar, flour, water, and yeast to form the bread dough. The dough rises due to the carbon dioxide and alcohol released by the yeast cells trapped in air bubbles. Beer and wine manufacturers, we yeast to ferment the sugars in wheat and grape juice, forming alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. In some cells, glycolysis produces two pyruvates, two NADH molecules, and two ATP molecules. Pyruvate itself becomes the final acceptor of the electrons from the NADH that produces the final product: lactate. Oftentimes, this product is called lactic acid. Human skeletal muscles can carry out fermentation when the blood cannot supply the cells with adequate oxygen during strenuous activities. When lactic acid builds up in the muscles, fatigue, burning sensation, and cramps result. Lactic acid will continue to build up until there is adequate supply of oxygen. Lactic acid is then converted back into pyruvate in the liver. Muscles also restore normal functions. Have you ever wondered why milk or cream turns sour after some time? Bacterial cells that undergo fermentation are responsible in producing lactate that turns the milk sour. These bacteria are used in manufacturing yogurt and sour milk products. Fermentation pathways do not breakdown and utilize the glucose completely. ATP is no longer produced beyond the process of glycolysis. Thus, energy produced is just enough for some single-celled organisms, or the energy can only be used by multicellular organisms for a short period.

Figure 18-11 represents the amount of energy stored as organic material in each trophic level in an ecosystem. The pyramid shape of the diagram indicates the low percentage of energy transfer from one level to the next. On average, 10 percent of the total energy consumed in one trophic level is incor- porated into the organisms in the next. Why is the percentage of energy transfer so low? One reason is that some of the organisms in a trophic level escape being eaten. They eventually die and become food for decomposers, but the energy contained in their bodies does not pass to a higher trophic level. Even when an organism is eaten, some of the molecules in its body will be in a form that the consumer cannot break down and use. For example, a cougar cannot extract energy from the antlers, hooves, and hair of a deer. Also, the energy used by prey for cellu- lar respiration cannot be used by predators to synthesize new bio- mass. Finally, no transformation or transfer of energy is 100 percent efficient. Every time energy is transformed, such as during the reactions of metabolism, some energy is lost as heat. Limitations of Trophic Levels The low rate of energy transfer between trophic levels explains why ecosystems rarely contain more than a few trophic levels. Because only about 10 percent of the energy available at one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level, there is not enough energy in the top trophic level to support more levels. Organisms at the lowest trophic level are usually much more abundant than organisms at the highest level. In Africa, for exam- ple, you will see about 1,000 zebras, gazelles, and other herbivores for every lion or leopard you see, and there are far more grasses and shrubs than there are herbivores. Higher trophic levels con- tain less energy, so, they can support fewer individuals.A population is a group of organisms that belong to the same species and live in a particular place at the same time. All of the bass living in a pond during a certain period of time make up a pop- ulation because they are isolated in the pond and do not interact with bass living in other ponds. The boundaries of a population may be imposed by a feature of the environment, such as a lake shore, or they can be arbitrarily chosen to simplify a study of the population. The humans shown in Figure 19-1 are part of the pop- ulation of a city. The properties of populations differ from those of individuals. An individual may be born, it may reproduce, or it may die. A population study focuses on a population as a whole—how many individuals are born, how many die, and so on. Population Size A population’s size is the number of individuals that the population contains. Size is a fundamental and important population property but can be difficult to measure directly. If a population is small and composed of immobile organisms, such as plants, its size can be determined simply by counting individuals. Often, though, individ- uals are too abundant, too widespread, or too mobile to be counted easily, and scientists must estimate the number of individuals in the population. Suppose that a scientist wants to know how many oak trees live in a 10 km2 patch of forest. Instead of searching the entire patch of forest and counting all the oak trees, the scientist could count the trees in a smaller section of the forest, such as a 1 km2 area. The scientist could then use this value to estimate the population of the larger area. SECTION 1 OBJECTIVES ● Describe the main properties that scientists measure when they study populations. ● Compare the three general patterns of population dispersion. ● Identify the measurements used to describe changing populations. ● Compare the three general types of survivorship curves. VOCABULARY population population density dispersion birth rate death rate life expectancy age structure survivorship curve FIGURE 19-1 A population can be widely distributed, as Earth’s human population is, or confined to a small area, as species of fish in a lake are. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 382 CHAPTER 19 If the small patch contains 25 oaks, an area 10 times larger would likely contain 10 times as many oak trees. A similar kind of sampling technique might be used to estimate the size of the pop- ulation shown in Figure 19-2. To use this kind of estimate, the sci- entist must assume that the distribution of individuals in the entire population is the same as that in the sampled group. Estimates of population size are based on many such assumptions, so all esti- mates have the potential for error. Population Density Population density measures how crowded a population is. This measurement is always expressed as the number of individuals per unit of area or volume. For example, the population density of humans in the United States is about 30 people per square kilome- ter. Table 19-1 shows the population sizes and densities of humans in several countries in 2003. These estimates are calculated for the total land area. Some areas of a country may be sparsely popu- lated, while other areas are very densely populated. Dispersion A third population property is dispersion (di-SPUHR-zhuhn). Dispersion is the spatial distribution of individuals within the popu- lation. In a clumped distribution, individuals are clustered together. In a uniform distribution, individuals are separated by a fairly con- sistent distance. In a random distribution, each individual’s location is independent of the locations of other individuals in the popula- tion. Figure 19-3 illustrates the three possible patterns of dispersion. Clumped distributions often occur when resources such as food or living space are clumped. Clumped distributions may also occur because of a species’ social behavior, such as when animals gather into herds or flocks. Uniform distributions may result from social behavior in which individuals within the same habitat stay as far away from each other as possible. For example, a bird may locate its nest so as to maximize the distance from the nests of other birds. These migrating wildebeests in East Africa are too numerous and mobile to be counted. Scientists must use sampling methods at several locations to monitor changes in the population size of the animals. FIGURE 19-2 TABLE 19-1 Population Size and Density of Some Countries Population size Population density Country (in millions) (in individuals/km2) China 1,289 135 India 1,069 325 United States 292 30 Russia 146 8 Japan 128 337 Mexico 105 54 Kenya 32 54 Australia 20 3 dispersion from the Latin dis-, meaning “out,” and spargere, meaning “to scatter” Word Roots and Origins Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. POPULATIONS 383 The social interactions of birds called gannets, which are shown in Figure 19-3b, result in a uniform distribution. Each gannet chooses a small nesting area on the coast and defends it from other gannets. In this way, each gannet tries to maximize its distance from all of its neighbors, which causes a uniform distribution of individuals. Few populations are truly randomly dispersed. Rather, they show degrees of clumping or uniformity. The dispersion pattern of a population sometimes depends on the scale at which the popu- lation is observed. The gannets shown in Figure 19-3b are uni- formly distributed on a scale of a few meters. However, if the entire island on which the gannets live is observed, the distribution appears clumped because the birds live only near the shore. POPULATION DYNAMICS All populations are dynamic—they change in size and composition over time. To understand these changes, scientists must know more than the population’s size, density, and dispersion. One important measure is the birth rate, the number of births occur- ring in a period of time. In the United States, for example, there are about 4 million births per year. A second important measure is the death rate, or mortality rate, which is the number of deaths in a

Science Exam Parts of the Atom: The atom consists of a nucleus at its center, containing protons (positively charged) and neutrons (neutral), while electrons (negatively charged) orbit in electron shells around the nucleus. Atomic Number: The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in its nucleus. It defines the element and determines its place on the periodic table. Properties of Metals: Metals have properties like conductivity, malleability (can be flattened into sheets), and ductility (can be drawn into wires). Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures: Elements consist of only one type of atom. Compounds are made of two or more different elements chemically bonded. Mixtures are combinations of substances that are physically mixed but not chemically bonded. Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Mixtures: Homogeneous mixtures have a uniform composition (e.g., saltwater), while heterogeneous mixtures have different phases (e.g., oil and water). Changes of State: Changes like melting, evaporation, and condensation are examples of physical changes of state. Chemical and Physical Properties: Chemical properties describe how a substance can change to form a new substance, while physical properties are characteristics like color, texture, and state (solid, liquid, gas). Physical and Chemical Change: A physical change involves the appearance or state of matter, but the substance remains the same. A chemical change involves the formation of new substances. Chemical Equations: Chemical reactions can be represented with chemical equations that show reactants (what you start with) and products (what is formed). Chemical Formulas: Chemical formulas represent the composition of compounds. For example, NaHCO3 is sodium bicarbonate, consisting of one sodium (Na), one hydrogen (H), one carbon (C), and three oxygen (O) atoms. Energy: Types of Energy: Energy can be kinetic (related to motion), potential (stored energy), thermal (heat energy), electrical, chemical, and more. Units of Energy: Common units of energy include joules (J) and calories (cal). Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed from one form to another. Energy Transfer and Transformation: Energy moves from one object to another, changing forms along the way. Useful and Waste Energy: Useful energy is what can be harnessed and used for a specific purpose. Waste energy is energy that is not used and is often lost. Energy Flow Diagrams: These diagrams show how energy is transferred or transformed within a system. Energy Efficiency: Efficiency is a measure of how much useful energy is obtained from a system. It can be calculated using the equation: Efficiency = (Useful Energy Output / Total Energy Input) x 100%. Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy: Fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas, are non-renewable sources of energy. Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. Variables: Independent Variable: The variable that is manipulated or changed in an experiment. Dependent Variable: The variable that is measured or observed and is affected by changes in the independent variable. Controlled Variables: Factors that are kept constant to ensure a fair and accurate experiment.

All animals, most protists, all fungi, and many bacteria are het- erotrophs. Unlike autotrophs, heterotrophs cannot manufacture their own food. Instead, they get energy by eating other organisms or organic wastes. Ecologically speaking, heterotrophs are consumers. They obtain energy by consuming organic molecules made by other organisms. Consumers can be grouped according to the type of food they eat. Herbivores eat producers. An antelope that eats grass is a herbivore. Carnivores eat other consumers. Lions, cobras, and praying mantises are examples of carnivores. Omnivores eat both producers and consumers. The grizzly bear, whose diet ranges from berries to salmon, is an omnivore. Detritivores (dee-TRIET-uh-VAWRZ) are consumers that feed on the “garbage” of an ecosystem. This waste, or detritus, includes organisms that have recently died, fallen leaves, and animal wastes. The vulture shown in Figure 18-8 is a detritivore. Many bacteria and fungi are detritivores that cause decay by breaking down complex molecules into simpler molecules. So, they are specifically called decomposers. Some of the molecules released during decay are absorbed by the decomposers, and some are returned to the soil or water. Decomposers make the nutrients that were contained in detritus available again to the autotrophs in the ecosystem. Thus, the process of decomposition recycles chemical nutrients. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 368 CHAPTER 18 ENERGY FLOW When one organism eats another, molecules are metabolized and energy is transferred. As a result, energy flows through an ecosystem, moving from producers to consumers. One way to follow the pattern of energy flow is to group organisms in an ecosystem based on how they obtain energy. An organism’s trophic (TRAHF-ik) level indicates the organism’s position in a sequence of energy transfers. For exam- ple, all producers belong to the first trophic level. Herbivores belong to the second trophic level, and the predators belong to the third level. Most terrestrial ecosystems have only three or four trophic lev- els, whereas marine ecosystems often have more. Food Chains and Food Webs A food chain is a single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem that results in energy transfer. A food chain may begin with grass, which is a primary producer. The chain may continue with a consumer of grass seeds—a meadow mouse. Next, a carnivorous snake may kill and eat the mouse. A hawk then may eat the snake, as shown in Figure 18-9. The feeding relationships in an ecosystem are usually too com- plex to be represented by a single food chain. Many consumers eat more than one type of food. In addition, more than one species of consumer may feed on the same organism. Many food chains inter- link, and a diagram of the feeding relationships among all the organisms in an ecosystem would resemble a web, as shown in Figure 18-10. For this reason, the interrelated food chains in an ecosystem are called a food web.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE The world is filled with familiar objects, such as tables, rocks, plants, pets, and automobiles. Which of these objects are living or were once living? What are the criteria for assigning something to the living world or the nonliving world? Biologists have established that living things share seven characteristics of life. These characteristics are organization and the presence of one or more cells, response to a stimulus (plural, stimuli), homeostasis, metabolism, growth and development, reproduction, and change through time. Organization and Cells Organization is the high degree of order within an organism’s internal and external parts and in its interactions with the living world. For example, compare an owl to a rock. The rock has a spe- cific shape, but that shape is usually irregular. Furthermore, differ- ent rocks, even rocks of the same type, are likely to have different shapes and sizes. In contrast, the owl is an amazingly organized individual, as shown in Figure 1-2. Owls of the same species have the same body parts arranged in nearly the same way and interact with the environment in the same way. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. ORGANISM (Barn Owl) ORGAN (Owl’s Ear) TISSUE (Nervous Tissue Within the Ear) CELL (Nerve Cell) Every living organism has a level of organization. The different levels of organization for a complex multicellular organism, such as an owl, are shown in the figure below. FIGURE 1-2 THE SCIENCE OF LIFE 7 All living organisms, whether made up of one cell or many cells, have some degree of organization. A cell is the smallest unit that can perform all life’s processes. Some organisms, such as bacteria, are made up of one cell and are called unicellular (YOON-uh-SEL-yoo-luhr) organisms. Other organisms, such as humans or trees, are made up of multiple cells and are called multicellular (MUHL-ti-SEL-yoo-luhr) organisms. Complex multicellular organisms have the level of orga- nization shown in Figure 1-2. In the highest level, the organism is made up of organ systems, or groups of specialized parts that carry out a certain function in the organism. For example, an owl’s ner- vous system is made up of a brain, sense organs, nerve cells, and other parts that sense and respond to the owl’s surroundings. Organ systems are made up of organs. Organs are structures that carry out specialized jobs within an organ system. An owl’s ear is an organ that allows the owl to hear. All organs are made up of tissues. Tissues are groups of cells that have similar abilities and that allow the organ to function. For example, nervous tissue in the ear allows the ear to detect sound. Tissues are made up of cells. A cell must be covered by a membrane, contain all genetic information necessary for replication, and be able to carry out all cell functions. Within each cell are organelles. Organelles are tiny structures that carry out functions necessary for the cell to stay alive. Organelles contain biological molecules, the chemical compounds that provide physical structure and that bring about movement, energy use, and other cellular functions. All biological molecules are made up of atoms. Atoms are the simplest particle of an ele- ment that retains all the properties of a certain element. Response to Stimuli Another characteristic of life is that an organism can respond to a stimulus—a physical or chemical change in the internal or external environment. For example, an owl dilates its pupils to keep the level of light entering the eye constant. Organisms must be able to respond and react to changes in their environment to stay alive. ORGANELLE (Mitochondrion) BIOLOGICAL MOLECULE (Phospholipid) ATOM (Oxygen) cell from the Latin, cella meaning “small room,” or “hut” Word Roots and Origins www.scilinks.org Topic: Characteristics of Life Keyword: HM60257 mb06se_bios01.qxd 5/18/07 10:37 AM Page 7 8 CHAPTER 1 Homeostasis All living things, from single cells to entire organisms, have mecha- nisms that allow them to maintain stable internal conditions. Without these mechanisms, organisms can die. For example, a cell’s water content is closely controlled by the taking in or releas- ing of water. A cell that takes in too much water will rupture and die. A cell that doesn’t get enough water will also shrivel and die. Homeostasis (HOH-mee-OH-STAY-sis) is the maintenance of a stable level of internal conditions even though environmental conditions are constantly changing. Organisms have regulatory systems that maintain internal conditions, such as temperature, water content, and uptake of nutrients by the cell. In fact, multi- cellular organisms usually have more than one way of maintain- ing important aspects of their internal environment. For example, an owl’s temperature is maintained at about 40°C (104°F). To keep a constant temperature, an owl’s cells burn fuel to produce body heat. In addition, an owl’s feathers can fluff up in cold weather. In this way, they trap an insulating layer of air next to the bird’s body to maintain its body temperature. Metabolism Living organisms use energy to power all the life processes, such as repair, movement, and growth. This energy use depends on metabolism (muh-TAB-uh-LIZ-uhm). Metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions that take in and transform energy and materials from the environment. For example, plants, algae, and some bacteria use the sun’s energy to generate sugar molecules during a process called photosynthesis. Some organisms depend on obtaining food energy from other organisms. For instance, an owl’s metabolism allows the owl to extract and modify the chemi- cals trapped in its nightly prey and use them as energy to fuel activities and growth. Growth and Development All living things grow and increase in size. Some nonliving things, such as crystals or icicles, grow by accumulating more of the same material of which they are made. In contrast, the growth of living things results from the division and enlargement of cells. Cell division is the formation of two new cells from an existing cell, as shown in Figure 1-3. In unicellular organisms, the primary change that occurs following cell division is cell enlargement. In multi- cellular life, however, organisms mature through cell division, cell enlargement, and development. Development is the process by which an organism becomes a mature adult. Development involves cell division and cell differen- tiation, or specialization. As a result of development, an adult organism is composed of many cells specialized for different func- tions, such as carrying oxygen in the blood or hearing. In fact, the human body is composed of trillions of specialized cells, all of which originated from a single cell, the fertilized egg. This unicellular organism, Escherichia coli, inhabits the human intestines. E. coli reproduces by means of cell division, during which the original cell splits into two identical offspring cells. FIGURE 1-3 Observing Homeostasis Materials 500 mL beakers (3), wax pen, tap water, thermometer, ice, hot water, goldfish, small dip net, watch or clock with a second hand Procedure 1. Use a wax pen to label three 500 mL beakers as follows: 27°C (80°F), 20°C (68°F), 10°C (50°F). Put 250 mL of tap water in each beaker. Use hot water or ice to adjust the tem- perature of the water in each beaker to match the temperature on the label. 2. Put the goldfish in the beaker of 27°C water. Record the number of times the gills move in 1 minute. 3. Move the goldfish to the beaker of 20°C water. Repeat observations. Move the goldfish to the beaker of 10°C. Repeat observations. Analysis What happens to the rate at which gills move when the temp- erature changes? Why? How do gills help fish maintain homeostasis? Quick Lab mb06se_bios01.qxd 5/18/07 10:37 AM Page 8 THE SCIENCE OF LIFE 9 Reproduction All organisms produce new organisms like themselves in a process called reproduction. Reproduction, unlike other characteristics, is not essential to the survival of an individual organism. However, because no organism lives forever, reproduction is essential for the continuation of a species. Glass frogs, as shown in Figure 1-4, lay many eggs in their lifetime. However, only a few of the frogs’ off- spring reach adulthood and successfully reproduce. During reproduction, organisms transmit hereditary informa- tion to their offspring. Hereditary information is encoded in a large molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. A short segment of DNA that contains the instructions for a single trait of an organism is called a gene. DNA is like a large library. It contains all the books—genes—that the cell will ever need for making all the struc- tures and chemicals necessary for life. Hereditary information is transferred to offspring during two kinds of reproduction. In sexual reproduction, hereditary information recombines from two organisms of the same species. The resulting offspring are similar but not identical to their parents. For example, a male frog’s sperm can fertilize a female’s egg and form a single fer- tilized egg cell. The fertilized egg then develops into a new frog. In asexual reproduction, hereditary information from different organisms is not combined; thus the original organism and the new organism are genetically the same. A bacterium, for example, reproduces asexually when it splits into two identical cells. Change Through Time Although individual organisms experience many changes during their lifetime, their basic genetic characteristics do not change. However, populations of living organisms evolve or change through time. The ability of populations of organisms to change over time is important for survival in a changing world. This factor is also impor- tant in explaining the diversity of life-forms we see on Earth today.

SC.8.P.9.2 • Students will differentiate between physical and chemical changes. • Students know the characteristics of physical (change in state of matter) and chemical changes. (i.e.: new odor, change in color, new substance, change in temperature) • Students will identify a change as physical, or chemical given evidence. • Students will explain that mass is conserved when substances undergo physical and chemical changes, according to the law of conservation of mass. • Students will summarize the Law of Conservation of mass, explaining that mass cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. • Students will describe how temperature influences chemical changes. • Students will know thermal energy increases the movement of atoms/molecules. • Students will explain that scientific explanations are based on empirical evidence, logical reasoning, predictions, and modeling.

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