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Life began over 600 million years ago Evolution of - multicellularity , coelom, vertebrae, homeothermy. ZOOLOGY—STUDY OF ANIMALS. Fundamental Properties of Life. Does Life Have Defining Properties? What is life?. Fundamental Properties of Life. Does Life Have Defining Properties?
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Life began over 600 million years ago Evolution of -multicellularity, coelom, vertebrae, homeothermy ZOOLOGY—STUDY OF ANIMALS
Fundamental Properties of Life • Does Life Have Defining Properties? • What is life?
Fundamental Properties of Life • Does Life Have Defining Properties? • What is life? • No simple definition • The history of life shows extensive and ongoing change called evolution • Answer must be based on the common history of life on earth
8 General Properties of Living Systems 1. Chemical Uniqueness: Living systems demonstrate a unique and complex molecular organization • Small molecules are assembled into macromolecules: • Nucleic Acids • Proteins • Carbohydrates • Lipids
8 General Properties of Living Systems • Although living systems are composed of the same kinds of atoms obeying the same fundamental laws of chemistry as nonliving matter, the organizational structure of the macromolecules makes them unique
8 General Properties of Living Systems 2. Complexity and Hierarchical Organization: Living systems demonstrate a unique and complex hierarchical organization • In living systems there exists a hierarchy of levels that includes: Macromolecules Cells Organisms Populations Species
8 General Properties of Living Systems • 3. Reproduction: Living systems can reproduce themselves • At each level of the biological hierarchy living forms reproduce to generate others like themselves: • Genes replicated to produce new genes. • Cells divide producing new cells. • Organisms reproduce, sexually or asexually, to produce new organisms • Populations may fragment to produce new populations • Species may split to produce new species
8 General Properties of Living Systems 4. Possession of a Genetic Program: A genetic program provides fidelity of inheritance • DNA: Long, linear, chain of nucleotides containing genetic information • Sequence of nucleotide bases in DNA determines the order of amino acids in proteins • Genetic Code: correspondence between base sequences in DNA and the sequence of amino acids in a protein
8 General Properties of Living Systems 5. Metabolism: Living organisms maintain themselves by acquiring nutrients from their environments • Metabolic processes include: • Digestion • Energy production (Respiration) • Synthesis of required molecules and structures by organisms
8 General Properties of Living Systems • Metabolism is often viewed as an interaction of destructive (catabolic) and constructive (anabolic) reactions • The most fundamental anabolic and catabolic chemical processes used by living systems arose early in the evolutionary history of life
8 General Properties of Living Systems 6. Development: All organisms pass through a characteristic life cycle • Development describes the characteristic changes that an organism undergoes from its origin to its final adult form
8 General Properties of Living Systems 7. Environmental Interaction: All animals interact with their environments • Ecology: The study of organismal interaction with an environment • All organisms respond to environmental stimuli
8 General Properties of Living Systems 8. Movement: Living systems and their parts show precise and controlled movements arising from within the system • Living systems extract energy from their environments permitting the initiation of controlled movements
8 General Properties of Living Systems • Movements at the cellular level are required for: Reproduction Growth Responses to stimuli Development in multicellular organisms • On a larger scale: Entire populations or species may disperse from one geographic location to another over time
Zoology As Part of Biology • Characteristics of Animals: • Multicellular • Eukaryotes: cells contain membrane-enclosed nuclei • Heterotrophs: Not capable of manufacturing their own food and must rely on external food sources • Cells lack cell walls and photosynthetic organelles And most can 5. Reproduce sexually 6. Move
Principles of Science • The scientific method may be summarized as a series of steps: • Observation • Question • Hypothesis Formation • Empirical Test • Controlled Experiment Includes at least 2 groups Test Group Control Group • Conclusions Accept or reject your hypothesis • Publications
Principles of Science • Hypothesis: • Potential answers to questions being asked • Derived from prior observations of nature or from theories based on such observations • Often constitute general statements about nature that may explain a large number of diverse observations • If a hypothesis is very powerful in explaining a wide variety of related phenomena, it attains the level of a theory
Principles of Science • Powerful theories that guide extensive research are called paradigms • The refutement and replacement of a paradigm is known as a scientific revolution • Two major paradigms that guide zoological research: • Darwin’s Theory of Evolution • The Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance