Welcome to Biological DiversityI look forward to getting to know you

Please list:

• Name• Hometown• Something interesting about yourself• What you hope to gain from this course• Career goals• College science/math you have taken• Most outrageous (non-human) species –

be creative!

A few biology videos:ideas for endangered species project?

• Synaptic cleft• Lab safety rap• PCR song• Bio Rad GTCA• Too late to apoptize• Put some ACH into it• Asthma rap• Attenborough: Wonderful world

Plantae Fungi Animalia Protista Archaea Bacteria

What is SCIENCE?

On a piece of paper, jot down a concise definition of “science”. How does science differ from other fields?

Merriam Webster dictionary definitions:1: the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding2 a: a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study b: something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge <have it down to a science>3 a: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method b: such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena : natural science 4: a system or method reconciling practical ends with scientific laws <cooking is both a science and an art>

Scientific MethodProcess by which we construct an accurate (reliable, consistent, reproducible, and non-arbitrary) representation or understanding of the physical world.

- empirical (verifiable by observation)observable, measurable, repeatable

- predictive- iterative- long-term- reason-based

-Does NOT emphasize beauty, aesthetics or emotions.-Is not equivalent to technology (but can lead to technological advances).-Is not equivalent to absolute Truth. Scientists often use phrases such as “our current understanding is…” or “the evidence suggests that…”. We can numerically estimate a “degree of confidence” using statistical tests.-Is not equivalent to faith or religion; is not a competing approach but IS a different approach to knowledge (different goals and different methods).

Scientific Method

Steps: Observation and description Hypothesis / hypotheses to explain observation Prediction Experiment to test hypothesis Results / analyses (statistics) Interpretation (accept or reject hypothesis) Communication (presentation and/or paper) Additional tests (repeat and/or follow-up)

Observation:When left out on the counter for a few days, nutrient broth grows large populations of microorganisms.Hypotheses:(see above)Predictions:a) If protected from airborne particles, broth will remain sterile.b) Microbes will grow spontaneously, regardless of any protection.Experiment:Boil broth; left out on the lab bench.One experimental unit is protected from particles; other is not.

Observation:When left out on the counter for a few days, nutrient broth grows large populations of microorganisms.Hypotheses:(see above)Predictions:a) If protected from airborne particles, broth will remain sterile.b) Microbes will grow spontaneously, regardless of any protection.Experiment:Boil broth; left out on the lab bench.One experimental unit is protected from particles; other is not.

a)

b)

Scientific MethodDesigning experiments

-Reasoning (logical thinking): Inductive: specific to general vs. Deductive: general to specific

- control all variables other than the one being tested- avoid “experimenter bias” (e.g., double-blind trials)- don’t discount results that conflict with hypothesis

(hypothesis may need modification) - dependent vs. independent variables

Experimental design:

- Dependent vs. independent variables

- Control all variables other than one being tested

Scientific Method

Scientific MethodHypothesis:

- Comparatively limited scope- Often explains cause-effect relationships- Always subject to testing – and possible falsification- May need to be modified based on new information

Theory:- Larger scope; brings together related hypotheses- Has withstood the test of many, many, many

experimentsby many researchers

- Subject to modification, but generally understood to be true

- Examples: Gravity, Relativity, Plate Tectonics, EvolutionCommunication:- peer review process

The Strange Case of BeriBeri In 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch East Indies. The disease was beriberi. Symptoms of the disease included weakness and loss of appetite, victims often died of heart failure. Scientists thought the disease might be caused by bacteria. They injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of patients with beriberi. The injected chickens became sick. However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with bacteria. One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, noticed something. Before the experiment, all the chickens had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed polished rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this interesting case. he found that polished rice lacked thiamine, a vitamin necessary for good health.

1. State the Problem 2. What was the hypothesis? 3. How was the hypothesis tested? 4. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment? 5. What should be the new hypothesis? 6. Was there a fundamental flaw in their experiment?

How Penicillin Was Discovered In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming was studying Staphylococcus bacteria growing in culture dishes. He noticed that a mold called Penicillium was also growing in some of the dishes. A clear area existed around the mold because all the bacteria that had grown in this area had died. In the culture dishes without the mold, no clear areas were present. Fleming hypothesized that the mold must be producing a chemical that killed the bacteria. He decided to isolate this substance and test it to see if it would kill bacteria. Fleming transferred the mold to a nutrient broth solution. This solution contained all the materials the mold needed to grow. After the mold grew, he removed it from the nutrient broth. Fleming then added the nutrient broth in which the mold had grown to a culture of bacteria. He observed that the bacteria died.

1. Identify the problem/observation. 2. What was Fleming's hypothesis? 3. How was the hypothesis tested? 4. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment? 5. This experiment led to the development of what major medical advancement?

BiologyA field of science: study of life.What characterizes LIFE?

-Cellular organization: Cell Theory-Order – complexity: structure relates to function-Sensitivity – responsiveness-Growth, development, reproduction:

Molecular Basis of Inheritance-Energy utilization: heterotrophs vs. autotrophs-Evolutionary adaptation:

Interact with other organisms and environment-Homeostasis

Hierarchy in Biology

Always consider context (consider smaller and larger).

Gene: unit of inherited material; determines what organism is like

Organism: individual living thing

Population: group of organisms of one species in one area

Species: group of populations that can interbreed (more later)

Community: interacting populations of different species

Ecosystem: geographic area with all living organisms and physical environment

World Biomes

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htmhttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/ForestCarbon/

World Biomes

What is a Biome?•large geographical area•distinctive plant and animal groups•determined by climate and geography•consists of many ecosystems•communities are adapted to that environment/climate

Ecosystem: All organisms in an an area, together with their physical environmentCommunity: all organisms living and interacting in an area

Example biome types: •Desert•Forest (tropical; temperate)•Grassland•Tundra•Several types of aquatic environments.

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• Elevation: temperature and other conditions change with elevation

• Air temperature falls about 6˚C for every 1000m increase in elevation

Effects of Sun, Wind, Water

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Biomes

Predictors of biome distribution: Temperature and precipitation

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Biomes• Tropical rain forests

– High temperature and high rainfall– Very high diversity: e.g., 1200 species of butterfly

in a single square mile

• Savanna– Tropical or subtropical grasslands– Occur as a transition ecosystem between tropical

rainforests and deserts (rainfall is in between)– e.g., Serengeti of East Africa

Biomes

• Desert– Minimal and unpredictable rainfall

• Plants and animals cannot depend on any rainfall

– Vegetation sparse, organisms adapted to little water availability

Biomes

• Temperate grasslands: prairies– Rich soils– Grasses with roots that penetrate deep into the

soil– In North America converted to agricultural use– Adapted to periodic fire

Biomes

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Freshwater Habitats• Fresh water covers only 2% of Earth’s surface• Wetlands: marshes, swamps, bogs• Rivers, lakes, streams

Marine Habitats• 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean• Principal primary producers are phytoplankton

(single cell or colonial)

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Marine Habitats

Mangrove Swamp Louisiana Marsh

Coral Reef

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Marine HabitatsHydrothermal vent communities: thick with life

• Large bodied animals• Do not depend on the Sun’s

energy for primary production

• Depend on sulfur-oxidizing bacteria

• Water temperature up to 350˚C!

All living things are dependent on, and can affect (and sometimes effect) their physical and biological environment.

Any change in one part of an environment (even distant events) causes ripple effects . . .