CHAPTER 1 THE STUDY OF LIVING THINGS he scientific study of living things is called biology Biologists strive to understand the natural world and its living inhabitants plants animals fungi protozoa algae bacteria archaea and viruses by asking why and how the pro cesses of life occur Why do living organisms interact with each other in particular ways When did they evolve How are biological processes carried out within organs tissues and cells To answer these broad questions biologists must answer many specific ones How does an animal s liver break down fat How does a green plant convert water and carbon dioxide into sugar Where do mos quitoes go in the winter Some investigations require years of scientific research Today many myster ies remain unsolved but continued study leads toward a better understanding of living things and the environment they depend on 12
THE STUDY OF LIVING THINGS NE Rain forests like this one in Dominica are estimated to contain millions of different life forms many of which have not been discovered yet Randolph Femmer NBII Image Gallery The annual output of biological research today is so massive that no single individual can possibly acquire all of the information Because of this areas of specialization have developed allowing scientists to focus on their own research yet remain informed on key developments in their fields 13
BIOLOGY UNDERSTANDING LIVING MATTER SUBDIVISIONS OF BIOLOGY The study of biology can be divided in various ways Certain areas of research incor porate information from other sciences such as physics chemistry or geol ogy For example detailed studies of bioluminescence the light produced by organisms such as fireflies require a solid understand ing of biochemistry Some biolo gists focus their research on one or several groups of organisms Such specializations can be broad such as zoology the study of animals and bot any the study of plants or they can be specific as in the The moon jellyfish is bioluminescent following fields meaning it can produce its own light in the dark depths of the sea Richard A McMillin Shutterstock com 14
THE STUDY OF LIVING THINGS BIOCHEMISTRY Scientists in the field of biochemistry study the chemi cal basis of life's activities They have shown that all living things amoebas and elephants alike share many similarities at the level of atoms and molecules Without exception all animals and plants operate on the basis of a few unvarying biological principles These principles are all forms of life consist of basic units called cells every liv ing thing has a heredity all vital activities require energy all cells undergo certain key chemical reactions and all liv ing groups reproduce Arachnology spiders mites scorpions Bryology mosses Entomology insects Herpetology reptiles and amphibians Ichthyology fishes Mammalogy mammals Microbiology microscopic organisms Mycology fungi Ornithology birds Parasitology parasites Phycology algae Virology viruses Some biologists study specific features such as structure or explore broad biological 15
