Biology Branches and Cell Biology Basics

Branches of Biology

• Botany: study of plants
• Zoology: study of animals
• Microbiology: study of microorganisms
• Ecology: study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• Genetics: study of heredity and variation
• Molecular Biology: study of biological molecules and their interactions

Cell Biology

• Cell: basic unit of life
• Cell membrane: semi-permeable membrane that surrounds the cell
• Cytoplasm: jelly-like substance inside the cell membrane
• Nucleus: controls cell growth and reproduction
• Mitochondria: generates energy for the cell
• Ribosomes: site of protein synthesis

Evolution

• Natural Selection: process by which populations adapt to their environment
• Speciation: formation of new species
• Fossil Record: chronological record of the history of life on Earth
• Homologous Structures: similar structures in different species that have a common ancestor

Ecosystems

• Producer: organism that makes its own food (e.g. plants)
• Consumer: organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms
• Decomposer: organism that breaks down dead organic matter
• Food Chain: series of organisms that eat other organisms
• Food Web: network of food chains

Biological Molecules

• Carbohydrates: energy source for cells (e.g. sugars, starches)
• Proteins: building blocks of cells (e.g. enzymes, hormones)
• Lipids: energy storage molecules (e.g. fats, oils)
• Nucleic Acids: contain genetic information (e.g. DNA, RNA)

Branches of Biology

• Study of plants is known as Botany
• Zoology is the study of animals
• Microbiology is the study of microorganisms
• Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• Genetics is the study of heredity and variation
• Molecular Biology is the study of biological molecules and their interactions

Cell Biology

• Cell is the basic unit of life
• Cell membrane is a semi-permeable membrane that surrounds the cell
• Cytoplasm is a jelly-like substance inside the cell membrane
• Nucleus controls cell growth and reproduction
• Mitochondria generates energy for the cell
• Ribosomes are the site of protein synthesis

Evolution

• Natural Selection is the process by which populations adapt to their environment
• Speciation is the formation of new species
• Fossil Record is a chronological record of the history of life on Earth
• Homologous Structures are similar structures in different species that have a common ancestor

Ecosystems

• Producers are organisms that make their own food (e.g. plants)
• Consumers are organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms
• Decomposers are organisms that break down dead organic matter
• Food Chain is a series of organisms that eat other organisms
• Food Web is a network of food chains

Biological Molecules

• Carbohydrates are an energy source for cells (e.g. sugars, starches)
• Proteins are building blocks of cells (e.g. enzymes, hormones)
• Lipids are energy storage molecules (e.g. fats, oils)
• Nucleic Acids contain genetic information (e.g. DNA, RNA)