Branches of Biology

Branches of Biology

• Botany: study of plants
• Zoology: study of animals
• Microbiology: study of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, etc.)
• Ecology: study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• Biochemistry: study of chemical processes in living organisms
• Molecular Biology: study of biological molecules (DNA, proteins, etc.)
• Cellular Biology: study of cell structure, function, and behavior
• Evolutionary Biology: study of evolution of species
• Genetics: study of heredity and variation
• Biophysics: study of physical principles underlying biological processes

Cell Biology

• Cell structure:
  • Plasma membrane: outermost layer of cell
  • Cytoplasm: jelly-like substance inside cell
  • Nucleus: contains genetic material (DNA)
  • Mitochondria: energy-producing organelles
• Cell function:
  • Metabolism: energy production and consumption
  • Photosynthesis: process by which plants produce energy
  • Cell signaling: communication between cells

Genetics

• Mendel's Laws:
  • Law of Segregation: each trait is determined by two alleles
  • Law of Independent Assortment: genes sort independently during reproduction
  • Law of Dominance: dominant allele masks recessive allele
• DNA structure:
  • Double helix: two complementary strands of nucleotides
  • Nucleotides: building blocks of DNA (A, C, G, T)
• Gene expression:
  • Transcription: DNA to RNA
  • Translation: RNA to protein

Evolution

• Mechanisms of evolution:
  • Natural selection: process by which best-adapted individuals reproduce
  • Genetic drift: random change in gene frequency
  • Gene flow: movement of genes between populations
  • Mutation: change in DNA sequence
• Evidence for evolution:
  • Fossil record: chronological record of life on Earth
  • Comparative anatomy: similarities between different species
  • Molecular biology: similarities between DNA and protein sequences

Branches of Biology

• Botany is the study of plants
• Zoology is the study of animals
• Microbiology is the study of microorganisms like bacteria and viruses
• Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes in living organisms
• Molecular Biology examines biological molecules like DNA and proteins
• Cellular Biology explores cell structure, function, and behavior
• Evolutionary Biology explores the evolution of species
• Genetics studies heredity and variation
• Biophysics examines the physical principles underlying biological processes

Cell Biology

• The plasma membrane is the outermost layer of a cell
• Cytoplasm is the jelly-like substance inside a cell
• The nucleus contains genetic material (DNA)
• Mitochondria are energy-producing organelles
• Metabolism is energy production and consumption
• Photosynthesis is the process by which plants produce energy
• Cell signaling is communication between cells

Genetics

• Mendel's Law of Segregation states that each trait is determined by two alleles
• Mendel's Law of Independent Assortment states that genes sort independently during reproduction
• Mendel's Law of Dominance states that the dominant allele masks the recessive allele
• DNA is structured as a double helix with complementary strands of nucleotides
• Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA (A, C, G, T)
• Transcription is the process of DNA to RNA
• Translation is the process of RNA to protein

Evolution

• Natural selection is the process by which best-adapted individuals reproduce
• Genetic drift is a random change in gene frequency
• Gene flow is the movement of genes between populations
• Mutation is a change in DNA sequence
• The fossil record is a chronological record of life on Earth
• Comparative anatomy shows similarities between different species
• Molecular biology shows similarities between DNA and protein sequences