Compendium Review #1

COMPENDIUM REVIEW

Unit I Topic one sub topics:
-Basic characteristics of life
-Molecules of life
-Cell structure and function
-Cell organelles and metabolism
-Tissue types

The Basic Characteristics of Life.
“All living things share the characteristics of life.”
“Living things:
-are organized, from atoms to biosphere.”
- take materials and energy from the environment.
-reproduce; they produce offspring that resemble themselves.
-grow and develop by undergoing various stages of fertilization to death.
- are homeostatic; internal conditions stay the same.
- respond to stimuli; they react to external and internal changes.
-have an evolutionary history and have adapted modifications to a particular way of life.” (Mader pg2)

Each part of our bodies; organs, tissues and nerves are all made up of cells. Living creatures are organized because we are all made up of millions of cells and they work together to keep us alive and healthy. All living things feed off the environment. Whether its plants that use sun light and water to survive or humans who eat food and water from the earth; we all take from our surroundings. Every thing living has to reproduce or it would become extinct. Living things reproduce other living things just like them selves to carry on that species. All things start out small as babies and eventually grow older till they reach death. Different species live for different lengths of time, but everything living has an ending eventually. All living things maintain themselves and their temperatures or keep themselves alive. This is called homeostasis. Living things can react to stimuli. Animals can move to get away from danger and plants can grow in the direction of sunlight. All living things have evolved over time; they have changed with environmental changes.

Molecules of Life
In biology organic molecules are molecules that have both carbon and hydrogen which is usually found in living things. There are “four catagories of organic molecules, called carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids that are unique to cells.” (Mader pg 27)
Carbohydrates are a quick source of energy in living creatures. Breads and grains contain carbohydrates. Lipids won’t dissolve in water and contain more energy than other molecules. A common source of lipids is in foods that contain a lot of fat and oil. Proteins help cells function. Our movement, hormones, antibodies and plasma all contain proteins that help them function. Nucleic acids are DNA and RNA. “DNA stores genetic information in the cell and in the organism.” (Mader pg 35) RNA follows DNA’s orders for amino acids basically. If there is a problem with the DNA’s orders a person can become sick with various different diseases.

Cell Structure and Function
A cell consists of many different parts. The main ones are the membrane or outside the nucleus and the middle between them. The membrane controls what goes in and out of the cell. The nucleus contains DNA and RNA. The nucleus determines how the cell will function. In the middle is the cytoplasm it is a jelly like fluid. The cytoplasm contains organelles. The functions of the cell are carried out in the cytoplasm. Some of the functions of a cell are expansion, growth and reproduction. Different kinds of cells have different functions. For example white blood cells fight of infections. Red blood cells transport oxygen threw out our bodies. Fat cells main function is to store energy for use later.

Cell Organelles and Metabolism
There are many different kinds of organelles inside a cell; each one has its own specific function. Some of the organelles are mitochondrion (it’s carries out cellular respiration), ribosomes (carries out protein synthesis), and Golgi apparatus (processes and secretes cell products.) Cells have their own metabolism. Blood contains oxygen and glucose; it provides it to cells inside our bodies. The mitochondria inside the cell turn glucose into cellular respiration. “Cellular respiration is very important component of the metabolism, which includes all chemical reactions that occur in the cell.” (Mader 53) While doing this they use oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.

Tissue Types:
Tissue is made up of cells that work together to complete a function. Humans have four major types of tissues they are: Connective tissue, Muscular tissue, Nervous tissue, Epithelial tissue. Connective tissues are bones, cartilage, fibrous tissues and fluid tissues like blood. Connective tissues are the foundation for movement they all work together so that we can function. Muscular tissues help us to move. Some organs are muscles that are involuntary meaning they function on their own. The heart intestine and bladder all function without us having to tell them to. Nervous tissue is made up of nerve cells or neurons. It sends and receives signals from our brains to other parts of our body telling them to move or function. Epithelial tissue is the tissue that covers the out side of our bodies or as we call it our skin. The skin on the inside of our mouth and other body cavities is also epithelial tissue. This tissue protects our bodies.

Work Cited:
Madder, Sylvia S. “Human Biology” 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Picture of different kinds of cells: http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/eukaryote_examples.html
Picture of Human Anatomy:
http://www.innerbody.com
Drawing of eukaryotic cell:
http://members.aol.com/Bio50/LecNotes/lecnot05.html
The picture of trees is from my photo album taking in Oregon.