Introduction to Life Science

• Science is the study of the world in which we live.

​

• Biology or Life Science is the study of living things.

​

• An organism is a complete living thing that displays ALL 6 characteristics of life.

Fields of Life Science

• There are so many kinds of living organisms that scientists need to break them into smaller groups to study them.

​

• Throughout our history, scientists have created different fields of science that are focused on the different subjects they are studying.

• Sometimes it can be hard to determine what the different fields represent based on their scientific name, but we can break down the terms and determine what they mean by interpreting their prefix and suffix using the Reference Table.

​

• Example: ology = the study of

Fields of Life Science Examples

• Biology = Study of Life

​

• Physiology = Study of Body Function

​

• Botany = Study of Plants

​

• Zoology = Study of Animals

​

• Paleontology = Study of Fossils

​

• Ichthyology = Study of Fish

What are the 6 Characteristics of Life?

Use the acronym GRAMMAR to help you remember!

​

G → Growth

R → Response

A → Adaptation

M → Movement

M → Metabolism

And

R → Reproduction

Reminder: For something to be considered living, all 6 characteristics must be observable in some way.

6 Characteristics of Life - G

Growth

• Organisms increasing in size.

• Organisms repairing or the building new body parts.

Size Increase

Repair

Building

6 Characteristics of Life - R

Response

• Reacting to a change in the environment.

​

• A change in the environment is known as the stimulus.

​

• The reaction to the stimulus is the response.

Stimulus

Response

6 Characteristics of Life - A

Adaptation

• Any characteristic that allows an organism to survive.

​

• The characteristic could be Physical or Behavioral.

Behavioral

Physical

6 Characteristics of Life - M

Movement

• To be able to move from place to place. Examples: Running, jumping, flying, turning, or bending.

​

• Two Types:
• Locomotion → External Movement
• Transport → Internal Movement

Locomotion

Transport

6 Characteristics of Life - M

Metabolism

• All changes in an organism that use or release energy. The energy is released through chemical reactions.

​

• Organisms obtain Energy by ingesting (eating) nutrients.

​

• Most nutrients need to be digested (Broken down into smaller molecules.)

​

• Waste products are excreted (released) from the body.

Ingestion

Digestion

Excretion

6 Characteristics of Life - R

Reproduction

• The process by which living organisms multiply themselves.

​

• Two Types:
• Sexual → 2 Parents
• Asexual → 1 Parent

Sexual

Asexual