Energy pyramids

What is an energy pyramid?
- An energy pyramid is a graphic model to show energy flow in a community.

Main ideas:
- A energy pyramid consents on a producer(plants) and then your primary, secondary and tertiary consumers
- Each level is a group of different organisms
- The energy in an energy pyramid is measured in units of kilocalories
- Energy decreases as it transfers up the pyramid

Summary:
I couldn't find much specifically about the energy pyramid but i learned that it relates with photosynthesis, the sun and what we started learning in class about food webs and chains. I think the
energy pyramid is actually very important though because we end up receiving the energy from these animals that we eat or plants. Without this energy pyramid and producers other animals wont be able to benefit and receive the energy and nutrients needed.

citation: https://www.learner.org/courses/essential/life/session7/closer5.html

Kobey Godbold- Meiosis

Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells. This process is required to produce egg and sperm cells for sexual reproduction.Meiosis begins with a parent cell that is diploid, meaning it has two copies of each chromosome. The parent cell undergoes one round of DNA replication followed by two separate cycles of nuclear division. The process results in four daughter cells that are haploid, which means they contain half the number of chromosomes of the diploid parent cell.Meiosis has both similarities to and differences from mitosis, which is a cell division process in which a parent cell produces two identical daughter cells. One way of to remember is Ipmatc which includes all the phases Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase, and Cytokinesis 

Protein Synthesis - Garrett Balog

Protein Synthesis

The steps of protein synthesis are -

Replication

Transcription

Translation

Replication is the process of DNA being split down the middle in the ladder section of the DNA and it's replicated into two strands.

Transcription is the process of this newly replicated DNA being transcripted into RNA. During this Uracil takes the place of Thymine and ribose takes the place of deoxyribose.

Translation is the process of tRNA calling out for different mRNA connected to amino acids and these amino acids are connected into strands of protein.

"Protein Biosynthesis". En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Jan. 2017.

Meiosis

Meiosis is the process of one diploid cell dividing into four haploid cells or gametes, and it's essential for reproduction. There two parts to meiosis and each part is spilt into several different phases.

• Part one:
• Interphase I
• During interphase the cell begins to grow so that it has enough room to divide (G1 phase), then it copies its DNA (S phase), then it continues to grow (G2 phase).
• Prophase I
• The DNA in the cell begins to move towards the middle while also pairing up with a homologue partner so they become a homologues pair. Crossing over also happens in this phase.
• Metaphase I
• The DNA has lined up in the center and the centrioles are attached, just like mitosis
• Anaphase I
• Now the homologous pairs have been separated and pulled to opposite ends of the cell.
• Telophase I
• The nucleus is reforming and the cell starts to separate into two daughter cells.
• Cytokinesis I
• The cells have separated and start meiosis II.

Part one is mostly the same except for a few things here and there, but other than that it's the same. Part 2 on the other hand has no Interphase because the diploid daughter cells do not replicate DNA. This is because sex cells are haploid cells meaning they have half of what normal cells have.

• Part two:
• Prophase II
• Nuclear envelope breaks down if needed and centrioles move to opposite poles again
• Metaphase II
• Same as metaphase I however the chromosomes line up individually along the metaphase plate.
• Anaphase II
• The sister chromatids are pulled apart to opposite sides of the cell.
• Telaphase II
• The nuclear membrane reforms and the two daughter cells begin to separate into four gametes.
• Cytokinesis II
• The results are four gametes, whether they be four egg or four sperm cells.
• After cytokinesis II the sex cell cannot divide anymore, so you have to start all over with new cells.

I think that this could be useful information for someone who wanted to learn how sperm and egg cells are created or a med school student who needs the information for a research paper. I didn't really learn anything about meiosis, only because I've gone over it in previous science classes so this was just review.

Citations:

Info: "Meiosis." Khan Acadamy, www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-molecular-biology/meiosis/a/phases-of-meiosis. Accessed 4 Jan. 2017.

Picture: Kuensting, Steve. "Meiosis." 2005, www2.sluh.org/bioweb/bi100/tutorials/meiosis.htm.

PKU

Phenylketonuria also known as PKU is a birth defect that causes amino acid called phenylalanine to build up in the body.
Main Info- It's very rare to get PKU. It has no cure but treatments can help. It's chronic so it can either last a lifetime or just a couple years. Untreated PKU can lead to brain damage, intellectual disabilities, behavioral symptoms. A self-care treatments you could do if you have it is a low-protein diet. People who maintain PKU can experience normal development and normal health. PKU is also a recessive trait.

Reflection- I didn't know a whole lot about PKU. Doing the research on this disease made me learn more things about it. I didn't know that people who maintained a good treatment would live a somewhat normal lifestyle. Also to get PKU both parents have to be carriers of it. The other children could possibly become carriers. To even become a carrier is very slim but to marry someone who is also a carrier is even more slim. I learned a lot by about this disease.

Citations

"Phenylketonuria (PKU) - Mayo Clinic". Mayo Clinic. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"PKU Primer For Adolescents And Adults « New England Consortium Of Metabolic Programs". Newenglandconsortium.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

Replication - Bernie Madow

     Replication is the process in which a cell splits it's DNA so the cell can split into "daughter" cells that are exact copies of itself. This process is done with many enzymes that split the DNA. This is a very important process as it is how cells reproduce to make other cells. 

     One thing that I learned while researching this was that enzymes aid greatly in this process. Without the enzymes the entire process would be nearly impossible. I thought this was very interesting and I also enjoyed researching it because every living thing is made up of cells and it is interesting to see how they work.

   This is used outside of biology by doctors and researchers all the time. They study this process and doctors need to understand it because if something in this goes wrong it can lead to many health problems for a individual. These are some interesting things I learned about replication.

rozeka01,. "Biology Unit 6 Dna Rna Protein Synthesis Dna Replication Notes". Slideshare.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Jan. 2017.

Alcohol Fermentation- Aly Noble

6 Quick Main Topics

• AKA Ethanol Fermentation
• The anaerobic pathway carried out by yeasts when simple sugars are converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide.
• When no oxygen is present, alcohol fermentation occurs in the cytosol of yeast cells.
• There are two parts of the process of alcohol fermentation. The first part consists of the yeast breaking down glucose to form two pyruvate molecules. This part is called glycolysis.
• Soon after two pyruvate molecules are converted into two carbon dioxide molecules and two molecules of ethanol, AKA alcohol. The second part of the process is fermentation.
• The main purpose of this process is to produce ATP (result) which is the energy currency for life, which is present in every cell. Occurs is anaerobic conditions. Overall the ethanol and carbon dioxide are waste products of the process. 

Picture:

Reflection:

From learning about Alcoholic Fermentation my perspective on the process changed. I had no idea that the process had two parts to it, and was so complex. Yes, we did learn about this process in school but briefly as we moved onto other topics. Alcoholic fermentation happens anaerobically as eukaryotic microorganism metabolize sugar. Yeast has been used to make products for over thousands of years, but scientists did not realize the use of yeast until about two hundred years ago. Yeast was later discovered to work in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. I was interested to learn that there are wastes products in this process, which reminded me of the waste products with photosynthesis and cellular respiration. The waste products for Alcoholic Fermentation are carbon dioxide and ethanol. Overall this topic is quite complex and interesting to do research on.

Citations:
"Alcohol Fermentation: Definition, Equation & Process - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.Com". Study.Com, 2017, http://study.com/academy/lesson/alcohol-fermentation-definition-equation-process.html.
"Fermentation". Hyperphysics.Phy-Astr.Gsu.Edu, 2017, http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Biology/ferment.html.

Genetics: Dominant Trait

Main Ideas

• Show their affect even if only represented once.
• If both are dominant it is called co-dominance.
• Represented by a capital letter.

A genetic trait is considered dominant if it is an inherited trait that most likely appears in offspring if at least one parent contributes to it and is represented by the dominant allele (Ex. In humans, dark hair, DD or Dd, is considered dominant; if one parent contributes to a gene for dark hair and the other contributes the gene for light hair, dd, the child will most likely have dark hair). If two people possess two different traits that are both dominant and want to produce offspring, both traits will show in the offspring due to co-dominance. I chose this topic because I thought it would be cool to know what traits are dominant. I learned that dimples, brown hair, and brown eyes are dominant, along with the fact that even though one parent can display the dominant trait (heterozygous) it doesn't always mean that it will appear in the offspring.



Citations:
"What Are Dominant And Recessive?". Learn.genetics.utah.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.
Education.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

Mitosis

 Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in 2 daughter cells as the result. In mitosis, there are 4 stages in the process. The first is prophase. Prophase is when a single diploid cell is getting ready to multiply. After prophase comes Metaphase. This is the stage where the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell, getting ready to move away from each other. The next step is called Anaphase. This is the stage where the chromosomes move away from each other. The last is called Telophase. This is where the single diploid cell has fully divided into 2 diploid cells. Because this is asexual reproduction, this process will continue on forever, without the need for a partner.


Prophase: 




Metaphase: 




Anaphase:




Telophase: 

Mutation: Deletion - James Voos

Deletion

Main Points

- Type of Frameshift Mutation - This is a mutation that effect all codon after it and shifts them down 

- The Opposite of Addition - Where addition adds a base deletion takes away a base 

- Causes Genetic Mutation - After the shift occurs it changes all codons after it 

- Can Cause Disease - Cystic Fibrosis 

- Occurs During DNA Replication

What I Learned 

Considering we studied this in class before I researched I didn't learn much but I did actually learn a few diseases that are caused by deletion like Cystic Fibrosis.  I also learned a little more about addition and substitution and I found out substitution isn't a frame shift mutation.  

Citations

"Types Of Mutations". Evolution.berkeley.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.                

"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Yourgenome.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

Cell Vacuole: Andre

CELL VACUOLE


What I learned about the cell vacuole:


Visual Representation:













Main Information:
While I was learning about the cell vacuole, at first I was confused because it wasn't self explanatory like the cell wall. Then when we started to talk about it more and I started to understand it very much at this point. The reason for the cell vacuole in the cell is to aid storage of water for the whole cell/organism. I also realized that the vacuole was a membrane bound organelle, stating this, it is only in Eukaryotic cells because prokaryotic cells do not have membrane bound organelles. The vacuole is a cell that has enclosed compartments to store water. In the water there are enzymes and different solution to aid the cell. The main functions that a vacuole is used for is containing waste products, containing water, containing small molecules and enzymes. Also vacuoles are formed by the fusion of multiple membrane cell vesicles. All of the things a vacuole does are mainly based on which type of cell they are in, example: plant, animal, protist, etc. The vacuole also has to maintain turgor in the cell. Lastly vacuoles have to maintain biogenesis of many cell structures and many substances.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics

By:Alex Pettis

Main Idea

• Also called antibacterials
• Can be prescribed by a doctor
• Discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928
• Kills bacteria by interfering with its formation of the cell wall or the cell contents

Antibiotics are medicines used to treat infectious diseases caused by bacteria. They were discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, who had discovered penicillin. Antibiotics work because they kill the bacteria in the body by interfering with its cell wall formation or the contents of the cell. Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections and not viral infections. If you have a bacterial infection and go to the doctor, they can prescribe the antibiotic that is needed. Some antibiotics will not work because the bacteria in the body is more powerful than the antibiotic. These are known as antibiotic resistant bacteria. Some reasons antibiotics are resistant to bacteria in the body are: because people don’t take the antibiotic as prescribed, using them when not needed or using the same antibiotic too frequently. If the bacteria is resistant to the antibiotic, then a doctor may prescribe a different antibiotic which would be the way to get around the antibiotic resistant bacteria.

I learned that antibiotics are only used to treat bacterial infections and not viral infections. Also, when learning about antibiotics there is so much to take into consideration when taking an antibiotic. Something that surprised me was that when looking at the list of antibiotics each antibiotic has a more specific type such as penicillin has penicillin V potassium, amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin). Antibiotics were something that I already knew some things about, but not everything that was written here. I liked this objective a lot because it is good to know that there is a thing that can treat bacterial infections in the body. Antibiotics can be applied outside of biology because if you need to take an antibiotic you will know what can happen if you don’t take them right. 

"Antibiotics And Common Illnesses". Ghc.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

"Antibiotics: List Of Common Antibiotics & Types - Drugs.Com". Drugs.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Islamiclife.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

"History Of Antibiotics - The Discovery By Alexander Fleming". Explorable.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

"What Are Antibiotics And How Do They Work?". NPS MedicineWise. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

Geographic Isolation - Jacob Wallace

Geographic Isolation is when a population of organisms are separated by a body of water, a landmass, a canyon, or just by distance. When geographic isolation happens they usually evolve differently from each other. A famous example is when Charles Darwin, visited the Galapagos islands and saw that the finches had different beaks. Geographic isolation is usually an accident, but can happen on purpose. Humans can purposely separate animals and study how they evolve in different environments.

Another way they become different from each other is because when they breed with their group, there is less genetic variation. So when or if they meet each other again they will be different from each other, because they would have had different genes in the two groups. They also don't just change in appearance or structure, they can change in behavior too. Which can cause one group to not mate with the other, or even be hostile towards the other group. Isolation is sometimes permanent and sometimes only temporary. 

Citations

"Examples Of Geographic Isolation". YourDictionary. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"Geographic Isolation". Ev-sam.tripod.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"What Do You Mean We Cant Meet Cause Of Geographic Isolation". Memes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

Characteristics of life

Main Ideas 
- Cellular organization - Cellular organization has to do with all the components of the cell and how they are organized.
- Reproduction - Reproduction is the reproducing or multiplying a population to maintain the species.
- Metabolism - Metabolism is all the combined chemical reactions that happen in a organism to maintain life.
- Homeostasis - Homeostasis is the ability to maintain a steady internal environment to maintain life.
- Heredity - Heredity is the passing of physical and mental characteristics through generations and generations.
- Response to stimuli - Response to stimuli is response to your environment, The changes these organisms under go are usually very quick.
- Growth and development - Growth and development is a ever going stage in an organisms life time, Most growth and development happen in youth but continues even when older.
- Adaptation through evolution - Adaptation through evolution allows organisms to adjust and change their bodies to changing environments and conditions, These adaptations can sometimes leave older parts of the body useless, or alters them to keep them useful.

Summary 
Without the characteristics of life we would not live as long as we do, and living would be much more difficult.  Through homeostasis, adaptation, and all the other characteristics our bodies adjust, and alter to help improve ability to live everyday life.  Without the changes our bodies under go it would be a lot more difficult to live, and the world and organisms would be the same as they were centuries ago.


"8 Characteristics Of Life In Biology - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.Com". Study.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 6 Jan. 2017.

Diabetes - Elizabeth Maguire

Diabetes

Main Points:

• Disorder of metabolism, when the body makes blood sugar level rise higher than normal because of the lack of insulin
• Three types: type 1, type 2, and gestational
• Can occur in anyone at any age
• Affects 18.2 million people (6.3% of the US population)

About Type One: Usually occurs in kids and used to be called juvenile diabetes, when the body does not produce any insulin at all.

About Type Two: The most common of the three, your body has insulin resistance and will make lots of insulin at first but then won't be able to keep up and will fall behind on producing enough.

About Gestational: Sometimes occurs in women during their 24th week of pregnancy, its important to track your glucose levels for the sake of both and mother and the baby. If a mother gets this during her pregnancy if does not mean that she had diabetes before or she will have diabetes after she has the baby.

Citations:

"Diabetes Basics". American Diabetes Association. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"Diabetes Symptoms, Treatment, Causes - Points To Remember - Medicinenet". MedicineNet. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"Type 2". American Diabetes Association. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Mejorconsalud.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

Genetics: Recessive Trait

Genetics: Recessive Trait

By: Rachel Duff

Main Info:

-The terms dominant and recessive describe the inheritance patterns of certain traits.

-Dominant traits always show over recessive.

-A recessive gene can only be displayed if BOTH the genes received from the parents 

are the same recessive gene. 

-Recessive traits can be carried in a person's genes without appearing in that person. 

-For example, a dark-haired person may have one gene for dark hair, which is a 

  dominant trait, and one gene for light hair, which is recessive.

-This person has the possibility of having a light haired child if they have one with 

                  a carrier for the trait or someone with the trait.

Visuals:

-

Reflection:

-We have already learned about genetic traits in class so I knew most of the information. One thing I learned about recessive traits is that being naturally blonde is pretty rare. Only 2% of people in the world are full natural blondes (1 in 20 Americans). This goes along with my information above because having recessive traits shown is rare.

References:

"Beginner Guide To Genes, Mutations And Hybrids". Feistyhome.phpwebhosting.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

"The Definition Of Recessive Trait". Dictionary.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/healthy_living/192530/11_brilliant_scientific_facts_about

Transcription- Vanessa Torres

Transcription

          Transcription deals with DNA and RNA. Transcription is the process of making an RNA copy from o portion of DNA strand. DNA safely and stably stores genetic material in the nucleotide of cells as a reference or template. The first step to transcription is to have the enzyme unzip the DNA molecule, next you free RNA nucleotide from the base pairs with complementary nucleotides, lastly the mRNA strand then breaks away and the two DNA strands rejoin again.
       Although RNA polymerase traverses the DNA template strand from 3 to 5, the coding strand is usually used as the reference point. Unlike DNA replication transcription does not need a primer to start and it uses base pairing to create an RNA copy containing uracil instead of thymine. 
         I had a hard time understanding transcription first, but once I got the hang out the process of it it was super easy to me.






















"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Img.sparknotes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.
"Transcription - Biology-Online Dictionary". 
Biology-online.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.
"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Biology-pages.info. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.
"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Lhsc.on.ca. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Jan. 2017.

Passive Transport

Main Ideas of Passive Transport:

• Requires no energy
• Moves along a concentration gradient
• High to Low concentration

Types of Passive Transport:

• Diffusion: The passive transport of any material, such as perfume molecules.
• Osmosis: The passive transport of water.

What Passive Transport Attempts:

• Passive transports attempts to reach equilibrium in the environment. Diffusion moves a large concentration of a smell or other molecule until it fills the room, but is much more faint due to the spread of molecules.
• Osmosis attempts to do the same in cells. Isotonic solutions are where the cell and water it's in are the same. Hypertonic solutions is when there is a high concentration of solute which draws the water towards it, shrinking the cell. Hypotonic solutions are when there is a higher concentration of solute in the cell, drawing in water making it bigger.

I learned most of this stuff in class and have many notes on it. It was cool to see that when things are in high concentration they automatically start to spread out. I liked this a lot. This can be used outside  of biology as well. If you stuff every lose thing into your closet, a small space, it will have a high concentration in the closet. By diffusion, that stuff will want to spread to the lower concentration to attempt to even it out. This causes the closet door to open and stuff to spill out.

Sources: Mr. Black's Fall Biology Honors Class 

"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Biologycorner.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"One-School". One-school.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

Biology Corner,. Isotonic. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis

by London Fleming

Main Ideas:

• The buildup of thick, sticky mucus in the organs and lungs
• Genetic Disorder: Autosomal Recessive
• Damage to the respiratory system and digestive system is progressive

Symptoms:

• Pain in abdomen
• Cough
• Diarrhea
• Fat in stool
• Heartburn
• Shortness of Breath
• Wheezing
• Slow Growth
• Fatigue
• Infections
• And more

Treatment:

• Treatment has improved compared to past decades, extending the life expectancy of people with cystic fibrosis. 
• Medications
• Good diet: high-calorie, high-fat, vitamins
• Fitness
• Lung Transplant
• Breathing Exercises

Pedigree and Punnett Square:

Interactive:

If a woman with Cystic Fibrosis marries a man who is a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis, what are the chances of their children having Cystic Fibrosis?

Reflection:

Learning about Cystic Fibrosis was something I wanted to do. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that occurs in many families, and maybe even my own family. I wanted to be aware of what the disease is and how it could be treated to be prepared if it does occur in my family.  I already knew the basics of Cystic Fibrosis from our genetic disease lesson in class. 

"Cystic Fibrosis Family Tree Diagram". Archive.industry.gov.au. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"Determining Genetic Risk, University Of Kansas School Of Medicine". Www2.kumc.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"How To Avoid Transmitting Cystic Fibrosis To One's Children". Eugin Clinic. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"Overview - Mayo Clinic". Mayo Clinic. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

cellular respiration

Cellular Respiration 

main ideas: 

-reactants; glucose and oxygen

-products; carbon dioxide, water, and ATP

-releases energy by breaking down food 

-it occurs in the mitochondria 

-occurs in plants and animals, only plants have photosynthesis 

Most of the stuff from cellular respiration i already knew because we learned it in class. I thought it was cool that energy can be released by breaking down food. This happens by a glucose molecule is broken down into carbon dioxide and water, then along the way ATP is produced and transforms glucose. I learned ATP is the main product of cellular respiration and that carbon dioxide and water are waste products. I thought it was interesting that cellular respiration occurs in both plants and animals yet only plants carry out photosynthesis. Although i cant relate much to cellular respiration it was a fun subject to learn about. 

References

"Cellular Respiration - Google Search". Google.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"Cellular Respiration - Google Search". Google.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017. 

Characteristics of Life - Nicholas Smith

Main Ideas: There are 7 main characteristics of life

1. Living Things are Composed of Cells: Single-cell organisms have everything they need to be self-sufficient.

In multicellular organisms specialization increases until some cells do only certain things.

2. Living Things Have Different Levels of Organization: Both molecular and cellular organization

Living things must be able to organize simple substances into complex ones 

Living things organize cells at several levels: Tissue - a group of cells that perform a common function.

Organ - a group of tissues that perform a common function.

Organ system - a group of organs that perform a common function. 

Organism - any complete living thing. 

3. Living Things Use Energy: Living things take in energy and use it for maintenance and growth.

4. Living Things Respond To Their Environment: Living things will adapt to certain or sudden changes in their environment.

A behavior is a complex set of responses.

5. Living Things Grow: Cell division - the orderly formation of new cells.

Cell enlargement - the increase in size of a cell. 

Cells grow to a certain size and then divide.

An organism gets larger as the number of its cells increases.

6. Living Things Reproduce: Reproduction is not essential for the survival of individual organisms, but must occur for a species to survive 

All living things reproduce in one of the two ways: 

Asexual reproduction - Producing offspring without the use of gametes 

Sexual reproduction - Producing offspring by the joining of sex cells.

7. Living Things Adapt To Their Environment: Adaptations are traits giving an organism an advantage in a certain environment. 

Variation of individuals is important for a healthy species.

Characteristics of Life has been something I've known for a while now, especially when we covered it a few units back, but something I didn't know what how broad the categories of each process can be. For example Adaptations: it surprises me how an organisms' cells can produce or adapt to certain conditions based off of what is needed, like a giraffe and its' long neck, that is an adaptation it had developed over time so they can reach for high branches of leaves to eat. I really like this objective and I feel like people should really look into it a lot more, this topic could be used outside of Biology for a lot of things, like studying the growth pattern of animals or looking into how something has changed over time. 

"Biology 7 Characteristics Of Life Flashcards | Quizlet". Quizlet.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"8 Characteristics Of Life In Biology - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.Com". Study.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017. 

"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". 2.bp.blogspot.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.

"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". S3.amazonaws.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Jan. 2017.