Biology Essentials For Dummies^®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and may not be used without written permission. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit https://hub.wiley.com/community/support/dummies.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019931684

ISBN: 978-1-119-58958-7 (pbk); ISBN: 978-1-119-58962-4 (ePDF); ISBN: 978-1-119-58954-9 (ePub)

Introduction

Life is all around you, from invisible microbes and green plants to the other animals with whom you share the Earth. What’s more, these other living things aren’t just around you — they’re intimately interconnected with your life. Plants make your food and provide you with oxygen, microbes break down dead matter and recycle materials that all living things need, and insects pollinate the plants you rely on for food. Ultimately, all living beings rely on other living beings for their survival.

What makes biology so great is that it allows you to explore the interconnectedness of the world’s organisms and really understand that living beings are works of art and machines rolled into one. Organisms can be as delicate as a mountain wildflower or as awe-inspiring as a majestic lion. And regardless of whether they’re plants, animals, or microbes, all living things have numerous working parts that contribute to the function of the whole being. They move, obtain energy, use raw materials, and make waste, whether they’re as simple as a single-celled organism or as complex as a human being.

Biology is the key you need to unlock the mysteries of life. Through it, you discover that even single-celled organisms have their complexities, from their unique structures to their diverse metabolisms. Biology also helps you realize what a truly miraculous machine your body is, with its many different systems that work together to move materials, support your structure, send signals, defend you from invaders, and obtain the matter and energy you need for growth.

About This Book

Biology Essentials For Dummies takes a look at the characteristics all living things share. It also provides an overview of the concepts and processes that are fundamental to living things. We put an emphasis on looking at how human beings meet their needs, but we also take a look at the diversity of life on planet Earth.

Conventions Used in This Book

To help you find your way through the subjects in this book, we use the following style conventions:

Italics highlight new words or terms that are defined in the text. They also point out words we want to emphasize.
Also, whenever we introduce scientific terms, we try to break the words down for you so that the terms become tied to their meanings, making them easier to remember.

Foolish Assumptions

As we wrote this book, we tried to imagine who you are and what you need in order to understand biology. Here’s what we came up with:

You’re a high school student taking biology, possibly in preparation for an advanced placement test or college entrance examination. If you’re having trouble in biology class and your textbook isn’t making much sense, try reading the relevant section of this book first to give yourself a foundation and then go back to your textbook or notes.
You’re a college student who isn’t a science major but is taking a biology class to help fulfill your degree requirements. If you want help following along in class, try reading the relevant sections in this book before you go to a lecture on a particular topic. If you need to fix a concept in your brain, read the related section after class.

Icons Used in This Book

We use some of the familiar For Dummies icons to help guide you and give you new insights as you read the material. Here’s the scoop on what each one means.

The information highlighted with this icon is stuff we think you should permanently store in your mental biology file. If you want a quick review of biology, scan through the book reading only the paragraphs marked with Remember icons.

This symbol offers pointers that help you remember the facts presented in a particular section so you can better commit them to memory.

Beyond the Book

In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet. To get this Cheat Sheet, go to www.dummies.com and search for “Biology Essentials For Dummies Cheat Sheet” by using the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

Where you start reading is up to you. However, we do have a few suggestions:

If you’re currently in a biology class and having trouble with a particular topic, jump right to the chapter or section featuring the subject that’s confusing you.
If you’re using this book as a companion to a biology class that’s just beginning, you can follow along with the topics being discussed in class.

Whatever your situation, the table of contents and index can help you find the information you need.

Biology Essentials For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Biology Essentials For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.