Studying General Biology

Studying General Biology Why and How to Study Biology ChaptersWhat do Biologists Do?Three Main Branches of Biology:Basic Biological ConceptsPeople often define themselves as what type of student they are using a left or right brain approach. In other words, they either think of themselves as having logic and information based interests or artistic and humanities related ones. Fortunately, when studying a polarizing subject like general biology, there are many ways you can become more involved in the subject you may either love or despise.Biological functions form a part of our daily lives, which includes everything from the bioinformatics that go into making your medicine to the cellular biology that go into enhancing your sports performance. Understanding the evolution of the field of biology, and the terms that make it up, can help you in your studies and in life.Subjects in the biological sciences are vastNucleus: structure found in most cells, except bacteria and some algae, that specializes in controlling and regulating the activit ies of the cell. Furthermore, it is where hereditary information, or genes, are locatedMeiosis: this is the process under which a germ cell divides its nucleus to form four sex cells, or gametes. Each gamete contains only half the amount of chromosomes as the original, parent cell.Cell division: the process under which cells reproduce, namely mitosis and meiosis.Phytotron: a special type of greenhouse utilized for studying plants and their environmentMolecule: a group of bonded atoms that form the smallest unit of a chemical compound, important for understanding plants’ molecular processes.Zoology forms a major part of biological studies, including knowledge over the make-up and behavior of animals. Some important terms to understand under this branch are:Selective breeding: the process by which parents are chosen to breed based off of particular characteristics with the aim of producing more desirable offspring.Heritable components: heritability is a statistic that involves a pro portion of phenotypic variance that is attributed to genetic varianceIn microbiology, there are many definitions one can encounter. However, the most important concepts to understand are the eight microorganisms that one can study.Eight microorganisms:Bacteria (eubacteria, archaea)AlgaeFungiProtozoaVirusesPrionsLichensSlime MoldsIf you're interested in learning how these concepts affect fields dealing with aquatic animals, check out marine biology!