The Handy Biology Answer Book

Thomas E. Svarney, Patricia Barnes-Svarney

Description

Easy to use and friendly guide explains the inner workings of cells, bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants, animals, as well as evolution, the environment, DNA and chromosomes, genetics and genetic engineering, laboratory techniques, and much, much more.

Gene therapy. Forensic DNA profiling. Biochemistry. Biotechnology. Cloning. Stem Cells. Super Bugs. Genetically modified food. Botany. Zoology. Sex. The study of life and living organisms is ancient, broad, and ongoing. Biology combines the Greek word for life, bios, with the suffix -ology, or science/study/knowledge of. The new, completely revised and updated The Handy Biology Answer Book examines, explains, and traces mankind’s understanding of this important topic.

From the newsworthy to the practical and from the medical to the historical, this entertaining and informative book brings the complexity of life into focus through the well-researched answers to more than 1,250 common biology questions, such as …

What is life?

Why do you need protein in your diet?

Do animals suffer from allergies just like humans?

What is the Human Genome Project?

Why do birds fly in formation?

Can the environment affect genes?

Do bacteria get addicted to caffeine?

What was the historical significance of hemp?

How are seedless grapes grown?

What is social Darwinism?

Can animals suffer from psychological disorders?

The Handy Biology Answer Book has clear, concise answers to questions on everything from genetics to the anatomy of cells to the emotional life of elephants, and from the environment and ecology to human biology and evolution. It’s a must-have for any student of life! With many photos, illustrations, and other graphics, this tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness.

Sujets

• Life Sciences
• Sciences et techniques
• Biology
• Science

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 21 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578595259
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

About the Authors

Patricia Barnes-Svarney is a science and science fiction writer. Over the past few decades, she has written or coauthored close to three dozen books, including When the Earth Moves: Rogue Earthquakes, Tremors, and Aftershocks and the award-winning New York Public Library Science Desk Reference . Thomas E. Svarney is a scientist who has written extensively about the natural world. His books, with Patricia Barnes-Svarney, include Visible Ink Press The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book, The Handy Math Answer Book , and The Handy Ocean Answer Book, as well as Skies of Fury: Weather Weirdness around the World and The Oryx Guide to Natural History . You can read more about their work and writing at www.pattybarnes.net .
THE HANDY BIOLOGY ANSWER BOOK

THE HANDY BIOLOGY ANSWER BOOK
Copyright 2015 by Visible Ink Press
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or website.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
Visible Ink Press
43311 Joy Rd., #414
Canton, MI 48187-2075
Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC.
Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, www.visibleink.com , or 734-667-3211.
Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile
Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski
Typesetting: Marco Di Vita
Proofreaders: Shoshana Hurwitz and Aarti Stephens
Indexer: Larry Baker
Cover images: Shutterstock.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-490-0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-57859-524-2 (pdf ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-57859-526-6 (Kindle ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-57859-525-9 (ePub ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barnes-Svarney, Patricia L.
The handy biology answer book / by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney. - 2nd edition.
pages cm
Previous edition: The handy biology answer book (Detroit : Visible Ink Press, 2004).
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-57859-490-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Biology-Miscellanea. I. Svarney, Thomas E. II. Title.
QH349.H36 2015
570-dc23
2014009127
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
P HOTO C REDITS
I NTRODUCTION
BASICS OF BIOLOGY
Biology and Life
Classification of Life
Basic Chemistry for Biology
Molecules and Biology
Molecules and Energy
Fermentation
Enzymes-and Proteins-at Work
CELLULAR BASICS
Historical Views of Cells
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
Structures inside Cells
Cell Walls and Membranes
Plant Cell Basics
Cell Division
Cell Responses
BACTERIA, VIRUSES, AND PROTISTS
Historical Interest in Bacteria
Bacteria Basics
Virus Basics
Protists
FUNGI
Historical Interest in Fungi
Classifying Fungi
Fungi Basics
Fungi in the Environment
Mushrooms and Edible Fungi
Lichens
Yeasts
PLANT DIVERSITY
Early Plants
Historical Interest in Plants
Botany Basics
Bryophytes
Tracheophytes-Ferns
Tracheophytes-Gymnosperms
Tracheophytes-Flowering Plants (Angiosperms)
PLANT STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND USE
Plant Structures
Seeds
Roots
Shoots, Stems, and Leaves
Flowers
Plants and Soils
Plant Responses to Stimuli
Plant Uses
AQUATIC AND LAND ANIMAL DIVERSITY
Historic Interest in Animal Diversity
Animals in General
Aquatic Animals
In Between Sea and Land
Aquatic and Land Arthropods
Land Animals
Mammals
ANATOMY: ANIMALS INSIDE
Animal Anatomy Basics
Tissue and Cells
Organs and Organ Systems
Digestion
Respiration
Circulatory System
Excretory system
Skeletal System
PHYSIOLOGY: ANIMAL FUNCTION AND REPRODUCTION
Physiology Basics
Endocrine System
Nervous System
Immune System
Animal Senses
Reproduction
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Behavior Basics
Animal Instinct, Learning, and Emotions
Behavioral Ecology
Behavior of Animals in Motion
DNA, RNA, CHROMOSOMES, AND GENES
History of Nucleic Acids
DNA and RNA
Chromosomes
Genes
Genetics and the Human Genome
Genetic Mutations
HEREDITY, NATURAL SELECTION, AND EVOLUTION
Early Studies in Heredity
Natural Selection
Highlights of Evolution
Extinction
Species and Population
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
The Earth s Environment
Biomes
Endangered Plants and Animals
Conservation
Environmental Challenges
BIOLOGY IN THE LABORATORY
Historical Interest in Biotechnology
A Look at a Genetics Lab
Cloning
DNA in the Lab
Inside Other Biotech Labs
Seeing Small
Biotech Labs and Food
BIOLOGY AND YOU
Being Human
You and Your Cells
You and Your Body
You and Your Genes
You, Bacteria, and Viruses
You and Food
You and the Other Animals
G LOSSARY
F URTHER R EADING
I NDEX
Acknowledgements
We are indebted to the authors of the first edition of The Handy Biology Answer Book -James Bobick, Naomi Balaban, Sandra Bobick, and Laurel Roberts. Their knowledge and research made our job of revising the book that much easier. And there are also the people behind the scenes, as always. We d like to thank Roger J necke for all his help, and especially for asking us to revise the first edition; also thanks to Mary Claire Krzewinski for page and cover design, Marco Di Vita of the Graphix Group for typesetting, Shoshana Hurwitz for indexing, and Aarti Stephens and Shoshana (again) for proofreading. An extra special thank you to Kevin Hile, our understanding editor for many Handy Answer books-who, as an editor and writer exceptionnel , is truly surpassed by few. We d also like to thank our wonderful agent, Agnes Birnbaum, for her help, patience, and above all, her friendship over the years.
We d also like to acknowledge all those biologists-from botanists and bacteriologists to environmentalists and geneticists, past, present, and future-who have, are, and will try to solve the mysteries of life on our planet and beyond. It s almost impossible to comprehend the number and types of organisms that exist; and though we may never know all the answers, here s to everyone who tries to comprehend just how the many organisms-including humans-fit in the grand scheme of life.
Photo Credits
Electronic Illustrators Group: pp. 18 , 46 .
Barfooz: p. 92 .
Kelvinsong: p. 56 .
Nova: p. 153 .
Public domain: pp. 36 , 48 , 57 , 66 , 74 , 85 , 88 , 99 , 132 , 161 , 297 , 322 , 325 , 326 , 331 .
Shutterstock: 6 , 7 , 10 , 13 , 15 , 25 , 27 , 27 , 28 , 38 , 42 , 50 , 59 , 63 , 67 , 69 , 71 , 78 , 80 , 94 , 95 , 108 , 109 , 115 , 117 , 125 , 137 , 142 , 146 , 153 (bottom), 156 , 159 , 164 , 168 , 178 , 183 , 188 , 190 , 192 , 194 , 196 , 201 , 202 , 204 , 205 , 211 , 218 , 220 , 225 , 229 , 231 , 235 , 242 , 244 , 249 , 251 , 252 , 258 , 260 , 266 , 270 , 273 , 276 , 277 , 279 , 281 , 283 , 285 , 288 , 289 , 291 , 294 , 310 , 314 , 318 , 333 , 341 , 344 , 346 , 352 , 353 , 356 , 361 , 367 , 370 , 382 , 385 , 393 , 395 , 401 , 403 , 406 , 409 , 415 , 418 , 420 , 422 .
Yassine Mrabet: p. 4 .
Introduction
Biology is a grand, glorious field; and life is an even bigger subject. To present all the information known about life on Earth in one book would be a lifetime s work-and a huge book. What we offer you is a condensed version of some of the most interesting and up-to-date information in the biology world.
We both consider ourselves naturalists for a reason: We spend most of our time outside in nature-surrounded by birds, fungi, animals, and plants, along with sundry protists and bacteria we can t see. These natural subjects are all there to watch and learn from-showing us the necessary phases of our world s organisms, such as birth, dormancy, hibernation, and, of course, death. In fact, you can t point to anything out there without awe, wonder, and an appreciation of all the other life forms that have lived on this planet for just over a billion years.
Here are some of the biological highlights of that past history-and of the present and future. We are indebted to the original authors of the first edition-Naomi Balaban, James Bobick, Sandra Bobick, and Laurel Bridges Roberts-and have kept many of their questions and answers throughout the book. And because a great deal has happened in the ten or so years since the publication of the first edition, we updated some of the original queries-and added many of our own.
We hope you will enjoy this step into the world of biology, and that you ll use this book as a platform to discover other books or Internet sites about your favorite natural topics. And above all, we hope this book will inspire you to walk, run, gaze, sit, or stand in this beautiful living world. Our planet teems with life-go out there and enjoy it!
Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
BASICS OF BIOLOGY

BIOLOGY AND LIFE
What is biology?
Biology is often called the science of life in studies that include everything from an organism s conception to its death. It is mainly concerned with the study of living systems-from animal to plant and everything in between-and includes the study of various organisms cells, metabolism, reproduction, growth, activity of systems, and response to the stimuli in their environment.
Who coined the term biology ?
French biologist Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck (1744-1829) is credited with coining the term biology (from the Greek terms bios , meaning life, and logy , meaning study of ) in 1802 to describe the science of life. He was also the first to publish a version of an evolutionary tree that described the ancestral relationships among