Table of Contents
Core Biology Concepts Explained: Evolution Info Flow Structure Function Guide
Biology’s key unifying themes—evolution driving change, structure dictating function, information flow from DNA to proteins—link life’s hierarchy, excluding symbiosis/biodiversity as primary, for General Biology certification mastery.
Question
Identify and describe the five unifying themes in biology.
A. Symbiosis
B. Structure and function
C. Biodiversity
D. Evolution
E. Information flow
Answer
B. Structure and function
D. Evolution
E. Information flow
Explanation
Biology’s unifying themes provide conceptual frameworks connecting diverse life processes, with evolution serving as the core driver of diversity through natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation acting on heritable variation to produce adaptations over generations, explaining unity (shared DNA-based genetics) amid biodiversity. The structure-function relationship manifests across scales—molecular (hemoglobin’s quaternary shape enables oxygen binding), cellular (ribosomes’ rRNA-protein complex catalyzes peptide bonds), organ (heart’s chambers optimize blood flow), and ecosystem (predator-prey dynamics maintain balance)—where form dictates performance and vice versa. Information flow, or the central dogma, transmits genetic instructions from DNA (replication/transcription) to RNA to proteins, enabling development, regulation (e.g., operons), and response, while symbiosis (A) represents specific interactions and biodiversity (C) a pattern rather than foundational principle.