Title overview
About the Book
A unique inquiry-driven approach helps students dig deep to ask essential questions
- NEW! A three-pronged taxonomy of questions are presented in each chapter to help students pace their learning throughout the course.
- Section headings and case study sections give students a preview of questions that will be addressed in the chapter.
- Check Your Learning and End of Chapter questions ask to look back, recall, and reinforce their comprehension of biology concepts.
- Consider This, Think Critically, Evaluate This, and Applying the Concepts questions ask students to dig deeper, reflect, and think critically about the chapter material
- NEW! Think Critically questions challenge readers to apply their knowledge to information presented in a photo, figure, graph, or table.
- NEW! Evaluate This questions present a brief, real life scenario and ask the reader to evaluate information before forming an opinion or making a decision.
Engaging Pedagogy encourages student inquiry and critical thinking throughout the text, while relating key topics to the real world
- A Case Study that describes a true and relevant event or phenomenon runs throughout each chapter, tying biological concepts to the real world.
- NEW! Case Studies have been revised and replaced to reflect current events and developments in biology, such as the Ebola epidemic (Chapter 1), DNA Identification (Chapter 8), and Biotechnology (Chapter 14).
- Case Study Continued sections appear within each chapter and expand on the Chapter Opening Case Studies and connect the topic to related biology concepts.
- Case Study Revisited sections appear at the end of each chapter and wrap up the narrative by explaining how the story is related to the biology topics in the chapter. The accompanying Consider This question encourages students to further reflect on the Case Study take-home lessons.
- At A Glance Chapter Outline appears at the beginning of each chapter to give students a handy overview of learning goals for the chapter.
- NEW! How Do We Know That? Essays explore the process of scientific discovery, experimental design, and exciting new biotechnology techniques, explaining how scientists know what they know about biology.
- Boxed Essays in each chapter expose students to biology-related events that occur in everyday life.
- Earth Watch boxes are presented twice in each unit and adapted to encourage more critical thinking. A question feature will be added to each box to challenge students to think deeply about what they’ve just read.
- Health Watch boxes with Evaluate This questions ask students to think critically about a real world scenario, connecting key biology concepts to students lives.
- Have You Ever Wondered? questions ask a biology-related question about an everyday curiosity, along with a brief, scientific answer. Examples include “Have You Ever Wondered..?” Why Bacteria Die When You Take Antibiotics (Chapter 5), If Extinct Species Can Be Revived by Cloning (Chapter 18), and How Big Your Carbon Footprint is (Chapter 29).
- In Greater Depth sections provide deeper coverage of selected topics including the Hardy-Weinberg Principle, Logistic Population Growth, and Hormonal Interactions that Control the Menstrual Cycle.
Reorganization of chapter topics improves student comprehension
- NEW! Mitosis and Meiosis are now covered in separate chapters, making these topics more manageable for instructors and students.
- Chapter 9 now covers only mitotic cell division and the control of the cell cycle.
- Meiotic cell division and its importance in sexual reproduction are now discussed in Chapter 10.
NEW! Improved Figures and Photos appear throughout the text and effectively illustrate biological concepts and processes.
- NEW! Numbered Steps break down complex biological processes into manageable steps.
- NEW! Think Critically questions challenge readers to apply their knowledge to information presented in a photo, figure, graph, or table.
- NEW! Clearer, more vibrant colors make it easier to distinguish among different structures.
Also available as a Pearson eText or packaged with Mastering Biology
Pearson eText is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience that can be adopted on its own as the main course material. It allows students to highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place, even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media engage students and give them access to the help they need, when they need it. Educators can easily schedule readings and share their own notes with students so they see the connection between their eText and what they learn in class – motivating them to keep reading, and keep learning. Learn more about Pearson eText.
Mastering Biology is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts. Students benefit from self-paced tutorials that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain tough course concepts.
- NEW! Evaluating Science in the Media coaching activities guide students through a step-by-step process for evaluating the authority, motivation, and reliability of online sources of scientific information. Topics include genetically modified organisms, head injuries, tanning and skin cancer, and more.
- NEW! Working with Data activities ask students to analyze and apply their knowledge of biology to a graph or a set of data from the text.
- EXPANDED! Building Vocabulary exercises help students learn the meaning of common prefixes, suffixes, and word roots, and then challenge them to apply their knowledge to learn unfamiliar biology terms.
- NEW! Everyday Biology Videos briefly explore interesting and relevant biology topics that relate to concepts that students are learning in class. These 20 videos, produced by the BBC, can be assigned in Mastering Biology with assessment questions.
- NEW! Learning Catalytics™ is an interactive, student response tool that uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more sophisticated tasks and thinking. Now included with MyLab & Mastering with eText, Learning Catalytics enables you to generate classroom discussion, guide your lecture, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. Instructors can:
- Pose a variety of open-ended questions that help your students develop critical thinking skills.
- Monitor responses to find out where students are struggling.
- Use real-time data to adjust your instructional strategy and try other ways of engaging your students during class.
- Manage student interactions by automatically grouping students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning.
- Dynamic Study Modules help students study effectively on their own by continuously assessing their activity and performance in real time. Students complete a set of questions with a unique answer format that also asks them to indicate their confidence level. Questions repeat until the student can answer them all correctly and confidently. These are available as graded assignments prior to class, and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- Pearson eText is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience available within Mastering. It allows educators to schedule readings and share their own notes. Students can easily highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place — even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media give students access to the help they need, when they need it.
- BioFlix™ 3D movie-quality animations help your students visualize complex biology topics and include automatically graded coaching activities with personalized feedback and hints.
- You Decide Coaching Activities explore the data behind hot topics to guide students through a process for making informed decisions.
- GraphIt! Activities contain multiple-choice questions that can be assigned, graded, and tracked in the MasteringBiology gradebook.
- Current Events Activities with links to articles from the New York Times, including assessment questions, are updated twice a year. These are listed under “General Chapter Content” in the item library.
- Video Field Trip Activities allow students to observe and experience everyday environmental impacts and solutions without leaving home or campus.
- Additional evolution and ecology activities, including guided animations with accompanying quiz questions.
About the Book
A unique inquiry-driven approach helps students dig deep to ask essential questions
- A three-pronged taxonomy of questions are presented in each chapter to help students pace their learning throughout the course.
- Section headings and case study sections give students a preview of questions that will be addressed in the chapter.
- Check Your Learning and End of Chapter questions ask to look back, recall, and reinforce their comprehension of biology concepts.
- Consider This, Think Critically, Evaluate This, and Applying the Concepts questions ask students to dig deeper, reflect, and think critically about the chapter material
- NEW! Think Critically questions challenge readers to apply their knowledge to information presented in a photo, figure, graph, or table.
- NEW! Evaluate This questions present a brief, real life scenario and ask the reader to evaluate information before forming an opinion or making a decision.
- Case Studies have been revised and replaced to reflect current events and developments in biology, such as the Ebola epidemic (Chapter 1), DNA Identification (Chapter 8), and Biotechnology (Chapter 14).
- How Do We Know That? Essays explore the process of scientific discovery, experimental design, and exciting new biotechnology techniques, explaining how scientists know what they know about biology.
Reorganization of chapter topics improves student comprehension
- Mitosis and Meiosis are now covered in separate chapters, making these topics more manageable for instructors and students.
Improved Figures and Photos appear throughout the text and effectively illustrate biological concepts and processes.
- Numbered Steps break down complex biological processes into manageable steps.
- Think Critically questions challenge readers to apply their knowledge to information presented in a photo, figure, graph, or table.
- Clearer, more vibrant colors make it easier to distinguish among different structures.
Also available as a Pearson eText or packaged with Mastering Biology
Pearson eText is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience that can be adopted on its own as the main course material. It allows students to highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place, even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media engage students and give them access to the help they need, when they need it. Educators can easily schedule readings and share their own notes with students so they see the connection between their eText and what they learn in class — motivating them to keep reading, and keep learning. Learn more about Pearson eText.
Mastering Biology is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product proven to improve results by helping students quickly master concepts. Students benefit from self-paced tutorials that feature personalized wrong-answer feedback and hints that emulate the office-hour experience and help keep students on track. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain tough course concepts.
- Evaluating Science in the Media coaching activities guide students through a step-by-step process for evaluating the authority, motivation, and reliability of online sources of scientific information. Topics include genetically modified organisms, head injuries, tanning and skin cancer, and more.
- Working with Data activities ask students to analyze and apply their knowledge of biology to a graph or a set of data from the text.
- EXPANDED! Building Vocabulary exercises help students learn the meaning of common prefixes, suffixes, and word roots, and then challenge them to apply their knowledge to learn unfamiliar biology terms.
- Everyday Biology Videos briefly explore interesting and relevant biology topics that relate to concepts that students are learning in class. These 20 videos, produced by the BBC, can be assigned in Mastering Biology with assessment questions.
- Learning Catalytics™ is an interactive, student response tool that uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more sophisticated tasks and thinking. Now included with MyLab & Mastering with eText, Learning Catalytics enables you to generate classroom discussion, guide your lecture, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. Instructors can:
- Pose a variety of open-ended questions that help your students develop critical thinking skills.
- Monitor responses to find out where students are struggling.
- Use real-time data to adjust your instructional strategy and try other ways of engaging your students during class.
- Manage student interactions by automatically grouping students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning
- Pearson eText is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience available within Mastering. It allows educators to schedule readings and share their own notes. Students can easily highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place — even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media give students access to the help they need, when they need it.
Table of contents
1. An Introduction to Life on Earth
Unit 1: THE LIFE OF THE CELL
2. Atoms, Molecules, and Life
3. Biological Molecules
4. Cell Structure and Function
5. Cell Membrane Structure and Function
6. Energy Flow in the Life of a Cell
7. Capturing Solar Energy: Photosynthesis
8. Harvesting Energy: Glycolysis and Cellular Respiration
Unit 2: INHERITANCE
9. Cellular Reproduction
10. Meiosis: The Basis of Sexual Reproduction
11. Patterns of Inheritance
12. DNA: The Molecule of Heredity
13. Gene Expression and Regulation
14. Biotechnology
Unit 3: EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE
15. Principles of Evolution
16. How Populations Evolve
17. The Origin of Species
18. The History of Life
19. Systematics: Seeking Order Amid Diversity
20. The Diversity of Prokaryotes and Viruses
21. The Diversity of Protists
22. The Diversity of Plants
23. The Diversity of Fungi
24. Animal Diversity I: Invertebrates
25. Animal Diversity II: Vertebrates
Unit 4. BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY
26. Animal Behavior
27. Population Growth and Regulation
28. Community Interactions
29. Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling in Ecosystems
30. Earth’s Diverse Ecosystems
31. Conserving Earth’s Biodiversity
Unit 5. ANIMAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
32. Homeostasis and the Organization of the Animal Body
33. Circulation
34. Respiration
35. Nutrition and Digestion
36. The Urinary System
37. Defense Against Disease
38. Chemical Control of the Animal Body: The Endocrine System
39. The Nervous System
40. The Senses
41. Action and Support: The Muscles and Skeleton
42. Animal Reproduction
43. Animal Development
Unit 6. PLANT ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
44. Plant Anatomy and Nutrient Transport
45. Plant Reproduction and Development
46. Plant Responses to the Environment
Biology Life on Earth, Eleventh Edition includes Chapters 1–30
Biology Life on Earth with Physiology, Eleventh Edition includes Chapters 1–46
Author bios
They are now emeritus professors of biology at the University of Colorado Denver, where they taught introductory biology and neurobiology from 1982 through 2006. In their research, funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health, they investigated the mechanisms by which neurons are harmed by low levels of environmental pollutants and protected by estrogen.
Terry and Gerry share a deep appreciation of nature and of the outdoors. They enjoy hiking in the Rockies, walking near their home in Steamboat Springs, and attempting to garden at 7,000 feet in the presence of hungry deer and elk. They are long-time members of many conservation organizations. Their daughter, Heather, provides another welcome focus to their lives.
BRUCE E. BYERS is a midwesterner transplanted to the hills of western Massachusetts, where he is a professor in the biology department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He’s been a member of the faculty at UMass (where he also completed his doctoral degree) since 1993. Bruce teaches introductory biology courses for both nonmajors and majors; he also teaches courses in ornithology and animal behavior.
A lifelong fascination with birds ultimately led Bruce to scientific exploration of avian biology. His current research focuses on the behavioral ecology of birds, especially on the function and evolution of the vocal signals that birds use to communicate. The pursuit of vocalizations often takes Bruce outdoors, where he can be found before dawn, tape recorder in hand, awaiting the first songs of a new day.
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