Biology Now, 2e

14 ■ CHAPTER 01 The Nature of Science

SCIENCE

endangered Indiana bats, both of which have

been particularly hard-hit.

The fungus appears to be related to a type of

fungus common in caves in Europe, so a human

traveler from Europe most likely carried it across

the Atlantic and into the Albany cave, where it

infected its first bat in the United States. Research-

ers continue to explore exactly how the fungus kills

the bats. It appears to wake them from hibernation

too many times during the winter, so the bats use

up their fat reserves too soon and do not survive

the months of cold weather. The fungus also eats

through bats’ delicate wings, which are important

not only for flight, but also for maintaining healthy

levels of water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in the

bats’ bodies. The impact of this fungus on bats is

a powerful example of how a microorganism can

affect many levels of life, from individual tissues

and organs up to whole populations, communities,

and even the ecosystem itself (Figure 1.9).

Figure 1.9

The biological hierarchy

The biological hierarchy is a way to visualize the breadth and scope of life, from the smallest structures to the broadest

interactions between living and nonliving systems.

Q1: Give examples of other kinds of organs that mammals such as bats have. (Hint: Think of the organs in your own body.)

Q2: Are bats in California part of the community of bats in upstate New York if they are of the same species? Why or

why not?

Q3: Is the soil in a cave where bats live a part of the bats’ population, community, or ecosystem? Explain your reasoning.

(^1) The biological hierarchy
begins with atoms,
which are the building
blocks of all matter.
(^2) Two or more atoms
held together by
strong chemical bonds
become a molecule.
(^3) Molecules make up the cell,
the basic unit of life, and some
organisms, such as bacteria,
consist of only a single cell.
(^4) Multicellular
organisms form
tissues. A tissue is a
group of cells that
performs a unique set
of tasks in the body.
(^5) Plants and animals also
have organs, which
are body parts
composed of different
types of tissues
functioning in a
coordinated manner.
(^6) In animals, groups of organs
are networked into organ
systems, which perform a wide
range of functions.
(^7) In an individual organism, all
components work as a well-knit whole.
8 Each organism is a member
of a population, a group of
individuals of the same
species living and interacting
in a shared environment.
(^9) Populations of
different species that
live and interact with
one another in a
particular place are a
biological community.
(^10) A particular physical
environment and all the
communities in it together
make up an ecosystem.
11 Biomes are large regions
of the world defined by
shared physical
characteristics, especially
climate, and a distinctive
community of organisms.
(^12) All biomes are part of one
biosphere, all the world’s
living organisms and the
places where they live.
Atoms
Molecule
Cell
Tissue (skin cells)
Organ
(skin)
Organ system
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biome
Biosphere

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