Stronger engagement

After each new topic is presented, students answer a few reading questions about the main ideas. This helps students maintain focus, actively process information, and construct new knowledge.

Presentation and relevance

Each chapter offers concise presentation of key concepts. Examples and interactive features help students see the relevance of biology to their daily lives. And interactive learning experiences show how scientific knowledge is created and shared in the media.

Science in the News

Each unit includes Science in the News feature pages aimed at developing students’ skills in assessing media coverage of scientific studies.

Everything you need

Biology: Life at Every Level provides everything you need for an online course. And we can tailor the webtext to match your course’s term length, scope, and sequence.

1. The Scientific Process
   1. Introduction: What Is Science?
   2. Scientific Knowledge
   3. Gathering and Analyzing Evidence
   4. Proposing Hypotheses and Theories
   5. Conducting Experiments
   6. Relying on the Scientific Community
   7. Chapter Quiz: The Scientific Process
   8. Conclusion: Biology Is a Science
2. Science in the News
   1. Introduction: Truth, Lies, Life and Death
   2. The Scientific Study
   3. Sample Size
   4. Causation and Correlation
   5. Scientific Consensus
   6. Assessing Science in the News
   7. Scientific Studies and Decision-Making
   8. Chapter Quiz: Science in the News
   9. Conclusion: When Consensus Is Wrong
3. The Science of Life
   1. Introduction: Biology Reflects the Organization of Life
   2. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
   3. Cell Biology, Part 1
   4. Cell Biology, Part 2
   5. Anatomy and Physiology
   6. Genetics
   7. Evolutionary Biology
   8. Ecology
   9. Chapter Quiz: The Science of Life
   10. Conclusion: Porcupines Climb Trees
4. Entropy: Life’s Greatest Challenge
   1. Introduction: Life by the Campfire
   2. Matter and Energy
   3. The Rules of Matter
   4. Thermal Energy
   5. Heat
   6. Thermal Equilibrium
   7. Entropy and Matter
   8. Entropy and Thermal Energy
   9. Resisting Thermal Equilibrium
   10. Metabolism
   11. Living Matter and Entropy
   12. Metabolisms and Food
   13. Chapter Quiz: Entropy
   14. Conclusion: Radiation-Eating Fungus
5. Phototrophs: Bringing Energy to Life
   1. Introduction: The Great Energy Portal
   2. The Diversity and Unity of Phototrophs
   3. Photosynthesis: The Light Reactions
   4. Photosynthesis: The Dark Reactions
   5. Oxygen, the Byproduct of Photosynthesis
   6. Cellulose and Structure
   7. Burning Carbohydrates for Energy
   8. Chapter Quiz: Phototrophs
   9. Conclusion: Winter Is the Season of Entropy
6. Heterotrophs: Consuming Organisms for Energy
   1. Introduction: Organisms That Eat Organisms That Eat Plants
   2. The Variety of Heterotrophs
   3. The Essentials of Cellular Respiration
   4. Ingestion, Digestion, Absorption, Excretion
   5. Catabolism: Breaking Down Biomolecules
   6. The Other Nutrients: Minerals and Vitamins
   7. Cellular Respiration: Major Ingredients and Products
   8. The Stages of Cellular Respiration
   9. Glycolysis, Quick and Inefficient
   10. Fermentation or Aerobic Respiration? A Fork in the Road
   11. Aerobic Respiration
   12. Anabolism and Repairing the Effect of Entropy
   13. Starvation, or Catabolizing Our Own Biomolecules
   14. Science in the News: Diet and Diabetes, Part 1
   15. Science in the News: Diet and Diabetes, Part 2
   16. Chapter Quiz: Heterotrophs
   17. Conclusion: Living Within Ranges
7. Homeostasis: Resisting Entropy from Moment to Moment
   1. Introduction: The Life-Support System Within Organisms
   2. The Essentials of Homeostasis: Negative Feedback
   3. Thermoregulation
   4. Osmosis
   5. Osmoregulation
   6. The Human Nervous and Endocrine Systems Maintain Homeostasis
   7. Blood Sugar Regulation
   8. The Thyroid Gland Regulates Nearly All Cell Types
   9. Maintaining Homeostasis Through Behavior
   10. Chapter Quiz: Homeostasis
   11. Conclusion: The Moment-to-Moment Struggle Against Entropy
8. Biological Development: Preparing for Life
   1. Introduction: Organizing New Living Things with Energy
   2. The Essentials of Development: Cell Division
   3. The Zygote
   4. Cleavage
   5. Gastrulation
   6. Organogenesis
   7. External Eggs
   8. Seeds
   9. Wombs
   10. Stages of Human Development
   11. Chapter Quiz: Preparing for Life
   12. Conclusion: Emerging into the World
9. Biological Development: Maturation and Aging
   1. Introduction: Life in Days and Eons
   2. Human Maturation
   3. Puberty
   4. Vulnerability and Competence
   5. Determinate and Indeterminate Growth
   6. Metamorphosis
   7. Biological Aging
   8. Biological Death
   9. Chapter Quiz: Maturation and Aging
   10. Conclusion: Life to Death, Death to Life
10. Introduction to Structure and Function
    1. Introduction: Leaping with the Cougar
    2. Structure, Function, and Imperfection
    3. Structure and Function in Molecules
    4. Structure and Function in Cells
    5. Structure and Function in Tissues
    6. Structure and Function in Organs
    7. Structure and Function in Organ Systems
    8. Survival and Reproduction
    9. Chapter Quiz: Structure and Function
    10. Conclusion: The Chemical Backbone of Life
11. The Structure and Function of the Cell
    1. Introduction: The Scale of Cells
    2. Cell Theory and the Domains of Life
    3. Cells Make Proteins
    4. Cellular Architecture
    5. Making Proteins: The Nucleus
    6. Making Proteins: Ribosomes
    7. Making Proteins: The Endoplasmic Reticulum
    8. Making Proteins: The Golgi Apparatus
    9. Making Proteins: Lysosomes
    10. Making Proteins: The Mitochondrion
    11. The Origins of Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
    12. Chapter Quiz: Cell Structure and Function
    13. Conclusion: The Unit of Life
12. Cell Behavior
    1. Introduction: Cells Keeping Rhythm
    2. The Persistence of Cells
    3. Lipid Bilayer Membranes
    4. Transport Proteins
    5. Passive Transport
    6. Active Transport
    7. Science in the News: COVID-19 and the Blood-Brain Barrier, Part 1
    8. Science in the News: COVID-19 and the Blood-Brain Barrier, Part 2
    9. Cell Signaling
    10. Signal Transduction
    11. Cell Junctions
    12. Mitosis
    13. The Cell Cycle
    14. Chapter Quiz: Cell Behavior
    15. Conclusion: Cancer-Killing Cells
13. Structure and Function in Animals
    1. Introduction: The Right Size
    2. The Requirements of Structure and Function
    3. Animal Tissues
    4. Senses and Sensory Organs
    5. The Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
    6. The Circulatory System
    7. Excretion and Elimination
    8. The Musculoskeletal System
    9. The Immune System
    10. The Reproductive System
    11. Chapter Quiz: Structure and Function in Animals
    12. Conclusion: Structure and Function Beyond the Organism
14. Structure and Function in Plants
    1. Introduction: Plants Are the Foundation of Human Civilization
    2. Plant Life Is Still Life
    3. Nutrient Transport
    4. Water Transport
    5. Structure and Function in Leaves
    6. Nutrients and Soil
    7. Plant Reproduction
    8. Plant Hormones
    9. Tropisms
    10. Biological Clocks in Plants
    11. Chapter Quiz: Structure and Function in Plants
    12. Conclusion: Plant Defenses, Deadly and Delicious
15. DNA and Genetic Information
    1. Introduction: Genetic Information
    2. From Genotype to Phenotype
    3. The Molecular Structure of DNA
    4. The Genetic Code
    5. Noncoding DNA
    6. The Organization of Genetic Information
    7. The Complexities and Mysteries of Genetics
    8. Phenotypic Traits
    9. Gene Expression
    10. Gene Regulation
    11. Chapter Quiz: DNA and Genetic Information
    12. Conclusion: The Molecule of Inheritance
16. Meiosis: Making Gametes
    1. Introduction: The Unique Gamete
    2. The Essentials of Meiosis
    3. Haploid Cells
    4. Meiosis I
    5. Meiosis II
    6. Crossing Over
    7. Fertilization and Genetic Fusion
    8. Chapter Quiz: Meiosis
    9. Conclusion: Offspring, Familiar Yet Unique
17. Heredity
    1. Introduction: Patterns of Inheritance
    2. Gregor Mendel’s Black Box
    3. Genetic Segregation
    4. The Punnett Square
    5. Independent Assortment
    6. Polygenic Inheritance
    7. Science in the News: Genetics and Success, Part 1
    8. Science in the News: Genetics and Success, Part 2
    9. Codominance and Incomplete Dominance
    10. Pleiotropy
    11. Chapter Quiz: Heredity
    12. Conclusion: Why Do Genes Change?

Interactive content

Study questions

Multiple-choice questions guide students to critical information by providing immediate feedback. These low-risk opportunities allow students to reset answers and try again or study for tests.

Response boards

Students engage with each other through discussion boards that allow students to see the responses of their peers only after they’ve posted their own comment.

Study tools

Webtext Reader app

Students can access materials and complete assignments offline with our mobile app available for iOS and Android.

Reading tools

Reading tools allow students to click on vocabulary terms for definitions and mark up their own webtext by highlighting and adding notes in the margins.

Read to Me

Our text-to-speech feature instantly creates an audio version of the webtext page to extend the reach of online content.

My Progress

Students can keep track of their own work inside My Progress, which records their scores, time spent, and completion.

The following materials are available for this course:

• Test bank
• Lecture slides

Authors

Farshad Tamari, PhD
Kingsborough Community College

Trevor Quirk, MS

Advisors

Rebecca Garcia, PhD
Farmingdale State College

Richard Groover, PhD
Randolph-Macon College

Mike Klymkowsky, PhD
University of Colorado Boulder

Donald Slish, PhD
State University of New York Plattsburgh

Peer Reviewers

April Bednarski, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis

Jacob Crigler, PhD
Cleveland State Community College

Raffaella Ghittoni, PhD
University of Southern California Dornsife

Kate O’Toole, PhD
Emory University

Publisher

Mary Jane Lindrum

Executive Editor

Jenny Westrick

Managing Editor

Joanna Bolick

Creative Director

Zara Elizabeth Crockett

Project Manager

Autumn McGimsey

Content Editor

Morgan Ryan

Assistant Editor

Kaylee Eberhardt

Lead Learning Designer

Lindsy Pietroski

Learning Designers

Sydney Dickerson
Rebekah Krahe

Assistant Learning Designer

Stephen Clark
Nate Kisselle

Production Coordinator

Natalie Welch

Production Editors

Marquita Elder
Rachel Garzarelli

Assistant Production Editors

Angelica Burac
Mandi DeLong
Thinacha Newberry

Photo Research & Permissions

Zara Elizabeth Crockett

Illustrations

Joanna Robinson

Video Production

Zara Elizabeth Crockett
Gabe Thorpe

Permissions Coordinator

Mallory Edwards

User Interface Design

Sam Korthof
Clint McFarlin

Note

Some multiple-choice questions were developed using ChatGPT; these questions were factchecked and edited for style and accuracy.