Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: Introduction: themes in the study of life -- The chemical context of life -- Water and the fitness of the environment -- Carbon and the molecular diversity of life -- The structure and function of macro molecules -- An introduction to metabolism -- A tour of the cell -- Membrane structure and function -- Cellular respiration: harvesting chemical -- Photosynthesis -- Cell communication -- The cell cycle -- Meiosis and sexual life cycle -- Mendel and the gene idea -- The chromosomal basis of inheritance -- The molecular basis of inheritance -- From gene to protein -- Microbial models: the genetics of viruses and bacteria -- The organization and control of eukaryotic genomes -- DNA technology -- The genetic basis of development -- Descent with modification: a darwinian view of life -- The evolution of populations -- The origin of species -- Tracing phylogeny -- Early earth and the origin of life -- Prokaryotes and the origins of metabolic diversity -- The origin of eukaryotic diversity -- Plant diversity I: the colonization of land -- Plant diversity II; the evolution of seed plant -- Fungi -- Introduction to animal evolution -- Invertebrates -- Vertebrate evolution and diversity -- Plant structure and growth -- Transport in plants -- Plant nutrition -- Plant reproduction and development -- Control systems in plants -- An introduction to animal structure and function -- Animal nutrition -- Circulation and gas exchange -- The body's defenses -- Controlling the internal environment -- chemical signals in animals -- Animal reproduction -- Animals development -- Nervous systems -- Sensory and motor mechanisms -- An introduction to ecology and the biosphere -- Behavioral biology -- Population ecology -- Community ecology -- Ecosystems -- Conservation biology.