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Principles of Biology is reflective of the shift taking place in the majors biology course from large and detail rich to short and conceptual, with a focus on new, cutting-edge science. A succinct and inviting text focused on central concepts, Principles of Biology helps students connect fundamental principles while challenging them to develop and hone critical thinking skills.

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  • 1. An Introduction to Biology
  • UNIT I Chemistry
  • 2. The Chemical Basis of Life I: Atoms, Molecules, and Water
  • 3. The Chemical Basis of Life II: Organic Molecules
  • UNIT II Cells
  • 4. Origin of Cells and Their Features
  • 5. Membranes: The Interface Between Cells and Their Environment
  • 6. How Cells Utilize Energy
  • 7. How Cells Capture Light Energy via Photosynthesis
  • 8. How Cells Communicate with Each Other and with the Environment
  • UNIT III Genetics
  • 9. The Information of Life: DNA and RNA Structure, DNA Replication, and Chromosome Structure
  • 10. The Expression of Genetic Information via Genes I: Transcription and Translation
  • 11. The Expression of Genetic Information via Genes II: Non-coding RNAs
  • 12. The Control of Genetic Information via Gene Regulation
  • 13. Altering the Genetic Material: Mutation, DNA Repair, and Cancer
  • 14. How Eukaryotic Cells Sort and Transmit Chromosomes: Mitosis and Meiosis
  • 15. Transmission of Genetic Information from Parents to Offspring I: Patterns That Follow Mendel’s Laws
  • 16. Transmission of Genetic Information from Parents to Offspring II: Epigenetics, Linkage, and Extranuclear Inheritance
  • 17. The Simpler Genetic Systems of Viruses, Bacteria, and Archaea
  • 18. Genetic Technologies: How Biologists Study Genes and Genomes
  • UNIT IV Evolution
  • 19. Evolution of Life I: How Populations Change from Generation to Generation
  • 20. Evolution of Life II: The Emergence of New Species
  • 21. How Biologists Classify Species and Study Their Evolutionary Relationships
  • 22. The History of Life on Earth and Human Evolution
  • UNIT V Diversity
  • 23. Diversity of Microbial Life: Archaea, Bacteria, Protists, and Fungi
  • 24. Microbiomes: Microbial Systems on and Around Us
  • 25. Plant Evolution: How Plant Diversification Changed Planet Earth
  • 26. Invertebrates: The Vast Array of Animal Life Without a Backbone
  • 27. Vertebrates: Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Mammals
  • Unit VI Flowing Plants
  • 28. An Introduction to Flowering Plant Form and Function
  • 29. How Flowering Plants Sense and Interact with Their Environments
  • 30. How Flowering Plants Obtain and Transport Water, Mineral Nutrients, and Organic Compounds
  • 31. How Flowering Plants Reproduce and Develop
  • Unit VII Animals
  • 32. Animal Bodies and Homeostasis
  • 33. Neuroscience I: The Structure, Function, and Evolution of Nervous Systems
  • 34. Neuroscience II: How Sensory Systems Allow Animals to Interact with the Environment
  • 35. How Muscles and Skeletons Are Adaptations for Movement, Support, and Protection
  • 36. Circulatory and Respiratory Systems: Transporting Solutes and Exchanging Gases
  • 37. Digestive and Excretory Systems: Maintaining Nutrient, Water, and Energy Balance and Removing Waste
  • 38. How Endocrine Systems Influence the Activities of All Other Organ Systems
  • 39. The Production of Offspring: Reproduction and Development
  • 40. Immune Systems: How Animals Defend Against Pathogens and Other Dangers
  • 41. An Example of a System-Wide Response to a Challenge to Homeostasis
  • UNIT VIII Ecology
  • 42. Behavioral Ecology: The Struggle to Find Food and Mates and to Pass on Genes
  • 43. Population Growth and Species Interactions
  • 44. Communities and Ecosystems: Ecological Organization at Large Scales
  • 45. Biomes: How Climate Affects the Distribution of Species on Earth
  • 46. The Age of Humans
  • 47. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

About the Author

Robert J. Brooker

Rob Brooker (Ph.D., Yale University) received his B.A. in biology at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, in 1978. At Harvard, he studied lactose permease, the product of the lacY gene of the lac operon. He continues working on transporters at the University of Minnesota, where he is a Professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development and has an active research laboratory. At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Brooker teaches undergraduate courses in biology, genetics, and cell biology. In addition to many other publications, he has written two undergraduate genetics texts published by McGraw Hill.

Eric P. Widmaier

Eric P. Widmaier received his Ph.D. in 1984 in Endocrinology from the University of California at San Francisco.  His postdoctoral training was in endocrinology and physiology at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, and The Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA.  He is currently Professor of Biology at Boston University.

Linda Graham

Linda Graham is Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She received her Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has taught a nonmajors plant biology course each year for more than 20 years.  She also teaches courses on the biology of algae and bryophytes, contributes to an introductory biology course for majors, and has taught marine botany on a remote tropical island. 

Peter Stiling

Peter Stiling is a professor of biology at the University of South Florida at Tampa.  He has taught classes in ecology, environmental science, and community ecology, and in 1995 he received a teaching award in recognition of classroom excellence in these areas.  Dr. Stiling obtained his Ph.D. from University College, Cardiff, Wales, and completed postdoctoral research at Florida State University.  

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