Biology : The Unity and Diversity of Life - 13th edition

For the past two decades, Cecie Starr has been known as one of the best-selling biology textbook authors. Her texts, appreciated for their clarity in both the written word and the visual representation of biological concepts, include multiple editions of Biology: the Unity and Diversity of Life, Biology: Concepts and Applications, and Biology Today and Tomorrow. Her original dream was to become an architect. Instead of building houses, she now builds, with care and attention to detail, incredible texts based on this philosophy: I invite students into a chapter through an intriguing story. Once inside, they get the great windows that biologists construct on the world of life. Biology is not just another house. It is a conceptual mansion. I hope to do it justice."

Ralph Taggart, Former Chair of Biological Sciences at Michigan State University, Ralph Taggert is now the chair of Geological Sciences. Professor Taggart, known for his outstanding research in Paleobotany, has taught the general biology course for over 20 years.

Christine A. Evers has been creating multimedia and web-based materials to supplement Starr and other science texts for ten years. She earned her B.S. in Biology from SUNY Stony Brook . After working as a research assistant studying the developmental biology of slime mold, she was awarded an N.S.F. fellowship to attend Yale, where she studied evolutionary biology and honeybee behavior.

Lisa Starr has been responsible for the incredible art in the Starr biology textbooks for many years. She has worked at as a research scientist at The Scripps Institute as well as several other institutions. Her area of expertise is biochemistry, molecular and cell biology.

Invitation to Biology. UNIT I: PRINCIPLES OF CELLULAR LIFE. 2. Life's Chemical Basis. 3. Molecules of Life. 4. Cell Structure and Function. 5. Ground Rules of Metabolism. 6. Where It Starts--Photosynthesis. 7. How Cells Release Chemical Energy. UNIT II: GENETICS. 8. DNA Structure and Function. 9. From DNA to Protein. 10. Gene Control. 11. How Cells Reproduce. 12. Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction. 13. Observing Patterns in Inherited Traits. 14. Chromosomes and Human Inheritance. 15. Studying and Manipulating Genomes. UNIT III: PRINCIPLES OF EVOLUTION. 16. Evidence of Evolution. 17. Processes of Evolution. 18. Organizing Information About Species. 19. Life's Origin and Early Evolution. UNIT IV: EVOLUTION AND BIODIVERSITY. 20. Viruses, Bacteria, and Archaea. 21. Protists--The Simplest Eukaryotes. 22. The Land Plants. 23. Fungi. 24. Animal Evolution--The Invertebrates. 25. Animal Evolution--The Chordates. 26. Human Evolution. UNIT V: HOW PLANTS WORK. 27. Plant Tissues. 28. Plant Nutrition and Transport. 29. Life Cycles of Flowering Plants. 30. Communication Strategies in Plants. UNIT VI: HOW ANIMALS WORK. 31. Animal Tissues and Organ Systems. 32. Neural Control. 33. Sensory Perception. 34. Endocrine Control. 35. Structural Support and Movement. 36. Circulation. 37. Immunity. 38. Respiration. 39. Digestion and Nutrition. 40. Maintaining the Internal Environment. 41. Animal Reproductive Systems. 42. Animal Development. 43. Animal Behavior. UNIT VII: PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGY. 44. Population Ecology. 45. Community Ecology. 46. Ecosystems. 47. The Biosphere. 48. Human Impacts on the Biosphere. APPENDICES. A1. Amino Acids. A2. How to Read a Journal Article. A3. Answers to Self-Quizzes and Genetics Problems. A4. Periodic Table of Elements. A5. Closer Look at Some Major Metabolic Pathways. A6. A Plain English Map of the Human Chromosomes. A7. Restless Earth--Life's Changing Geological Stage. A8. Units of Measure. GLOSSARY.