Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Identify the main characteristics of bryophytes
Describe the distinguishing traits of liverworts, hornworts, and mosses
Chart the development of land adaptations in the bryophytes
Describe the events in the bryophyte lifecycle

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Discuss the challenges to plant life on land
Describe the adaptations that allowed plants to colonize the land
Describe the timeline of plant evolution and the impact of land plants on other living things

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe the traits shared by green algae and land plants
Explain why charophytes are considered the closest algal relative to land plants
Explain how current phylogenetic relationships are reshaped by comparative analysis of DNA sequences

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Identify the new traits that first appear in seedless tracheophytes
Discuss how each trait is important for adaptation to life on land
Identify the classes of seedless tracheophytes
Describe the life cycle of a fern
Explain the role of seedless plants in the ecosystem

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Identify the parts of a typical leaf
Describe the internal structure and function of a leaf
Compare and contrast simple leaves and compound leaves
List and describe examples of modified leaves

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how red and blue light affect plant growth and metabolic activities
Discuss gravitropism
Understand how hormones affect plant growth and development
Describe thigmotropism, thigmonastism, and thigmogenesis
Explain how plants defend themselves from predators and respond to wounds

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Identify the two types of root systems
Describe the three zones of the root tip and summarize the role of each zone in root growth
Describe the structure of the root
List and describe examples of modified roots

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe the main function and basic structure of stems
Compare and contrast the roles of dermal tissue, vascular tissue, and ground tissue
Distinguish between primary growth and secondary growth in stems
Summarize the origin of annual rings
List and describe examples of modified stems

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe the shoot organ system and the root organ system
Distinguish between meristematic tissue and permanent tissue
Identify and describe the three regions where plant growth occurs
Summarize the roles of dermal tissue, vascular tissue, and ground tissue
Compare simple plant tissue with complex plant tissue

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Define water potential and explain how it is influenced by solutes, pressure, gravity, and the matric potential
Describe how water potential, evapotranspiration, and stomatal regulation influence how water is transported in plants
Explain how photosynthates are transported in plants

This template course was developed from generally available open educational resources (OER) in use at multiple institutions, drawing mostly from a primary work published by OpenStax College Concepts of Biology, but also including additional open works from various sources as noted in attributions on each page of materials.

This open course for Plants, Society, and the Environment was created under a Round Six ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Topics include cell structure, photosynthesis, taxonomy, biomes, domestication, agriculture, and medicine.