IBDP Economics

IBDP Ecomomics

The scale of life in biology ranges from the molecules and cells of organisms to ecosystems and the biosphere. This way of considering complex systems as simpler components an approach known as reductionism—makes systems more manageable to study. It is the foundation of controlled experiments and has thus enabled major discoveries, but it provides an incomplete view of life. At each level of biological organization, different properties exist. Living systems are based on interactions, interdependence and integration of components between all levels of biological organization. A student of biology should gain not only a conceptual understanding of the subject, but also an awareness of how biologists construct knowledge claims and the limitations of these methods.