1. The Nature and Variety of Living Organisms Flashcards
(16 cards)
What are the eight characteristics shared by all living organisms?
-Nutrition
-Respiration
-Excretion
-Response to surroundings movement
-Control of internal conditions
Reproduction
-Growth and development.
Define ‘nutrition’ in living organisms.
The process by which organisms take in and use food for energy, growth, and maintenance.
What is ‘respiration’ in biology?
A chemical process that releases energy from food, usually using oxygen.
What does ‘excretion’ mean?
The removal of metabolic waste products from the body.
What is meant by ‘response to surroundings’?
The ability to detect and react to environmental stimuli.
Define ‘movement’ in living organisms.
The ability to change position or move parts of the body.
What is ‘control of internal conditions’?
Maintaining a stable internal environment (homeostasis).
Define ‘reproduction’.
The process of producing new individuals of the same species.
What does ‘growth and development’ refer to?
The increase in size and complexity of an organism.
What common features do plants show?
-Multicellular
-Have chloroplasts
-Carry out photosynthesis
-Have cellulose cell walls
[Maize, peas and beans]
What are the key features of animals?
-Multicellular
-No chloroplasts
-store carbohydrates as glycogen
-Have nervous coordination
What are the characteristics of fungi?
-Not able to photosynthesise
-Cell walls made of chitin
-Fed by saprotrophic nutrition
What are protoctists?
-Microscopic single-celled organisms. Some are like animals (Amoeba), others like plants (Chlorella).
-Some cause disease (Plasmodium causes malaria).
What are the common features of bacteria?
-Microscopic
-Single-celled
-Have cell wall, membrane, cytoplasm, plasmids
[Lactobacillus (yoghurt), Pneumococcus (pneumonia)]
Define ‘pathogen’
An organism that causes disease. Pathogens include fungi, bacteria, protoctists, and viruses.
What are viruses?
-Not living organisms
-Parasitic
-Reproduce only inside living cells
-Infect all living organisms
[ tobacco mosaic virus, influenza, HIV]
