Living things Flashcards
(27 cards)
Definition of movement
ability to move within the environment and/or move the environment inside itself
Definition of reproduction
ability to replicate life by making copies of itself
Definition of sensitivity
sensitivity to its environment and ability to respond to it (internal or external)
Definition of growth
changes in size or shape
Definition of respiration
release of energy through biochemical pathways
Definition of excretion
removal of waste products from cells (or whole organisms)
Definition of nutrition
taking on substances as an energy source or to build/repair materials
What are the characteristics of animals?
- multi-cellular
- nucleus
- store sugar as glycogen
- capable of movement
- heterotrophic
What are the characteristics of plants?
- multi-cellular
- nucleus
- cellulose cell walls
- chloroplasts for photosynthesis
- store sugar as starch
- autotrophic
What are the characteristics of fungi?
- multi-cellular or unicellular
- chitin cell walls
- made of a network of fibres called a mycelium of hyphae (multi-nuclear threads)
- Feed by SAPROPHYTIC nutrition using EXTRACELLULAR enzymes
- store sugar as glycogen
- can be pathogen
eg. Mucor
What are the characteristics of prokaryotes?
- Small single celled organisms.
- Three basic shapes: spheres, rods and spirals.
- Cell wall made of polysaccharides and proteins (peptidoglycan).
- Some have a capsule or slime layer.
- Has no nucleus.
- Some species have flagella.
- Some contain plasmids (loops of DNA) which we can use in genetic engineering.
eg. Lactobacillus
What are the characteristics of protoctists?
- nucleus, ?
- mostly single celled
- can be a pathogen
eg. Amoeba, Cholera, Algae
What are the characteristics of viruses?
- smaller than bacteria
- all parasitic, only reproduce inside living cells
- no cellular structure (made of cells)
- made of genetic material (RNA/DNA and nucleic acid) and a protein coat
- all natural viruses cause diseases
- can be a pathogen
eg. influenza- causes flu
What is a pathogen?
an (micro)organism that causes disease
-can often pass from person to person
What are organelles?
intracellular structures that carry out specific functions
eg. nucleus, chloroplast
What are cells?
basic structural and functional unit. All biological organisms are made from them
eg. epithelial cells
What are tissues?
a group of specialised cells, adapted to perform a specific function.
eg. connective, vascular, secreting
What are organs?
2 or more tissues carrying out a specific function(s)
eg. stomach
What are organ systems?
a group of 2 or more organs
eg. small and large intestine
What does the nucleus do?
contains genetic material, controls activity of cell
What does the cytoplasm do?
site of most chemical reactions
What does the cell membrane do?
controls movement of substances into and out of cell
What does the mitochondria do?
most energy released through respiration here
What does the ribsomes do?
in cytoplasm and is where protein synthesis occurs
