Biology 9 Characteristics

What is the smallest unit of life?

A cell

What is a unicellular organism?

An organism made up of a single cell

What is a multicellular organism?

An organism made up of more than one cell

What is a cell in terms of living organisms?

A self-contained structure that is the basic building block of all living cells

What types of organisms can living things be made up of?

One single cell or an association of multiple cells

Genetic Material (DNA)

The molecular instructions that tell an organism how to look and function

Also known as hereditary information, because the molecules come from organisms parents

These molecules compared to the "blueprints" or "cookbook" for organism

DNA - (also known as deoxyrbionuecleic acid):

The power of these molecules is that they tell an organism how to build all its proteins

Reproduction

For sexual reproduction, two sex cells, aka gametes, egg cells and sperm cells, must combine to have enough genetic material to make new organisms

Making more organisms of the same species

Making offspring

Asexual

only one parent to make an offspring

Sexual

two parents are needed to make offspring

Growth

making more molecules and/or cells of the same type that already exists. The organism gains more mass and take up space/volume

Development

the appearance of new/different types of cells/structures/abilities in an organism. Typically, most individual organisms of the same species go through the same process

Growth and development are often BOTH happening at the same time

Metabolism

All of the chemical reactions going on inside of an organism

Digestion

Catabolism - chemical reactions that break a molecule down, making it into smaller pieces

Synthesis

Anabolism - chemical reactions that build larger molecules up from smaller starting molecules

Responding to Stimuli

An organism senses a change outside of it, then alters its current state in some way

The response can occur quickly or slowly

Homeostasis

An organism's ability to maintain a stable internal environment

The organism adjusts what's going on inside of it to keep factors in a safe range

Examples: body temperature, blood sugar, water hydration level, pH

These adjustments usually involve some type of biochemical loop called a feedback mechanism

Inderdependence

All living things rely on other living things and non-living resources to exist

Biotic

living: animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria

Abiotic

non-living: water, rocks, oxygen, sun, acid/bases

Evolution/Adaptation

Over time, newer, more complex organisms arise from older, simpler ones

Newer organisms have new features or traits

An individual organism does not evolve. That term only applies to a group of organisms.

Recall the changes over the lifetime of a single individual organism, called development

Mutation

a change in the genetic information of the DNA molecule