Chapter 1- Characteristics and Classification of Living Organisms

What does the acronym MRS GREN stand for?

Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition.

What is movement in living organisms?

An action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of position or place.

Define respiration in the context of living organisms.

The chemical reactions in cells that break down nutrient molecules and release energy for metabolism.

What is sensitivity in living organisms?

The ability to detect and respond to changes in the internal or external environment.

What is growth in living organisms?

A permanent increase in size and dry mass.

What is reproduction in the context of living organisms?

The processes that make more of the same kind of organism.

Define excretion in living organisms.

The removal of the waste products of metabolism and substances in excess of requirements.

What is nutrition in the context of living organisms?

The taking in of materials for energy, growth, and development.

What are the three parts of the classification sequence?

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum.

What does the Binomial Nomenclature refer to?

An internationally agreed system in which an organism's scientific name is comprised of two parts: the genus and species.

What is the format for writing scientific names in binomial nomenclature?

The format is Genus species, where the genus is capitalized and the species is not.

What is a dichotomous key?

A tool that uses visible features to classify organisms, leading to their genus and species through a series of choices.

What are the five kingdoms of organisms?

Animals, Plants, Fungi, Prokaryotes, Protists.

What are the features of mammals?

Fur on the skin, external ears, internal fertilization, mammary glands.

What is one key feature of fish?

Wet scales and external fertilization.

How are monocotyledons and dicotyledons different in leaf structure?

Monocotyledons have long narrow leaves, while dicotyledons have broad leaves.

Why are viruses not classified as living things?

They do not carry out the seven life processes for themselves and take over a host cell’s metabolic pathways.

What is the structure of a virus?

Contains only genetic material (RNA or DNA) inside a protein coat, without mitochondria or ribosomes.

Movement involves _______ by an organism or part of an organism.

an action causing a change of position or place.

The process of _______ in cells releases energy for metabolism.

respiration.

________ in living organisms is the ability to detect and respond to changes.

sensitivity.

A permanent increase in size and dry mass is referred to as _______ in living organisms.

growth.

Processes that make more of the same kind of organism are known as _______.

reproduction.

The removal of waste products of metabolism and excess substances is called _______.

excretion.

The intake of materials for energy, growth, and development is called _______.

nutrition.

The three main parts of the classification sequence are _______, Kingdom, and Phylum.

Domain.

In Binomial Nomenclature, an organism's scientific name consists of two parts: _______ and species.

genus.

A tool that classifies organisms through a series of choices based on visible features is called a _______ key.

dichotomous.