Module 1 Vocabulary

biology

the study of life

biologist

a scientist who studies living things

organism

anything that has or once had the characteristics of life; a living thing

organization

one of the characteristics of life; living things are arranged in an orderly way; this includes cells, tissues, and organs that work together to sustain life.

made of cells

anything living is made of one or more cells

unicellular

this means an organism is made of a single cell and functions as an independent unit; an example of a living thing like this is a bacterium

multicellular

this means that an organism is made of many cells (often times trillions of cells) that work together to carry out the functions necessary for life in that organism

growth

the addition of mass to an organism; in multicellular organisms this is the addition of more cells

development

the process through which organisms mature; involves differentiation (changing) of already present cells

reproduction

the production of offspring

species

a group of organisms that can breed with each other and produce fertile offspring.

stimulus

any factor that causes a response from an organism.

response

the action or change in behavior of an organism as a result of a stimulus.

heterotroph

An organism that obtains its food by consuming other organisms, as it cannot produce its own food.

autotroph

An organism that produces its own food in its cells, typically through photosynthesis

homeostasis

the ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in external conditions.

adaptation

a trait in a species that enhances its ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

prokaryotic

very basic cells that do not have a nucleus

eukaryotic

complex cells that contain a nucleus and organelles, and are involved in multicellular organism structures.

cell

the basic unit of life

tissue

a group of cells working together in a multicellular living thing

organ

a group of tissues working together in a multicellular living thing

system

a group of organs working together in a multicellular living thing

MORGAROR

maintains homeostasis, organized, reproduces, grows and develops, contains adaptations, responds to stimuli, made of one or more cells requires energy