Lecture Notes - Module One: Basic Concepts of Living Organisms Pages 7-9

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Organization

Living things exhibit a far higher level of __________ than the nonliving world around them

Organization

Expend a great deal of energy to maintain order, and a breakdown in this order is accompanied by disease and often death

Cellular composition

Living matter is always compartmentalized into one or more cells

Metabolism

The chemical processes that occur within a living organism to maintain life

Responsiveness

The ability of organisms to sense and react to stimuli

• Also known as irritability or excitability

Responsiveness

Occurs at all levels from the single cell to the entire body

Responsiveness

A characteristic of all living things from bacteria to humans

Movement

Most living organisms are capable of self-propelled __________ from place to place

Movement

All organisms and cells are at least capable of the __________ of internal substances

• Moving food along the digestive tract

• Moving molecules and organelles from place to place within a cell

Homeostasis

Although the environment around an organism changes, the organism maintains relatively stable internal conditions

Homeostasis

Ability to maintain internal stability

Homeostasis

Also known as dynamic equilibrium

• Dynamic - characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress

• Equilibrium - a condition in which all acting influences are canceled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system

Development

Any change in form or function over the lifetime of the organism

Development; Differentiation

Transformation of cells with no specialized function (stem cells) into cells that are committed to a particular task

Development; Growth

An increase in size

Development; Growth

Occurs through chemical change (metabolism)

Development; Growth

For the most part, your body is not composed of the molecules you ate but of molecules made by chemically altering your food

Development; Growth

There is a constant turnover of molecules in the body

Reproduction

All living organisms can produce copies of themselves

Reproduction

Genes are passed to offspring

Secretion

The process of releasing a chemical by a cell to serve a physiological function

Absorption

The process in which a chemical passes through a membrane or tissue surface and becomes incorporated into a body fluid or tissue

Circulation

The flow or orderly movement of substances within an organism, such as blood through vessels

Homeostasis

Condition of “same or steady state” within living organisms

Homeostasis

Ability of living things to maintain relatively stable internal conditions while experiencing constant metabolic or external changes

Homeostasis

Consists of balanced change

Homeostasis

A certain set-point or an average for a given variable

• Conditions fluctuate slightly around this point

• Mostly maintained via negative feedback mechanisms

Stress

Any environmental influence that disturbs the homeostatic equilibrium of the body and stimulates a physiological response