Characteristics and Classification of Living Things

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to the characteristics and classification of living things.

Nutrition

The ability to feed on organic/inorganic materials or make their own food.

Excretion

Removal of toxic materials, waste products of metabolism, and excess substances.

Respiration

Chemical reactions that break down nutrient molecules to release energy in living cells.

Sensitivity

The ability to detect or sense changes in the environment and respond to them.

Reproduction

The process by which organisms produce more of the same kind.

Growth

The permanent increase in size and dry mass, resulting from an increase in the number of cells or cell size.

Movement

An action by an organism or part of an organism that changes position or place.

Binomial Nomenclature

A scientific naming system that applies Latin names to living organisms, consisting of two parts: genus and species.

Prokaryotes

Cells that lack a nucleus and are generally smaller and simpler in structure.

Eukaryotes

Cells that contain a nucleus and are generally more complex than prokaryotic cells.

Hyphae

Microscopic, tube-like structures of fungi that form networks called mycelium.

Multicellular Organisms

Organisms made up of multiple cells that work together to perform life functions.

Autotrophic

Organisms that produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis.

Heterotrophic

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Cladistics

A method of classification based on common ancestry and evolutionary relationships.

Animalia Organelles

Animal cells contain organelles such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, and a nucleus, but lack cell walls and chloroplasts.

Plantae Organelles

Plant cells possess organelles including a cell wall, chloroplasts for photosynthesis, large central vacuoles, mitochondria, and other typical eukaryotic organelles like the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum.

Fungi Organelles

Fungal cells contain organelles such as a cell wall made of chitin, mitochondria, a nucleus, and endoplasmic reticulum, similar to plant cells but lacking chloroplasts.

Protista Organelles

Protist cells exhibit a variety of organelles depending on the type, including mitochondria, chloroplasts in photosynthetic protists, and a nucleus, with some having specialized structures like contractile vacuoles.

Archaea Organelles

Archaeal cells are prokaryotic and generally lack membrane-bound organelles, but they have a unique cell membrane structure, ribosomes, and may possess gas vesicles.

Bacteria Organelles

Bacterial cells are also prokaryotic and lack membrane-bound organelles; they have ribosomes, a cell membrane, cell wall, and may possess structures like pili and flagella.