Characteristic of life : Chapter 6

Biomolecules

The chemicals used by organisms

Unicellular

Single-cell organisms

Multicellular

Complex organisms made up of many cells

Reproduction

The ability of an organism to produce new individuals of the same type.

Heredity

The passing on of characteristics from one generation to the next.

Gene

The basic unit of heredity that controls the characteristics passed on from one generation to the next.

Nutrition

How organisms get & use food

Autotroph

An organism that can make its own food

Photosynthesis

The process carried out by plants & some other organisms to make food using sunlight energy.

Heterotroph

An organism that cannot make its own food

Metabolism

All the chemical reactions that take place in an organism.

Respiration

A chemical reaction in cells that releases energy from food so that an organism can do work.

Excretion

The removal of waste products of metabolism from cells.

Homeostasis

All the ways an organism maintains the best internal conditions for metabolism.

Response

An organism's ability to react to internal & external changes in its environment.

Stimulus

Any change in an organism's environment.

Receptor

A structure that can sense a change in an organism's environment.

Growth

An increase in the size of an organism.