Characteristics of Life:

autotrophs

Organisms that get their energy from sunlight or inorganic chemical compounds.

heterotrophs

Organisms that get their energy by breaking down organic molecules that come from other living things.

unicellular

Organisms that consist of just one cell.

multicellular

Organisms made up of more than one cell.

colonial organism

A colony of smaller close-to-identical individuals that function together like a multicellular organism.

growth

Process where cells within the organism take in nutrients and get bigger, primarily through cell division.

development

The process by which organisms change form as they grow, involving cell differentiation.

sexual reproduction

Production of new living organisms from genetic information of two different individual 'parents'.

asexual reproduction

Production of new living organisms that inherit genetic information from only one parent.

homeostasis

The internal balance maintained by organisms to regulate conditions inside their organs and cells.

classification

The process of grouping species based on shared characteristics, originally based on physical features.

domains

The highest level of biological classification, including Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Bacteria

Unicellular organisms with no nucleus or membrane-bound organelles, often with a cell wall.

Archaea

Unicellular organisms with no nucleus or membrane-bound organelles, often found in extreme conditions.

Eukarya

Organisms that can be unicellular or multicellular and always have a nucleus.

kingdoms

Taxonomic group below the level of domain, comprising six primary classifications.

spontaneous generation

The idea that living things could come from non-living things, disproved by Francesco Redi.

binomial nomenclature

A two-name naming system for species, starting with the genus and followed by the species.

dichotomous key

A tool used to identify unknown organisms through a series of two-part statements.