a/b) Characteristics and Vareity of Living Organisms

What are the characteristics of living organisms?

They move

They respire

They respond to their surroundings(sensitivity)

They grow and develop

They reproduce

They excrete their waste

They need nutrition

Common features of plants?

They’re multicellular organisms.

Cells contain chloroplast meaning they’re able to photosynthesise.

Cells have cellulose cell walls.

They store carbohydrates as starch or sucrose.

Examples of plants?

Cereals

Herbaceous legumes

Common features of animals?

They’re multicellular organisms.

Cells don’t have chloroplasts and can’t photosynthesise.

Cells have no cell walls.

Usually have nervous coordination meaning they’re able respond rapidly to change in environment.

Store carbohydrate as glycogen.

Examples of animals?

Mammals

Insects

Common features of fungi?

Some are single-celled.

Others are organised into a mycelium which is made from thread-like structures, hyphae, contains lots of nuclei.

Cell have cell walls made of chitin.

They feed by saprotrophic nutrition.

What is saprotrophic nutrition?

They secrete extracellular enzymes into the area outside their body to dissolve their food, so they can absorb the nutrients.

Examples of fungi?

Mucous

Yeast

Common features of protoctists?

Microscopic single-celled organisms.

Examples of protoctists?

Chlorella- plant cell like

Amoeba- animal cell like that lives in pond water.

Common features of bacteria?

Microscopic single-celled organisms.

Contain cell walls made, cell membrane, cytoplasm and plasmids.

Contain circular chronometers of DNA.

Some photosynthesise but most feed of other organisms.

Examples of bacteria’s?

Lactobacillus

Pneumococcus

Define pathogen?

Organism that cause diseases.

What is an example of a protoctist pathogen?

Plasmodium- causes malaria

What is an example of a bacterium pathogen?

Pneumococcus- causes pneumonia

What is an example of a virus pathogen?

Influenza virus- causes flue and HIV(aids)

Common features of viruses?

Not living organisms.

Small particles.

They’re parasitic meaning they can only reproduce inside living cells.

Infect all types of living organisms.

Wide variety of shapes and sizes.

No cellular structure.

Have protein coat around genetic martial(DNA/RNA).

Examples of viruses?

Influenza virus

Tobacco mosaic virus

HIV