Chapter 1: What is Biology?

Biology: is the the ^^branch of science^^ that deals with the ^^living organisms and their vital processes^^.

Characteristics of Life:

• Nutrition: is the ^^food^^ required for correct ^^mechanism of body.^^
• Respiration: is the ^^release of energy^^ by the ^^breakdown of food substances like glucose into carbon dioxide and water.^^
• Excretion: is the ^^removal of metabolic waste^^ products that have been ^^produced as a result of processes occurring inside the cells of organisms.^^
• Growth: is a ^^permanent increase in the mass and volume^^ of an organism as an ^^result of converting absorbed food into living protoplasm.^^
• Movement: is the ^^physical characteristic^^ of an organism.
• Sensitivity: is the property of living organisms that ^^result in an appropriate response to a stimulus^^ (change).
• Reproduction: is the process in which ^^new offsprings are produced by the parent.^^
• Adaptability: is the ^^ability of species to change so as to improve its chances of survival.^^

How to classify organisms?

• Prokaryotae: the ^^bacteria.^^
• Protoctista: a ^^collection of single-celled organisms^^ and some ^^simple multicellular ones like seaweeds.^^
• Fungi: the mushrooms,toadstools, moulds and so on.
• Plantae: the ^^green plants.^^
• Animalia: the ^^animal kingdom which includes humans.^^
• Viruses: ^^smallest organisms^^ which ^^can’t be classified as living or nonliving.^^