Characteristics of life Flashcards
The characteristic of living organisms that accounts for their ability to react to changes in the internal or external environment is called ______
Responsiveness
Identify examples of the “responsiveness” characteristic of humans.
1) After a meal, high blood glucose levels cause the pancreas to secrete insulin.
2) When environmental temperatures rise, sweat glands start secreting sweat.
The term that refers to all the chemical reactions occurring in cells is ______.
Metabolism
True or false: A organism that cannot move on its own is not considered to be living.
False
(The ability to move is not one of the six characteristics of life. Plants cannot move and are still considered living organisms.)
Reactions such as synthesising new molecules and breaking down molecules are collectively referred to as ______.
Metabolism
Which of the following represents the process of differentiation?
A generalised cell changing into a specific cell type
The changes in an organism beginning with fertilisation and ending at death, are referred to as ______.
Development
The characteristic of living organisms that accounts for the increase in body size is called ______.
Growth
A change in the shape of tissues, organs, or the entire organism is referred to as ______.
Morphogenesis
Organisation, metabolism, growth, development, reproduction and responsiveness are recognised as the six characteristics of ______
Life
Using nutrients from food as a source of energy is an example of an organism’s ______.
Metabolism
True or false: A virus can reproduce, but only with the help of its host, and therefore, it is not considered a living microorganism.
True
(This statement is true. Viruses are considered to be nonliving and acellular particles because they require a host cell for reproduction and metabolism which are characteristics of life.)
Examples of metabolic activities include ______.
1) Breaking down of food
2) Changes in molecular shape
3) Synthesis of new molecules
A change in cell structure and function from a generalised cell to the specialised cell type is referred to as ______
Differentiation
The characteristic of life that involves the various changes in an organism over time and typically includes growth and differentiation is called _______.
Development
