Defining life Flashcards
Emergent properties
Spontaneously appear at specific levels of organization and do not exist in the components. (properties of water, civilization, consciousness).
The cell
The most simple level of organization that illustrates the properties of life.
Metabolism
Life uses energy to perform endergonic reactions for growth and maintenance.
Organization
Non-random layout, molecules self-assemble and spontaneously associate.
Response to stimulus
Living systems respond to external environmental conditions and changes.
Growth and development
Over time the mass of a living system increases and the organization within also changes.
Reproduction
Living systems can reproduce sexually or asexually.
Evolution
Living things evolve over time but emerge only at the level of populations.
Homeostasis
Living systems can maintain an internal environment that is different from the external environment and resist changes in the external environment.
How is diversity measured?
Number of species, Distribution of species, genetic distance between species.
