The Living World Flashcards
When we try to define ‘living ‘, we conventionally look for distinctive characteristics exhibited by living organisms.
Self-consciousness
Does growth can be the defining character of living?
No, growth can not be a defining factor of living organisms because non - living things like mountain, boulders and sand mounds do grow by accumulation of material on the surface.
Reproduction is the characteristic of living organisms?
No, there are many organisms which do not reproduce (mule,sterile worker Bees,infertile human couples,etc). Hence , reproduction cannot be an all-inclusice defining couples characteristics of living organisms
Metabolism is a defining characteristics of living ?
An isolated metabolic reaction outside the body of an organism ,performed in a test tube I’d neither living nor non living . Hence,while metabolism is a defining feature of all living organisms without exception,
The most obvious and technically complicated feature of all living organisms?
The ability to sense their surroundings or environment and respond to these environment stimuli physical , chemical or biological.
The number of species that are known and described range between?
1.7-1.8 million
What is biodiversity?
The number and types of organisms present on 🌎 earth
What is nomenclature?
Standardize the naming of living organisms such that a particular organisms is known by the same name all over the world .This is called nomenclature.
Full form of ICBN and ICZN
ICBN- International code for botanical nomenclature
ICZN- International code for zoological nomenclature
Who gave Binomial nomenclature ? What are the universally acceptable principles to provide scientific name to known organisms.
Binomial nomenclature was given by carlous linnaeus .Each name has two components - Generic name and the specific epithet
Universal rules of nomenclature
- Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics.
- First word represents the genus while second component denotes the specific epithet.
- Separately underlined or printed in italics
- First word denotes genus -capital letter . Second letter denotes specific epithet -small letter
What is taxonomy?
Based on characteristics ,all living organisms can be classified into different taxa. The process of classification is taxonomy.
Basics of taxonomy.
Identification, classification, and nomenclature
What do you understand by the term systematics?
Knowing more about different kinds of organisms and their diversities but also the relationships among them. Systematic take into account evolutionary relationships between organisms.
What are taxonomic categories?
Overall taxonomic arrangement it is called the taxonomic category
What is taxon ?
Each category, referred to as a unit of classification or rank is commonly termed as taxon
Taxonomic categories in hierarachial arrangement in ascending order.
Species-genus-family-order-class-phylum or division-kingdom
What are taxonomical aids?
It is used for classification of an organism and the information gathered is also stored with the specimens
What is herbarium?
It is a store house of collected paint specimens that are dried pressed and preserved
Botanical gardens?
Specialized gardens have collections of living plants for reference of plant species in these gardens are grown for identification purposes
Famous botanical gardens are -
Kew ( england),Indian botanical research institute lucknow (India)
What is a museum
Generally set up in educational institutes such as schools and colleges collection of preserved plants and animals specimens for study and reference. Mammals are usually stuffed and preserved
Zoological parks
Places where wild animals are kept in protected environments under human care and which enables us to learn about their food habitats and behavior.
What is key ?
Key is another taxanomical aid for identification of plants and animals based on similarities, based on contacting characters, these are analytical in nature.
