Topic 1: Characteristics of living organisms Flashcards
What are the 7 characteristics of living organisms?
Mrs Gren
Movement
Respiration
Sensitivity
Growth
Reproduction
Excretion
Nutrition
Define movement
An action by an organism
Define nutrition
Taking in of materials for energy, growth and development
Define respiration
The chemical reaction in cells that break down nutrient molecules and release energy for metabolism.
Define sensitivity
The ability to detect and respond to changes in the internal or external environment.
Define growth
A permanent increase in size and dry mass
Define reproduction
The processes that make more of the same kind of organism
Define excretion
The processes that make more of the same kind of organism
Define the binomial system
System of naming organisms is an internationally agreed system in which the scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts showing the genus and species.
Define species
A group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring. The smallest natural group of organisms. Written with a small letter after Genus i.e
Herpestes edwardsii
Define genus
Contains a lot of closely related species.
First word and written with a capital letter
i.e Herpestes edwardsii
What are dichotomous keys?
They are used to identify unfamiliar organisms
What is a vertabrate?
Organism that has a internal backbone - Endoskeleton
What is an invertabrate?
Organism that has an exoskeleton - external skeleton
What is DNA short for?
Deoxyribonucleic acid
What is DNA made up of?
A sequence of bases, coding of amino acids and therefore proteins
What are chromosomes made up of?
Chromosomes are made up of strings of genes. The chemical that forms the genes is DNA.
What features do all living organisms have in common?
Presence of cytoplasm and cell membranes as well as DNA
What is a kingdom?
Category of living organisms
What sets animals apart?
Multicellular organism
Cells have no cell walls or chloroplasts