Review
Living things properties:
- All living things are made up of cells (smallest unit of life capable of all life functions)
- All living things reproduce (process of producing new organisms of the same type)
Asexual: A single parent organism reproducing by itself
Sexual: Two different parent organisms contribute genetic information, involves combination
of male and female sex cells
- All living things obtain and use energy (need energy to grow, develop, repair damage and
reproduce)
Anabolism: process of building up complex substances from simpler substances (eg.
Photosynthesis)
Catabolism: process of breaking down complex substances into simpler substances to release
energy (eg. Digestion, Cellular respiration)
Metabolism: the total of all chemical reactions in an organism (Anabolism + Catabolism =
Metabolism)
- All living things maintain homeostasis, a stable state of conditions in the body that are
necessary for life (eg. body temperature, blood pressure, pH, water)
- All living things pass along hereditary traits
- All living things respond to their environment (eg. light, temperature, odour, sound, gravity)
- All living things grow
- All living things develop (change in the physical form or physiological makeup of an
organism)
- All living things adapt to their environment through evolution
Adaptation: a process that enables organisms to become better suited to their environment
Living things are classified into groups called “Kingdoms”. There are 6 kingdoms:
- Archaebacteria
- Eubacteria
- Plantae
- Animalia
- Fungi
, - Protista
Classifying Kingdoms:
Nutrition:
- Heterotrophic: consume living or dead organisms to obtain energy
- Autotrophic: uses sun’s energy, makes own food
Number of cells:
- Unicellular: one cell
- Multicellular: more than one cell
Reproduction:
- Asexual: offspring produced from a single parent (genetically identical to parent)
- Sexual: production of offspring from fusion of 2 sex cells (offspring differ from parents)
Cell Type:
- Prokaryotic: circular chromosome, no membrane bound organelles, very small (less than 2
um), reproduce by binary fission
- Eukaryotic: double stranded chromosomes in nucleus, membrane bound organelles, larger
(10-100 um), reproduce by mitosis or meiosis
Taxonomy: the science of classifying all organisms; taxonomists classify both living and fossil species
Genera (genus): a taxonomic level consisting of a group of similar species
Binomial nomenclature: the formal system of naming species whereby each species is assigned a
genus name followed by a specific name; the two words taken together form the species name
Great chain of being: classification of organisms on a scale of lowest to highest positions/ranks. This
hierarchy is referred to as the great chain of being
Dichotomous key: identification tool for objects and organisms, a series of choices presented in step
by step format that lead to the correct name of a species. Used to place organisms into their
appropriate classification groups and identify species by their scientific name
Prokaryotes: Eubacteria and Archaebacteria
Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms and they are simply built.
- Capsule: slimy outer coating
- Cell wall: tougher middle layer
- Cell membrane: delicate inner skin
Living things properties:
- All living things are made up of cells (smallest unit of life capable of all life functions)
- All living things reproduce (process of producing new organisms of the same type)
Asexual: A single parent organism reproducing by itself
Sexual: Two different parent organisms contribute genetic information, involves combination
of male and female sex cells
- All living things obtain and use energy (need energy to grow, develop, repair damage and
reproduce)
Anabolism: process of building up complex substances from simpler substances (eg.
Photosynthesis)
Catabolism: process of breaking down complex substances into simpler substances to release
energy (eg. Digestion, Cellular respiration)
Metabolism: the total of all chemical reactions in an organism (Anabolism + Catabolism =
Metabolism)
- All living things maintain homeostasis, a stable state of conditions in the body that are
necessary for life (eg. body temperature, blood pressure, pH, water)
- All living things pass along hereditary traits
- All living things respond to their environment (eg. light, temperature, odour, sound, gravity)
- All living things grow
- All living things develop (change in the physical form or physiological makeup of an
organism)
- All living things adapt to their environment through evolution
Adaptation: a process that enables organisms to become better suited to their environment
Living things are classified into groups called “Kingdoms”. There are 6 kingdoms:
- Archaebacteria
- Eubacteria
- Plantae
- Animalia
- Fungi
, - Protista
Classifying Kingdoms:
Nutrition:
- Heterotrophic: consume living or dead organisms to obtain energy
- Autotrophic: uses sun’s energy, makes own food
Number of cells:
- Unicellular: one cell
- Multicellular: more than one cell
Reproduction:
- Asexual: offspring produced from a single parent (genetically identical to parent)
- Sexual: production of offspring from fusion of 2 sex cells (offspring differ from parents)
Cell Type:
- Prokaryotic: circular chromosome, no membrane bound organelles, very small (less than 2
um), reproduce by binary fission
- Eukaryotic: double stranded chromosomes in nucleus, membrane bound organelles, larger
(10-100 um), reproduce by mitosis or meiosis
Taxonomy: the science of classifying all organisms; taxonomists classify both living and fossil species
Genera (genus): a taxonomic level consisting of a group of similar species
Binomial nomenclature: the formal system of naming species whereby each species is assigned a
genus name followed by a specific name; the two words taken together form the species name
Great chain of being: classification of organisms on a scale of lowest to highest positions/ranks. This
hierarchy is referred to as the great chain of being
Dichotomous key: identification tool for objects and organisms, a series of choices presented in step
by step format that lead to the correct name of a species. Used to place organisms into their
appropriate classification groups and identify species by their scientific name
Prokaryotes: Eubacteria and Archaebacteria
Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms and they are simply built.
- Capsule: slimy outer coating
- Cell wall: tougher middle layer
- Cell membrane: delicate inner skin
