Diversity of Life
Living things have the ability to maintain
themselves and reproduce. Anything from the lowliest, single-cell
bacterium to the most complex vertebrates and towering redwood trees
have that ability. Viruses, on the other hand are only quasi living.
They are not much more than bundles of DNA. To survive, they force host
cells to carry out these functions for them.
There are millions of species of organisms
living on the Earth today. Many millions of others that lived in the
past are now extinct. Scientists and natural philosophers (such as
Aristotle in ancient Greece) have recognized that organisms can be
organized according to similarities and differences.
This topic is designed as an introduction. This section involves the
study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment
and to appreciate the variety and complexity of these relationships.
Characteristics of Living Organisms
- Respiration- living things require energy for several life processes such as metabolism and locomotion.
- Feeding- nutrients are required by all living things to obtain energy and build new protoplasm.
- Excretion- this is the process of removing metabolic waste product from living things.
- Growth-growth in living things is the increase in size and number of cells.
- Movement- all living things are able to move on their own accord.
- Reproduction- all living things can produce new individuals.
- Irritability- the ability of a living thing to respond to changes in the environment.
For more information on characteristics of living organisms
please click the link below:
http://www.xtremepapers.com/revision/gcse/biology/characteristics_of_living_organisms.php
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