There are many characteristic to define the living organisms such as growth, reproduction, ability to sense environment, metabolisms(sum of total number of chemical reaction occur in body), ability to self replicate, etc.
All living organisms grow-Increase in mass and in number of individuals is characteristic of growth. In plant the growth by cell division occur continuously through the life span. But in animal the growth seen up to certain age. Also non living object grow when we take increase in body mass. This type of growth have from outside. In living organisms, growth occur from inside of the body. Dead organisms does not grow. After some condition we can take growth as a defining characteristic of living organisms.
Reproduction- Production of progeny posses feature more or similar less form parent is seen in sexual reproduction. Also organisms reproduce asexually such as fungi, and reproduce by regeneration like planaria etc. But there are many organisms cannot reproduce like mules, worker bees, infertile human couple, etc. After some exception we can consider that reproduction as a defining characteristic of living organisms. Also no non-living object reproduce.
Metabolisms-There are all living living organisms are made up of chemicals and occur chemical reaction or metabolisms. There are Thousands of metabolic reaction occur simultaneously inside every living body which may me unicellular or multicellular. The sum of total chemical reaction occurring in the body of living organisms. No non-living object exhibits metabolisms. So metabolisms is defining property of living organisms without any exception.
Cellular organisation and consciousness of the body– There are very complicated feature of almost all living thing is ability to sense environment or its surrounding and respond accordingly by physically, chemically or biologically etc. Human beings sense environment by five sense organs vis. eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin. Human being is only organisms who aware himself, that means self-consciousness.
DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD-
There are 1.7 to 1.8 millions species which we are know and describe correctly. The number or type of organisms present on Earth are collectively knows as Biodiversity.
The plant and animals is our area are known by their local names which vary place to place or even a country. Hence, there is a need to standardise the name of a particular organisms which same in all over the World. The process is called Nomenclature. The nomenclature of organisms have in only correctly describe organisms and it refer to Identification. The name after nomenclature is acceptable for all biologist all over the world. The scientific names of plant is given by International Code of Botanical Nomenclature(ICBN) and the name of animal is given by International Code of Zoological Nomenclature(ICZN). And it is hundred percent sure that the one name is not given the other organisms.
Each name have two component-Generic name and Specific epithet. This system called Binominal Nomenclature. This naming system is given by Carolus Linnaeus.
There are some universal rules of nomenclature-
1). Biological names are mostly in Latin and Written in Italics.
2). The first word represent genus while second word represent specific epithet.
3). Both words in biological name, when handwritten, are separately and when print, in italics(indicate to Latin origin )
4). The first word of genus start with capital letter whereas the specific epithet start with small letter.
ex- Mangifera indica(scientific name of mango) etc.
Classification is the process in which anything group into convenient categories on the basis of characteristic. Taxonomy is the branch of science in which we classify all living thing based on characteristics into different taxa. The scientific term of categories is taxa(singular is taxon). The Systematics means systematic arrangement of organisms. The systematics includes identification, nomenclature and classification.
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES–
Taxonomic categories is a rank in classification whereas when all categories combine, then Taxonomic Hierarchy is formed.
There are 7 taxonomic categories, Species, genus, family, order, class, phylum/division, and kingdom respectively.
- Species- A group of individual organisms with fundamental similarities is called species.
- Genus- A group of many species is collectively known as genus.
- Family- A group of related genera with less number of similarity like species and genus is called family.
- Order– A group of many families is collectively known as order.
- Class- A group of many orders is collectively known as class.
- Phylum/Division- A group of many classes is collectively known as phylum / division. In case of plant called division while in case of animal called phylum.
- Kingdom- A group of many phylum/division is collectively known as kingdom.
Botanical Gardens–
These special gardens have a collection plant species with indicating its scientific name and family. These plant are grown for identification purposes. The famous Botanical Garden are kew in England, Indian Botanical Garden in Howrah, India and National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow, India.
Museum-
Biological museum are generally set up for educational Institute like school and collages etc. Museum have a collection of many preserved plant and animal species for research purpose. These species are reserved in containers or in jars with preservative solutions. Insects are reserved in boxes after killing and pinning. Larger animals like lion are usually stuffed and preserved. Also museum have a collection of skeleton of animals too.
Zoological Parks-
In zoological parks, wild animals are kept in protected and safe environment under human care. There is noticed the behavior and food habits of animals by human zoologist. These parks are also commonly called zoos.
These all are the notes of chapter 1 in biology. And the important questions are below HERE. *#THANKS FOR VISITING, VISIT AGAIN#* 😊
- What are the characteristics of living organisms?
Living organisms have characteristics such as growth, reproduction, metabolism, ability to sense the environment, self-replication, and cellular organization. - How do living organisms grow?
Living organisms grow by increasing their mass and number of cells. In plants, growth happens continuously, but in animals, growth stops after a certain age. Living organisms grow from the inside, unlike non-living things, which grow by accumulation on the outside. - Can non-living things grow?
Yes, non-living things can grow, but only by external addition, such as a heap of sand increasing in size. This growth is not like the internal growth of living organisms. - Is growth a defining characteristic of living organisms?
Growth is generally a characteristic of living organisms, but since non-living things can also grow externally, growth alone cannot always define life.
Reproduction
- What is reproduction?
Reproduction is the process of producing offspring similar to the parent. It can be sexual or asexual. - Name organisms that reproduce asexually.
Fungi and planaria reproduce asexually, with planaria using regeneration. - Are there living organisms that cannot reproduce?
Yes, examples include mules, worker bees, and infertile human couples. - Is reproduction a defining characteristic of living organisms?
Not entirely, as some living organisms cannot reproduce, but no non-living objects can reproduce.
Metabolism
- What is metabolism?
Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions occurring in a living body. - Does metabolism occur in non-living things?
No, metabolism happens only in living organisms. - Is metabolism a defining property of life?
Yes, metabolism is a defining property because it is found in all living organisms without exceptions.
Cellular Organization and Consciousness
- What is cellular organization?
Cellular organization means that all living organisms are made up of cells. - What is consciousness in living organisms?
Consciousness is the ability to sense and respond to the environment. Humans also have self-awareness. - Do non-living things have consciousness?
No, only living organisms have consciousness.
Diversity in the Living World
- What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to the variety of organisms on Earth. About 1.7 to 1.8 million species have been identified. - Why is nomenclature important?
Nomenclature provides standard scientific names for organisms so they are universally recognized. - Who introduced binomial nomenclature?
Carolus Linnaeus introduced the binomial nomenclature system. - What are the rules for scientific names?
- Scientific names are in Latin and italicized.
- The genus name starts with a capital letter, and the species name starts with a small letter (e.g., Mangifera indica for mango).
Classification
- What is taxonomy?
Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms based on their characteristics. - What is the taxonomic hierarchy?
The taxonomic hierarchy includes species, genus, family, order, class, phylum/division, and kingdom. - Define species.
A species is a group of organisms with similar features that can interbreed. - What is a genus?
A genus is a group of related species.
Specialized Places
- What are botanical gardens?
Botanical gardens are places where plants are grown for identification and research. They display plants with scientific names. - What is a biological museum?
Biological museums preserve specimens of plants and animals for education and research. Specimens are kept in jars or pinned in boxes. - What are zoological parks?
Zoological parks (zoos) are protected spaces where wild animals are cared for, and their behavior and habits are studied.