The Nature and Variety of Living Organisms

The Nature And Variety Of

Living Organisms

Movement - can move by either using muscles or by growing

Respiration - use this process which releases energy for the organism to use

Sensitivity - can respond to their surroundings or internal contditions

Nutrition - need certain nutrients in order to survive and either make their own food or eat other organisms

Excretion - dispose of waste products from the body

Reproduction -reproduce to continue the species and make new organims

Growth - grow and develop which increases their size or complexity

Plants

• Multi-cellular
• Chloroplasts for Photosynthesis
• Glucose can be turned into: cellulose for cell walls; starch for storage; and sucrose for transport
• Examples: maize, peas, oak tree, daffodil

Animals

• Have two groups: invertebrates (jellyfish, worms); and vertebrates (mammals, amphibians)
• Multi-cellular
• Cannot photosynthesise so feed off other animals and plants
• Store carbohydrates as glycogen
• No cell wall so the cells and the animals can move
• Oftern have a complex nervous system
• Examples: earthworm, elephant, housefly

Fungi

• Cell wall made of Chitin
• Uni and multi-cellular
• Cannot photosynthesise
• Uses extracellular digestion and absorbs food
• Stores energy as glycogen
• Usually have mycellium made from thread-like hyphae
• Examples: Yeast, Moulds, Mushrooms, Mucor

Protoctists

• Organims that do not fit into animals plants or fungi
• Single-celled and usually microscopic
• Some have or look like plants cells
• Most have features like an animal cell
• Examples: Amoeba, Chlorella, Plasmodium

Bacteria

• Single-celled organisms that are small, simple, basic shapes
• Cell wall made of Murein
• No nucleus so just have circular DNA or small rings of DNA called plasmids
• Some species can photosynthesise others digest and absorb products
• Reproduce by splitting - Binary Fission
• Examples: Pathogens, Pneumonia, Yoghurt

Viruses

• Do not belong to a kingdom as it is a kingdom itself
• Can only reproduce inside living cells
• Can only be seen under an electron microscope
• Composed of a core of genetic material (DNA / RNA)
• Surrounded by a protein coat
• Examples: HIV (causes AIDS), Tobacco Mosaic (discolours leaves of tobacco), Influeza

• Pathogens are organisms that cause disease
• Many bacteria and viruses are pathogens
• A few protoctists cause disease
• A few fungi can be classes as pathogens
• Examples: Bacteria - Pneumococcus; Viruses - Influenza; Protoctists - Plasmodium; Fungi - Athlete's Foot