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Characteristics of Living Organisms

Chapter 4 discusses the characteristics of living organisms, which include movement, reproduction, sensitivity, growth, excretion, and nutrition. It also explains the nature of viruses, their replication process, and their classification as non-living due to lack of life activities. Additionally, the chapter covers the concept of species and the use of dichotomous keys for identifying organisms.

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4 views14 pages

Characteristics of Living Organisms

Chapter 4 discusses the characteristics of living organisms, which include movement, reproduction, sensitivity, growth, excretion, and nutrition. It also explains the nature of viruses, their replication process, and their classification as non-living due to lack of life activities. Additionally, the chapter covers the concept of species and the use of dichotomous keys for identifying organisms.

Uploaded by

surfingwpaisley
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 4

Grouping and identifying organisms


Chapter 4 - Grouping and identifying organisms

 WALT:
 Characteristics of living organisms
 WILFs:
 List and define 7 characteristics of living organisms
Characteristics of living organisms
 All the living organisms shows the following characteristics:
 Movement

 Reproduction

 Sensitivity

 Growth

 Reproduction

 Excretion

 Nutrition
 Movement: change of position or place
 Respiration: release of energy by the breakdown of food
 Sensitivity: the ability to detect and respond to changes
 Growth: a permanent increase in size and mass
 Reproduction: making more of the same kind of organism
 Excretion: the removal of the waste products
 Nutrition: taking in of materials for energy, growth and development
Virus
 Virus doesn’t have cells, no cell membrane or
cytoplasm
 It has DNA or RNA covered with a protein coat
 Virus doesn’t show any life activities.
 Since virus doesn’t show the any charecteristics
of life(MRS GREN), some people consider as non-
living.
 But they can multiply/ replicate inside living cells
Replication of virus
 Viruses get into the body through the air we breath in or through any body
fluids(blood, saliva etc)
 Virus gets into the cell,
 burst open and
 make the cells to copy the instructions on its DNA or RNA
 to make new viruses
 This process of making new virus with the help of host cell is called
replication. (Host cell: the cell in which virus lives in)
 This kills the cells
 New viruses burst out from the dying cells and spreads into more cells
 H3N2 virus cause infleunza
 Corona virus, known as SARS CoV2 caused the COVID-19
 Some viruses doesn’t cause severe illness, but some are
deadly
 The best way to prevent virus infection is vaccination
Species
 A species is a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce
fertile offspring

 If any two different species reproduce, their offspring's will be infertile,


the offspring cannot be able to reproduce
 For eg: tiger and lion can reproduce to form liger
 Ligers are infertile, they cannot reproduce.
Dichotomous Keys
 Dichotomous Keys are used to identify organisms based on a series of
questions about their features
 Each choice leads the user onto another two descriptions
 In order to successfully navigate a key, you need to pick a single organism
to start with and follow the statements from the beginning until you find
the name

(Refer leaners book page number 139 and 144)

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