Chapter 1Characteristics of Living Things1. Organized2. Grow and Develop3. Reproduce4. Respond5. Maintain stable internal conditions - Homeostasis6. Use energy

Organisms - things that have all characteristics of life- anything that is living

Organization

- Cell - smallest unit of life- Unicellular Organisms - made of only one cell

- contain structures specialized to perform functions like movement, taking in nutrients, controlling cell activities- Multicellular Organisms - made of more than one cell

- cells are organized into groups that have specialized functionsGrowth and Development

- unicellular organisms grow as the cell increases in size- multicellular organisms grow as the number of cells increases- development - changes that occur in an organism during its lifetime

- multicellular organisms have cells that specialize into different cell types during development

Reproduction - the process by which one organism makes one or more new organisms

Respond to Stimuli - can be internal or external stimuliHomeostasis - organism's ability to maintain steady internal conditions when outside conditions change

- important in making sure cells can functionEnergy - required by all living things to perform every function

- the sun is the main source of energy for living things, directly or indirectlyClassification - putting things in groups based on similar characteristicsSystematics - current method of classification

- uses all evidence known about an organism to classify it including:a. Cell Typeb. Habitatc. Way it gets food and energyd. Structure and function of its featurese. Common ancestryf. Molecular analysis (like DNA)

Levels of Classification1. Domain2. Kingdom3. Phylum4. Class5. Order6. Family7. Genus8. Species

3 Domains - largest and most general groups- divided into Kingdoms

1. Domain Archaea - simple unicellular organisms that often live in extreme environments

2. Domain Bacteria - simple unicellular organisms3. Domain Eukarya - 4 Kingdoms

A. Kingdom Protista - unicellular organisms that are more complex than bacteria or archaea

- ex - protozoans, algae, slime molds

B. Kingdom Fungi - unicellular or multicellular organisms that absorb food

- ex - molds and mushrooms3. Kingdom Plantae - multicellular

organisms that make their own food

4. Kingdom Animalia - multicellular organisms that take in their foodBinomial Nomenclature - system of scientific naming - each organism has a two-word scientific name

which is also the organism's species - ex - Ursus arctos - brown bear

1. Part One = Genus name- 1st letter is capitalized

- whole word is underlined or italicizedClassification Tools - help you to identify organismsA. Dichotomous Keys - series of descriptions

arranged in pairs that help you to identify an unknown organism

B. Cladograms - branched diagram that shows

the relationships among organisms including common ancestors

- has a series of branches with each branch following a new characteristic

Microscopes - used to magnify objects- 2 Main Types

1. Light Microscope - use light and lenses to magnify an object

- used to view living and nonliving objects2. Electron Microscope - use a magnetic

field to focus a beam of electrons through an object or onto its surface

Parts of the Microscope1. Ocular Lens - eyepiece

- contains magnifying lenses that you look

through2. Arm - supports the lenses3. Objective Lenses - usually

a low power and high powers

4. Course Adjustment - focuses image on low power ONLY

5. Fine Adjustment - sharpens the image under high magnification

6. Stage - supports the microscope slide7. Light Source - provides light that passes through the specimen8. Base - supports the microscope

Microscopes Use and Care1. Always carry the microscope with two hands

- one holding the arm and one supporting the base

2. Don't touch lenses with your fingers.3. Coarse adjustment is used ONLY when using low power4. Place microscope on flat surface, plug it in, and keep the cord toward the center of the table5. Focus with coarse adjustment on low power first6. When finished, remove specimen, wrap cord,

and cover it