Chapter 1
Characteristics of Living Things
&
Branches of Biology
Dr. Jackson Achankunju
What is Biology ?
The term biology is derived from two Greek words:
Bios and logos
(bios = life, logos= Knowledge/study of /science)
Biology is the study of life and living things.
All living things are called living organisms.
Biology has many branches or disciplines
Where do the
organisms live?
Where do the organisms live?
Living organisms are found to
live EVERY WHERE!!
The place where an organism
lives is called its Habitat
Types of Habitat
hot dry deserts, hot springs like
that of Rustaq..
freezing cold polar regions
salt lakes,
water below zero o C.
Organisms live on or in the bodies
of other organisms as Parasites.
Conditions exist in habitat of a living organism make up the
ENVIRONMENT ..
In order to survive, an organism
has to make adjustments/
modifications which will make it fit
to the environment!!
This process by which an
organism gets adjusted to its
environment is called
Adaptation.
Adaptation is a state of which an organism is able to live and
reproduce in a given set of habitats.
What are the Characteristics of Life?
OR
What does it mean to be alive?
1. Cellular organization(Cellular structure)
Living organisms are made of cells
Unicellular or Multicelluar
Prokaryotic or Eukaryotic
Viruses are acellular (do not have cellular structure)
2. Metabolism:
All the chemical reactions taking place
in an organism or cell.
Anabolism=Eg: Photosynthesis,
Protein synthesis
Catabolism: Eg: Respiration
3. Movement
All living things show movement.
The movement is very clear in animals, they can walk,
fly, crawl, swim or move arms, legs etc.
Movement is not so obvious in a plant.
Example: Plants show growth movement towards light
( photo-tropism),
Euglena swims in water using its flagellum.
4. Growth
All living things increase in their size and weight.
What is Growth?
Increase in size, mass or volume.
How does growth take place?
…….by Cell enlargement and cell division
Plants take up substances from the surroundings.
They are used for building up the body.
structures of the body and become part of the
organism.
Do animals stop growing?
Yes, when they reach a certain age.
Do plants stop growing?
• No, plants grow throughout their life.
5. Nutrition
All living things obtain food from their environment and
utilize it for their functioning, growth and development.
Autotrophic Vs Heterotrophic Nutrition
Autotrophic Nutrition:
Sun light
CO2 + H2O + mineral salts (soil) C6H12O6 + O2 + energy
Autotrophic organisms:
➢ Organisms that make their own
food by the process of
photosynthesis such as plants.
➢ In photosynthesis, plants take in
simple substances such as carbon
dioxide and water to build up
complex organic substances using
sunlight.
Heterotrophic Nutrition
Heterotrophic organisms: Organisms that ingest
complex ready made food and break it down into
simpler ones.
Eg: animals take in carbohydrates and break it
down into simpler glucose molecules.
How do animals feed?
• Take in complex substances as their food
• (Sugar) + oxygen
• Water + carbon dioxide + Energy (ATP)
How do plants get their food ?
Simple substances
(Carbon dioxide) + water
Sugar + oxygen
Photosynthesis
6. Responsivity :
Living things respond to different stimuli
(changes in the environment).
7. Respiration
Living things need energy to carry out the functions that
keep them alive.
Respiration is the process by which food is oxidised to
release Energy.
C6H12O6 + O2 H2O + CO2 + energy (ATP)
Breathing(Respiratory exchange of gases)
All living things take in air from their environment
in order to survive.
They take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide.
8. Excretion
•Getting rid of metabolic waste materials which may
become harmful.
•When people eat food they must get rid of toxic waste
by going to the restroom, e.g. urine.
- Ammonia is changed into a less
toxic compound called urea and it
is expelled from the body along
with water in the form of urine.
- Carbon dioxide is a waste product
that results from respiration.
9. Reproduction
• The process by which living things produce their
young ones or off-springs.
Two types of reproduction
Sexual reproduction – two cells from different individuals (one from
male and one from female) combine to form the first cells of a new
organism
Asexual reproduction – some organisms can reproduce on their own
without the help from a partner e.g. Binary fission in Amoeba
Budding in Hydra
10. Death
When all the characteristics of life stop,…
………then the organism dies.
Sometimes objects can seem living because they may have
one or more characteristics of living things.
Therefore in order to consider some thing as living,
It must:
..respire, feed, move, reproduce, grow,
excrete, respond to stimuli and die.
Branches of Biology
Three major kinds of organisms
and
three main branches of Biology are:
Plants Botany – study of plants
Animals Zoology-study of Animals
Microbes Microbiology-study of Microbes
Zoology: Study of animals
Botany: Study of plants
Microbiology :
Study of microbes
BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY
1. Morphology: study of form and structure of organism.( size,
shape and various parts of the body.)
2. Anatomy(Internal Morphology): study of internal
structure and organization of the body.
3. Histology: study of structure and function of tissues that
make different organs.
4. Cytology (Cell biology) : The detail study of structure and
function of cell.
5. Molecular Biology: The study of biology at molecular level,
i.e., study about biological molecules.
5. Genetics: The study of inheritance of characters
(heredity and variation).
7. Embryology: the study of formation of embryo and
early development of organisms.
8. Taxonomy: the study of Identification,
Nomenclature(naming) and Classification of organisms.
9. Physiology: the study of various vital activities and
functional aspects of organs in the body.
10. Ecology: The study of organisms in relation to their
environment.
11. Evolution: The study of origin and development of different
species.
11. Paleobiology: The study of extinct organisms which exists
today only in the form of fossils.
13. Microbiology: The study of microorganisms (microbes).
14 Bacteriology: The study of bacteria
15. Virology: The study of virus
16. Nutrition: The study of food and how the organisms feed
17. Biotechnology: Application of biological principles or
organisms or their cells or substances for manufacturing and service
industries.
Taxonomy
The study of identification, naming and classification of
different organisms.
Genetics - the study of genes and heredity.
Microbiology
The study of microorganisms.
A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small
that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye).
Cytology (Cell Biology)
The detailed study of cell, its structure,
organization and function.
