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LIVING WORLD

The document discusses the characteristics that define living organisms, including growth, reproduction, metabolism, and consciousness, emphasizing that cellular organization is the key feature. It also covers the processes of nomenclature and classification in biology, detailing the binomial naming system and taxonomic categories from species to kingdom. Additionally, it highlights the importance of systematics in understanding evolutionary relationships among organisms.

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19 views

LIVING WORLD

The document discusses the characteristics that define living organisms, including growth, reproduction, metabolism, and consciousness, emphasizing that cellular organization is the key feature. It also covers the processes of nomenclature and classification in biology, detailing the binomial naming system and taxonomic categories from species to kingdom. Additionally, it highlights the importance of systematics in understanding evolutionary relationships among organisms.

Uploaded by

chrislomond27
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LIVING WORLD

23 December 2024 18:37

WHAT IS LIVING?
• GROWTH: increase in number and increase in mass are twin characters of growth.
• Unicellular organisms grow by increase in cell number. Growth and reproduction are same.
• In multicellular organisms , growth and reproduction are mutually exclusive. Increase in body
mass is growth.
• Plants=> indeterminate growth.
• Non living things like mountains grow by the accumulation of material of their surface , this is
called accretion.
• In living organisms, growth is from inside , hence growth is not defining property.
• REPRODUCTION:
• Fungi multiply by spreading asexual spores into millions.
• Hydra and yeast by budding.
• There are organisms that don’t reproduce like mules, sterile worker bees and infertile human
couples.
• Hence reproduction cannot be taken as a defining characteristic of living organisms.
• METABOLISM:
• All plants , animals , fungi and microbes exhibit metabolism.
• Metabolic activities can be demonstrated outside the body in cell free systems.
• Cellular organisation of the organisms is the defining feature not the reactions.
• CONSCIOUSNESS:
• All organisms can sense the environment and respond to it.
• All organisms are aware of the surroundings. Human beings are the only ones aware of
themselves(self-consiousness).
• Hence consciousness is a defining property of living organisms.

Current number of species = 1.7-1.8 million.


There is a need to standardize the naming of living organisms.
This process is called nomenclature.
Identification; nomenclature is only possible when the organism is described correctly.
• For plants , named were given by international code for Botanical Nomenclature(ICBN).
• For animals, international code for zoological nomenclature(ICZN).
Components of the name:
• Each name has two parts , generic name and specific epitiet.
• This system is called binomial nomenclature. This naming system was given by Carollus
linneues and is been practised by biologists all over the world.
• Magnifera indica=> mango.
• Rules of nomenclature:
1. Biological names are generally in latin and written in italics. They are latinized or derived from
latin irrespective of their origin.
2. The first word represents the genus while the second specific epitiet.
3. Both words when handwritten are separately underlined. Or printed in italics to show their
latin origin.
4. Genus starts with a capital letter while the species starts with small letter.
5. Name of author after specific epitiet and is written in abbrivated form. Magnifera indica Linn.

CLASSIFICATION:
• Process by which anything is grouped into convenient categories based on some easily
observable characteristics.
• The scientific term for these is called taxa. Taxa indicate categories at very different levels.
• Taxonomy: based on different characteristics organisms can be grouped into different taxa ,
this is called taxonomy. Identification , classification and nomenclature are the basis of
taxonomy.

BOTANY 11 Page 1
taxonomy.
• Earliest classifications are based on the uses of various organisms.
• SYSTEMATICS: takes into account evolutionary relationships between organisms.

TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES:
• Taxonomic studies of all known organisms have led to the development of common categories
known as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.
• Species is the lowest category.

SPECIES:
• Mangnifera indica(mango), solanum tuberosum(potato), panthera leo(lion). All these are
different species.

GENUS:
• Aggregates of closely related species.
• Potato and brinjal both are from solanum.
• Lion(panthera leo), leopard(p. pardus), tiger(p. tigris) are all from the genus panthera.

FAMILY:
• Group of related genera.
• On the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species.
• Solanum petunia and datura are in the family solananceae.
• Genus panthera is put with genus felis(cats) in the family Felidae.
• Dog family is canidae.

ORDER:
• Assemblage of different families.
• Convolvulaceae and Solanaceae are included in the order polymoniales mainly based on floral
characters.
• Carnivora=> Felidae and canidae.

CLASS:
• Related orders.
• Order primata comprising monkeys, gorilla and gibbon is placed in class mammilia.

PHYLUM:
• Based on common feature like presence of notochord and dorsal hollow neural system are
included in phylum chordata.
• In plants it is called division.
KINGDOM:
• Lower the taxa , more the categories and higher the taxa less the common characters.

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Screen clipping taken: 24-12-2024 13:03

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