Introduction To Living Organisms

HSB Notes
Characteristics of Living Organisms (GRIMNER):
All living organisms share the following seven characteristics:
• Nutrition (feeding): the process by which living organisms obtain or make food.
Animals take in ready-made food and are called heterotrophs. Plants make their own
food by the process of photosynthesis and are called autotrophs.
• Respiration: the process by which energy is released from food by all living cells.
Aerobic respiration requires oxygen and takes place in most cells. Anaerobic
respiration takes place without oxygen in certain cells.
• Excretion: the process by which waste and harmful substances, produced by the
body’s metabolism, are removed from the body.
• Growth: a permanent increase in the size and complexity of an organism.
• Irritability (sensitivity): the ability of organisms to detect and respond to changes in

their environment or within themselves.
• Movement: a change in the position of a whole organism or of parts of an organism.

Most animals can move their whole bodies from place to place, known as locomotion.
Plants and some animals can only move parts of their bodies.
• Reproduction is the process by which living organisms generate new individuals of

the same kind as themselves. Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of gametes (sex
cells) produced by two parents. Asexual reproduction does not involve the fusion of
gametes and requires only one parent.
Cells
 A cell is the basic unit or building block of life.

 A cell is the smallest structural unit of living things that can perform all the
processes (functions) necessary for life.
 Cells are very small and cannot be viewed by the naked eye, i.e. they are
microscopic can only be viewed under a microscope (0.1 of a millimeter in diameter).
 All living things are made up of one or more cells.
 Unicellular organisms are made up of one cell e.g. paramecium, amoeba.
 Multicellular organisms are made up of more than one cell e.g. mouse.
 There are many different kinds of cells including plant cells, animal cells, viruses,
bacteria and fungi.
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 All cells possess similar basic structures which make life possible regardless of the
type of organism the cell belongs to.
 Each structure or part of a cell is called an organelle.
 There are a number of organelles common to both plant and animal cells. These
include nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, mitochondria, ribosomes and
endoplasmic reticulum.
 There are a number of structures found in plant cells that distinguish plant cells
from animal cells including cell wall, chloroplast and vacuoles.
 Each part of the cell performs a specific function.
 The following tables summarizes the structure and function of parts of the cell and
their differences:
Table 1: Structure and Function of Cell Organelles
Organelle Structure Function

Cell A thin partially permeable, irregularly Controls the movement of
membrane shaped layer that surrounds the entire substances in and out of the cell.
cell.
Nucleus Large, round, dark organelle, which The chromosomes in the nucleus
contains chromosomes. Only one is contain genes, which control all
present in the cell. chemical reactions taking place in
the cell.
Ribosomes Tiny round organelles which can be Site of protein production.
attached to the endoplasmic reticulum
or floating free in the cytoplasm
Cytoplasm Clear jelly-like substance which the Enables many chemical (metabolic)
other organelles are suspended in. reactions to occur here.
Mitochondria A double membrane structure located Site of the respiration reaction
in the cytoplasm. The more active the which produces energy.
cell, the more mitochondria it
contains.
Endoplasmic A network of tubules and flattened Transports certain substances
Reticulum sacs running through the cell. through the cell and makes
secretory proteins, carbohydrates,
and lipids.
Cell wall A thick, strong, flexible layer made up It supports the plant cell and
of cellulose fibres. It is located on the prevents it from bursting when it is
outside of the cell membrane in plant full of water. It also gives the cell a
cells only. regular shape.
Chloroplast A green disc which contains Site of photosynthesis reaction,
chlorophyll, a green pigment used to which produces glucose.
trap sunlight in leaves.
Large Central Sac like structures, which contain Cell sap contains water, sugar, and
Vacuoles different substances, present in plants other dissolved substances. It is a
only. storage area for plant cells.
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TABLE 2: COMPARISON OF PLANTS AND ANIMAL CELLS
Animal Cell Plant Cell
Do not have a cell wall. Have a cell wall which is made of

cellulose
Do not have chloroplasts or Usually have chloroplasts which
chlorophyll. contain chlorophyll.
When present, the vacuoles are small Usually have one large, central
and scattered throughout the vacuole which contains cell sap
cytoplasm and their contents vary.
May contain glycogen granules as a May contain starch grains as a food

food store. store.
 Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms, typically smaller than the smallest plant
or animal cells.
 Bacterial cells do not have a nucleus.
 Bacterial cells may have an additional organelle called a flagella which helps them
to move.
 Bacterial cells have many different shapes, e.g. rods, spiral
 Some bacteria are useful e.g., the ones we use to make yogurt (lactobacillus) while
others are harmful (tuberculosis).
 Fungi are microorganisms which obtain their nutrients from other organisms, both
living or dead. This is known as saprophytic nutrition.
 Fungi do not have chlorophyll and therefore cannot photosynthesize.
 Most fungi are made up of many cells. Yeast is an unusual fungi. It has just on cell.
 Examples of fungi include the yeasts, moulds, smuts, and mushrooms.
 Viruses are not made up of cells at all.
 They consist of DNA surrounded by a coat of protein.
 They are much smaller than any other type of microorganism.
 Viruses depend on other cells called ‘host cells’ to support their reproduction.
 When you get a viral infection, the virus hijacks the cell and makes it produce more
viruses.
Revision Questions
1) Draw and label a typical plant cell and a typical animal cell. (10 marks)
2) Fill in the blanks in the spaces provided below.
All cells are surrounded by a _______ ________________ which control what goes
in and out of the cell. Plant cells also have a _______ ____________ which helps
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to hold the cell in shape. Cells contain a watery jelly called _________________.
There are also several different structures called ________________. The
________________ of a cell contains chromosomes, made of ________. These
control the activities of the cell. They provide instructions telling the cell what
proteins to make. Proteins are made on the _______________. Energy for the cell
is provided by respiration, which happens inside the ____________________.
Plant cells have _________________ which contain a green substance called
____________________. (10 marks)
3) Suggest how bacteria, fungi and viruses are different from plant cells.
(5 marks)

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HSB Notes

Characteristics of Living Organisms (GRIMNER):

All living organisms share the following seven characteristics:

• Growth: a permanent increase in the size and complexity of an organism.

• Irritability (sensitivity): the ability of organisms to detect and respond to changes in

• Movement: a change in the position of a whole organism or of parts of an organism.

• Reproduction is the process by which living organisms generate new individuals of

 A cell is the basic unit or building block of life.

Table 1: Structure and Function of Cell Organelles

Organelle Structure Function

Animal Cell Plant Cell

Do not have a cell wall. Have a cell wall which is made of

May contain glycogen granules as a May contain starch grains as a food

 Bacterial cells do not have a nucleus.

 Bacterial cells have many different shapes, e.g. rods, spiral

 Fungi do not have chlorophyll and therefore cannot photosynthesize.

 Examples of fungi include the yeasts, moulds, smuts, and mushrooms.

 Viruses are not made up of cells at all.

 They consist of DNA surrounded by a coat of protein.

 They are much smaller than any other type of microorganism.

2) Fill in the blanks in the spaces provided below.

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