Living Things Study Guide

Cell

is a membrane-covered structure that contains all of the materials necessary for life.

Stimulus

A change that affects the activity of the organism

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a stable internal environment

Sexual Reproduction

two parents produce offspring that will share characteristics of both parents.

Asexual Reproduction

a single parent produces offspring that are identical to the parent.

Heredity

The passing of traits from one generation to the next

Metabolism

is the total of all of the chemical activities that the organism performs.

Photosynthesis

green organisms convert the energy in sunlight to energy stored in food.

Producer

can make their own food. Like most producers, plants use energy from the sun to make food from water and carbon dioxide.

Consumer

they must eat (consume) other organisms to get food.

Decomposer

are organisms that get their food by breaking down the nutrients in dead organisms or animal wastes.

Ecology

is the study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment.

Biotic

describes living factors in the environment

Abiotic

part of the environment consists of the nonliving factors, such as water, soil, light, and temperature.

Ecosystem

made up of a community of organisms and the abiotic environment of the community.

Herbivore

an consumer that eats only plants.

Carnivore

a consumer that eats animals.

Omnivore

eat both plants and animals.

Competition

When two or more individuals or populations try to use the same resource, such as food, water, shelter, space, or sunlight

Predator

an organism that eats all or part of another organism

Prey

an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

Symbiosis

is a close, long-term association between two or more species.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism

A symbiotic association in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed

The smallest unit that can perform all of life processes is called a(n)

cell

All living things are composed of one or more

cell

Anything in the environment that causes a reaction or change in an organism is calleda(n)

stimulus

What are three examples of stimuli given in the text?

chemicals, gravity, light,sounds, hunger, or anything that causes organisms to respond in some way.

When an organism's outside environment changes, through what process does the organism maintain a stable internal state?

conditions are exactly right, so an organism must maintain stable internal conditions to survive.

Why must an organism maintain stable internal conditions?

so it can keep the organism alive

What is your body trying to do when you are either shivering or sweating?

its trying to return itself to normal

How do some animals control their body temperature?

moving from one enviroment to another

Two parents produce offspring that share their characteristics through

sexual __ reproduction.

A single parent produces offspring identical t the parent through

asexual_ reproduction.

Most single-celled organisms organisms are produced through

asexual__ reproduction.

What does DNA do

DNA controls the structure and function of cells.

What do organisms pass on to their offspring?

copies of their DNA

The passing of traits from parents to offspring is called

heredity

What are three examples of activities of life carried out by all organisms?

making food, breaking down food, and moving minerals into and out of the cells.

The total of all chemical activities that an organism performs is an organism's

metabolism_

In addition to getting larger, what other things might happen as living things grow?

get bigger and and changes the cell.

What is one way alligators and other organisms interact?

fish use holes dug by alligators

What is ecology

is the study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their enviroment

How do organisms with many cells grow?

pass through differnt stagesin its devoplment into a full cells

How does a single-celled organism grow?

it gets larger and divides.

The passing of traits from parents to offspring is called

heredity

Most animals and plants reproduce through

sexual_ reproduction.

Most single-celled organisms organisms are produced through

asexual__ reproduction.

Why must an organism maintain stable internal conditions?

so it can keep the organism alive