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Features of living beings

It is difficult to state unequivocally and comprehensively what living beings are. One of the features that makes it easy to distinguish them from inanimate matter is their ability to move around on their own. Most animals do move, but plants, for example, are stationary in the ground, although they are alive. Organisms receive information from the environment and respond to it by changing their behaviour or functioning, however this can be easily observed without detailed studies only in species capable of moving. The organism grows at the beginning of its life, but an adult will generally no longer grow in size. Moreover, a phenomenon similar to growth can be observed in the case of some inanimate objects, e.g. salt crystals. Organisms obtain the energy they need to live by breathing. However, the seeds of some plants can remain in a state where they do not even show signs of respiration for a long time. As can be seen, defining what the organism is is not an easy task.

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Ilustracja przedstawia graf z kilkoma niebieskimi polami. Wewnątrz nich znajduj się tekst. światło, rośliny wykorzystują je do wzrostu; zwierzęta zjadają rośliny, które urosły dzięki światłuwoda, bez niej ustają czynności życiowetemperatura, od niej zależy aktywność organizmówpokarm| dostarcza energii organizmomtlen, służy do oddychania większości organizmówdwutlenek węgla, rośliny wykorzystują go do budowy swojego ciała

According to modern biologists, a living being is one that takes necessary substances from the environment and converts them into energy in order to maintain its life functions, that is nourishes, breathes, excretes, moves, reacts to stimuli, grows and develops, as well as it has the ability to reproduce. Organisms have the ability to evolvebiological evolutionevolve, which means that their next generations are gradually adapting to changing environmental conditions. All organisms are made up of cells and can take different forms. The simplest ones are unicellular, prokaryotic bacteria, the most complex ones are made of trillions of cells of various types (trees or whales).

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Schemat przedstawiający czynności życiowej organizmów. 1. MovementEntire organisms or their organs move in order to gain food and protection from danger 2.Growth and developmentGaining of mass and size of the organisms, takes place throughout their entire life (in plants) and in youth (in animals) 3. Reaction to stimuliThe ability to adjust to the changing environment 4. NutritionProviding the body with nutrients 5. ExcretionExcreting dangerous substances created in cells from the body 6. ReproductionIncreasing the number of organisms of the same species 7. BreathingReleasing from the food the energy that is needed for the organism to live

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Fotografia przedstawia pojedynczą komórkę, widzianą w bardzo dużym powiększeniu przez mikroskop elektronowy. Komórka ma kształt ostro zakończonej gałązki, jest jasno szara i ma białe kropki. Wyrasta z ciemno szarego, pofałdowanego podłoża.

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Ilustracja przedstawia schemat przemiany materii i energii w komórce. W wyniku przemian chemicznych jedne substancje są rozkładane, a inne tworzone. Procesom tym towarzyszy pobieranie i uwalnianie energii.

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Ilustracja procesu powstawania nowych gatunków na przykładzie pięćdziesięciu milionów lat ewolucji konia.

What does the organism need to live?

The conditions on Earth are ideal for the existence of life. The presence of light, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and the appropriate temperature contribute to the fact that the planet is inhabited by millions of species. Its distance from the Sun provides sufficient light energy and a temperature at which water occurs in three states of matter. The rotary movement causes the Earth to heat up evenly, while the right mass determines the existence of atmosphere around the Earth, which acts as a heat retaining coating. The oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the two most important gases for life.

Biology as a life science

BiologybiologyBiology is a life science – it studies organisms living on Earth today and those that used to live in old times. Its name comes from Greek words: bios – life and logos – science. This term was introduced by the French naturalist – Jean Baptiste Lamarck at the beginning of the 19th century. Biologists study the structure of organisms and their vital functions, as well as the relationship between organisms and the environment. They are trying to answer the following questions: Where do the organisms come from? How is it they are so different? How do organisms transfer their features to their offspring?

Biology is a science based on observation, experimentation and explanation of facts. Scientists do not limit themselves to working in a laboratory, they also study organisms in their natural environment –-- in all corners of the Earth. Biology is a rapidly developing natural knowledge domain and covers many fields.

History of biological sciences

The foundations of scientific knowledge of the world were created in antiquity. Already at that time organisms were described and divided into groups.  We owe the description of details of the structure of the human body and the functioning of its organs to researchers from the 16th century. The 17th century was marked by a special invention – the first microscope, thanks to which the world of microorganisms was discovered. The foundations of modern organism systematics was created in the 18th century. In the 19th century it was proved that all organisms are made up of cells, the theory of biological evolution was announced, and the rules of inheritance of features of organisms were discovered. The 20th century was a dynamic development of biochemistry and geneticsgeneticsgenetics. The design of the electron microscope allowed for studying the secrets of structure of cells and chemical molecules. Discovering DNA, where the features of each organism are recorded, was one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind. It caused the development of genetic engineeringgenetic engineeringgenetic engineering and allowed to read the genomegenomegenome of a human being. The present century – century of biotechnologybiotechnologybiotechnology – gives hope for the use of deliberately transformed organisms, for example in the fight against diseases.

What are characteristic features of organisms?

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Ilustracja składa się z sześciu zdjęć, ułożonych w dwóch rzędach. W górnym rzędzie, na pierwszej fotografii od lewej, granatowy samochód przy dystrybutorze paliwa. Na drugim zdjęciu żółto-biało-czarna gąsienica na spodniej stronie liścia. Trzecia fotografia przedstawia dziecko trzymajace kwiatek w wyciągniętej ręce. W dolnym rzędzie, na pierwszym zdjęciu od lewej niewielki, pomarańczowy robot. Na kolejnej fotografii ptak z czerwoną głową, białym brzuszkiem i czarnymi skrzydłami. W pomarańczowym dziobie trzyma brązowego robaka. Na trzecim zdjęciu popiersie człowieka neandertalskiego.

Conclusion

• Organisms are made up of cells.

• Organisms take up body building substances and energy from the environment to sustain their vital functions.

• Environmental factors affect the life and activity of organisms.

• Biology is a science that studies organisms living on the Earth.

• The development of biological sciences made it possible to learn about the world of living beings, including humans.

Keywords

organism, features of the organism, cells

Glossary