The Organization of Living Things And cell review, too!

Warm Up Video Mr Parr – Characteristics of living things

In some ways, organisms are like machines. Some have just one part, but most have many parts. Some organisms exist as a single cell, while other organisms have many – even trillions – of cells. Most cells are small than the period that ends this sentence. Yet every cell performs all the processes of life. Are there any advantages to having many cells?

The Benefits of Being Multicellular Multicellular means made of many cells. We are multicellular organisms. Can you think of others? There are benefits to being multicellular… here they are. Larger Size – Instead of making their cells bigger, multicellular organisms simply have more cells and can grow larger in size. This means they have a wider variety of prey. Longer Life – The life span of the multicellular organism is not limited to the life span of any single cell. Specialization – Each type of cell has a job. Specialization makes the organism more efficient. We have many specialized cells in our bodies.

Cells Working Together A tissue is a group of cells that work together to perform a specific job. The material around and between the cells is also part of the tissue. Animals have four basic types of tissue. Nerve, muscle, connective, and protective are all types of tissue in animals. Plants only have three types of tissue. Transport, protective, and ground. These tissues help with moving water and covering the plant, as well as assisting in the process of photosynthesis.

Tissues Working Together An organ is a collection of tissues that carry out a specialized function of the body. For example, your stomach is an organ. Muscle tissue makes food move in and through the stomach, while other special tissues make chemicals that digest your food. Connective tissue holds the stomach together, and nervous tissue carries messages back and forth between your stomach and your brain. Other organs include the heart, brain, lungs, and intestines. Plants also have different kinds of organs. A leaf is a plant organ that contains tissue that traps light energy to make foods. Stems and roots are also organs in plants.

Organs Working Together An organ system is when a group of organs work together to perform body functions. Each organ system has a specific job to do in the body. For example, the digestive system is made up of several organs (intestines, stomach). The digestive systems breaks down food for the rest of the body to use as fuel.

Remember this!

Organisms An organism is a living thing that can carry out life processes independently. Unicellular organisms (prokaryotes) only need one cell to live. Multicellular organisms need specialized cells that depend on each other form the organism to survive.

Structure and Function In organisms, structure and function are related. Structure is the arrangement of parts in an organism. It includes the shape of the part and material of which the part is made. Function is the job the part does. For example, the structure of the lungs is a large, spongy sac. The function of the lungs is to bring oxygen in and out of the body.

Organelles and their Functions Let’s review!