1 Living World

© www.bankofbiology.
com
THE LIVING WORLD
www.bankofbiology.com
What is life?
• Life is a unique, complex

organization of molecules,
expressing through chemical
reactions which lead to growth,
development, responsiveness,
adaptation & reproduction.
What is a Living organism?
• A living organism is self-

replicating, evolving and self-
regulating interactive system
capable of responding to
external stimuli.
PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
Cellular organisation
Consciousness
Growth  It is the increase in number & mass of

cells by cell division.
Reproduction
Metabolism
Consciousness
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
 In plants, growth continues throughout their lifespan.
 In animals, growth is only up to a certain age.
Consciousness
However, cell division occurs to replace lost cells.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
 Basically, growth is the increase in mass & size.
Thus non-living objects also grow (surface
accumulation of material). So growth is not a
defining property of living organisms.
Consciousness
 In living organisms, growth is from inside.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
 It is the production of progeny having features
similar to those of parents.
Consciousness
 Organisms reproduce asexually and sexually.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
 In unicellular organisms, growth & reproduction are

Consciousness
same because they reproduce by cell division.
Growth Mule Worker Honeybee
Reproduction
Metabolism
 Many organisms do not reproduce (e.g. mules,

worker bees, infertile human couples, etc). Hence,
reproduction is not a perfect defining property of
Consciousness
living organisms.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
 It is the sum total of all biochemical reactions
taking place inside a living system.
Consciousness
 It is the defining feature of living organisms.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
Cellular organisation  Metabolic reactions can be demonstrated outside

the body in cell-free systems.
 Isolated metabolic reactions in vitro are not living
Consciousness
things but are living reactions.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
Cellular
organisation
• Organisms are made up of one or more cells.
Consciousness
• It is the defining feature of living organisms.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
Cellular organisation  It is the ability of organisms to sense their

environment and respond to environmental stimuli
Consciousness (like light, water, temperature, other organisms,
chemicals, pollutants, etc).
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
Cellular organisation  All organisms are ‘aware’ of their surroundings.

So, it is the defining property of living
Consciousness
organisms.
Growth
Reproduction
Metabolism
Consciousness Human is the only organism having

self-consciousness.
DIVERSITY IN THE
LIVING WORLD
DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD
The number and types of

organisms present on earth
refer to biodiversity.
Number of species described is

1.7-1.8 million.
Taxonomy: It is the study of identification, classification &

nomenclature of organisms.
Systematics (Latin ‘systema’ = systematic

arrangement) deals with evolutionary
relationships between organisms.
Systema Naturae is the book written by Linnaeus.
Characterizatio
n
Identification
BASIC PROCESSES
OF TAXONOMY
Classification
Nomenclature

BASIC PROCESSES OF TAXONOMY
Characterization
Identification
Classification
Understanding of characters of organisms such as
external and internal structure, structure of cell,
Nomenclature development process, ecological information etc.

Characterization
Identification
Classification
It is the correct description of the organism so that the

Nomenclature naming is possible.

Characterization
Identification
Classification
It is the grouping of organisms into convenient categories
Nomenclature (taxa) based on characters.

I am
Characterization Mangifera indica
Identification
I am
Apis indica
Classification
It is the standardization of names of organisms such
that an organism is known by the same name all over
Nomenclature the world.
 The system of naming with

two components is called
Binomial nomenclature.
 It is proposed by Linnaeus.
 Botanical names are based on the Mangifera

indica
rules in International Code for
Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN).
 Zoological names are based on

International Code for Zoological Panthera
Nomenclature (ICZN). tigris

UNIVERSAL RULES OF BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE
 Scientific names are in Latin or

Latinised and written in italics. When
handwritten, they are underlined
separately.
 The first word is genus name (Generic
name) and second word is the species
name (specific epithet).
 Genus name starts with capital letter
and species name with small letter.
 Author’s name (in abbreviated form)
appears at the end of biological name.
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES
 Classification involves hierarchy of steps in

which each step represents a taxonomic
category (rank).
 All categories together constitute a
taxonomic hierarchy.
 Each category represents a unit of
classification.
 A group of organisms occupying a
particular category is called a taxon (pl.
taxa). E.g. Class Mammalia.
Taxonomic category Taxon
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum / Division Chordata
Taxonomic Class Mammalia

hierarchy in Order Primata
ascending order
Family Hominidae
Genus Homo
Species sapiens
TAXO NO M IC CATEG O RIES
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Species

Common name Generic name Specific epithet
Mango Mangifera indica
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Nightshade Solanum nigrum

 It is a group of closely related
organisms capable of interbreeding Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
to produce fertile offspring. Brinjal Solanum melongena
 It is the lowest category. Lion Panthera leo
Tiger Panthera tigris
Leopard Panthera pardus
Modern man Homo sapiens
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Genus

 It is the aggregates of closely related species.
Genus Solanum Genus Panthera Genus Felis

Potato (S. tuberosum) Lion (Panthera leo) House Cat
(Felis domesticus)
Tomato (S. lycopersicum) Leopard (P. pardus)
Jungle cat
Brinjal (S. melongena) Tiger (P. tigris) (Felis chaus)
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Family
 It is a group of related genera.
Family Solanaceae Family Felidae
Genus Solanum
Genus Panthera
Genus Petunia
Genus Felis
Genus Datura
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Order
 It is the assemblage of related families.
Order Order
Polymoniales Carnivora
Family
Family Felidae
Convolvulaceae
Family
Family Canidae
Solanaceae
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Class
 It is the assemblage of related orders.
Class Class
Dicotyledonae Mammalia
Order Order
Polymoniales Primata
Order Order
Sapindales Carnivora
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Phylum/ Division

 It is the assemblage of related classes.
 In cases of plants the related classes form division.
Division Phylum
Angiospermae Chordata
Class Amphibia
Class
Dicotyledonae
Class Reptilia
Class Aves
Class
Monocotyledonae
Class Mammalia
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Kingdom

 The assemblage of related Phyla/Division.
 It is the highest category.
Kingdom Kingdom
Plantae Animalia
Division Phylum
Angiospermae Chordata
Division Phylum
Gymnospermae Arthropoda
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Taxonomic
categories with Order Carnivora
examples
Family Felidae
Genus Panthera
Species tigris
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Taxonomic
categories with Order Carnivora
examples
Family Felidae
Genus Panthera
Species tigris
Organisms with their taxonomic categories
Common name Man Housefly Mango Wheat

Biological name Homo sapiens Musca domestica Mangifera indica Triticum aestivum
Genus Homo Musca Mangifera Triticum
Family Hominidae Muscidae Anacardiaceae Poaceae
Order Primata Diptera Sapindales Poales
Class Mammalia Insecta Dicotyledonae Monocotyledonae
Phylum/ Division Chordata Arthropoda Angiospermae Angiospermae
TAXONOMICAL
AIDS
1. Herbarium
2. Botanical
9. Catalogues
gardens
3. Zoological
8. Monographs
TAXONOMICAL TAXONOMICAL parks (zoos)
AIDS
AIDS
7. Manuals 4. Museum
6. Flora 5. Key
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS a. Herbarium

 It is a store house (repository) of plant specimens that are dried, pressed and
preserved on sheets and are arranged according to universally accepted classification.
 Herbarium sheets are labelled with information about date and place of collection,
English, local and botanical names, family, collector’s name etc.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS b. Botanical gardens

 These are specialized gardens having collections of living plants for reference
and identification.
 Each plant is labeled with its botanical name and family.
Famous botanical gardens

1. Royal Botanical Garden at Kew
(England).
2. Indian Botanical Garden,
Howrah (West Bengal, India).
3. National Botanical Research
Institute, Lucknow (India).
National Botanical
Indian Research
Botanical Institute,
Garden, Howrah Lucknow
Royal Botanical Garden
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS c. Biological Museum
 It is a collection of preserved plants and animals for study and

reference.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS c. Biological Museum

 A museum contains
 Specimens preserved in preservative solutions in containers or jars.
 Dried specimens of plants and animals.
 Insects preserved in insect boxes after collecting, killing and pinning.
 Stuffed larger animals like birds and mammals.
 Collections of animal skeletons.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS d. Zoological parks (Zoos)

 These are the places where live wild animals are kept in protected environments under
human care.
 It helps to learn about their food habits and behaviour.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS e. Key

 It is an analytical method of identification of organisms based on similarities and
dissimilarities.
 It is based on the contrasting
characters generally in a pair
called couplet.
 Each couplet has two opposite
options. Of these, only
relevant option is accepted
and the other is rejected.
 Each statement in the key is
Key: Branching type
called a lead.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS e. Key
Key: Branching type
Key: Bracketed type
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS f. Flora

 It is the actual account of habitat and distribution of plant species of a
given area.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS g. Manuals

 Manuals are the record that contains information for identification of names
of species found in an area.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS h. Monographs
 These are the records that contain information on any one taxon.
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
TAXONOMICAL AIDS i. Catalogue
 It is an alphabetical list of species.
THE END

1 Living World

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 Living World

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

© www.bankofbiology.

• Life is a unique, complex

• A living organism is self-

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Growth  It is the increase in number & mass of

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

 In unicellular organisms, growth & reproduction are

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Growth Mule Worker Honeybee

 Many organisms do not reproduce (e.g. mules,

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Cellular organisation  Metabolic reactions can be demonstrated outside

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Cellular organisation  It is the ability of organisms to sense their

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Cellular organisation  All organisms are ‘aware’ of their surroundings.

PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Consciousness Human is the only organism having

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

The number and types of

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

Number of species described is

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

Taxonomy: It is the study of identification, classification &

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

Systematics (Latin ‘systema’ = systematic

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

Systema Naturae is the book written by Linnaeus.

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

It is the correct description of the organism so that the

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

 The system of naming with

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

 Botanical names are based on the Mangifera

 Zoological names are based on

DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD

 Scientific names are in Latin or

 Classification involves hierarchy of steps in

Phylum / Division Chordata

Taxonomic Class Mammalia

TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Species

Mango Mangifera indica

Potato Solanum tuberosum

Nightshade Solanum nigrum

Tiger Panthera tigris

Leopard Panthera pardus

Modern man Homo sapiens

TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Genus

Genus Solanum Genus Panthera Genus Felis

TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Family

 It is a group of related genera.

Family Solanaceae Family Felidae

TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES Order

 It is the assemblage of related families.