THE LIVING WORLD

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DESIGNED
BY
EDUSTUDY POINT
WHAT IS LIVING?
THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING ARE:
(I) GROWTH
(II) REPRODUCTION
(III) METABOLISM
(IV) CELLULAR ORGANIZATION
(V) CONSCIOUSNESS

➢ THOSE CHARACTERISTICS WHICH HAVE NO EXCEPTION IS CALLED DEFINING

PROPERTY OF LIFE.

➢ GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION ARE NOT THE DEFINING PROPERTY OF LIFE AS

WELL AS METABOLISM, CELLULAR ORGANIZATION, CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE
DEFINING PROPERTY OF LIFE.

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(I) GROWTH po
➢ OVERALL INCREASE IN MASS OR SIZE OF TISSUE OR ORGANISM OR ITS PARTS IS
CALLED GROWTH.
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➢ INCREASE IN MASS AND INCREASE IN NUMBER ARE THE TWIN

CHARACTERISTICS OF GROWTH. THIS IS AN IRREVERSIBLE PERMANENT
INCREASE IN SIZE OF THE ORGAN OR ITS PART OR EVEN OF AN INDIVIDUAL
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CELL.

GROWTH IS OF TWO TYPES:

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• INTRINSIC GROWTH: GROWTH FROM INSIDE OF THE BODY OF LIVING ORGANISM.

THIS IS THE DEFINING PROPERTY OF LIFE.

• EXTRINSIC GROWTH: GROWTH FROM OUTSIDE OF THE BODY OF THE ORGANISM.

LIKE ACCUMULATION OF MATERIAL ON ANY BODY SURFACE . NON-LIVING EXHIBITS
THIS TYPE OF GROWTH.

→ INTRINSIC GROWTH IS OF TWO TYPES:

• INDETERMINATE GROWTH\UNLIMITED GROWTH: GROWTH WHICH OCCURS

CONTINUOUSLY THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE SPAN. IT OCCURS ONLY IN PLANTS.

• DETERMINATE GROWTH (LIMITED GROWTH): GROWTH WHICH OCCURS ONLY UP TO

CERTAIN AGE. IT OCCURS ONLY IN ANIMALS. CELL DIVISION OCCURS ONLY IN
CERTAIN TISSUES TO REPLACE LOST CELLS.

(II) REPRODUCTION

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→ PRODUCTION OF NEW INDIVIDUAL OR PROGENY IS CALLED AS REPRODUCTION.

→ REPRODUCTION IN CASE OF MULTICELLULAR ORGANISM IS PRODUCTION OF

PROGENY POSSESSING FEATURES MORE OR LESS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF PARENTS.

→ REPRODUCTION IN CASE OF UNICELLULAR ORGANISM LIKE BACTERIA,

UNICELLULAR ALGAE OR AMOEBA IS INCREASER IN NUMBER OF CELL. MEANS IN
UNICELLULAR ORGANISM THE GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION ARE SYNONYMS OR
SAME.

→ REPRODUCTION IS NOT FOUND IN ANY NONLIVING OBJECT. THERE ARE MANY

LIVING ORGANISM WHICH CAN NOT REPRODUCE LIKE MULES, STERILE HUMAN
COUPLES, WORKER BEES. THIS IS ALSO NOT TAKEN AS DEFINING PROPERTY OF LIFE.

REPRODUCTION IS OF TWO TYPES:

• ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION: REPRODUCTION IN WHICH FERTILIZATION OR GAMETIC

FUSION AND MEIOSIS IS NOT INVOLVED IS CALLED ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION.

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A. BY ASEXUAL SPORES: IN ALGAE AND FUNGI.
B. BY BUDDING: IN YEAST AND HYDRA.
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C. BY FRAGMENTATION: IN FILAMENTOUS ALGAE, FUNGI AND PROTONEMA OF
MOSS PLANTS.
D. BY TRUE REGENERATION: FRAGMENTED ORGANISM REGENERATE THE LOST
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PARTS OF ITS BODY AND BECOMES A NEW ORGANISM I.E. PLANARIA.

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→ REGENERATION IS A PROCESS IN WHICH ONLY LOST PART OF THE BODY IS

REPAIRED OR REGENERATED. EX: STAR FISH, LIZARDS.
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• SEXUAL REPRODUCTION: REPRODUCTION IN WHICH GAMETES ARE FORMED BY

MEIOSIS AND FERTILIZATION TAKES PLACE TO FORM PROGENY IS CALLED AS SEXUAL
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REPRODUCTION.

(III) METABOLISM

→ THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL THE CHEMICAL REACTION OCCURRING IN OUR BODY IS
METABOLISM.

→ ALL ORGANISM, BOTH UNICELLULAR AS WELL AS MULTICELLULAR EXHIBIT

METABOLISM. NO NONLIVING OBJECTS SHOW METABOLISM.

→ IT IS THE DEFINING PROPERTY OF LIFE.

→ ALL PLANTS, ANIMALS, FUNGI, AND MICROBES EXHIBIT METABOLISM.

(IV) CELLULAR ORGANIZATION

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→ CELL IS THE BASIS UNIT OF LIFE. ALL ORGANISMS ARE COMPOSED OF CELLS.

→ SOME ARE COMPOSED OF SINGLE CELL AND ARE CALLED AS UNICELLULAR

ORGANISM WHILE OTHER ARE COMPOSED OF MANY CELLS, ARE CALLED
MULTICELLULAR ORGANISM.

→ CELL IS THE FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURAL AND

FUNCTIONAL UNIT OF ALL LIVING ORGANISM. THIS IS THE DEFINING PROPERTY OF
LIFE.

(V) CONSCIOUSNESS

ABILITY TO SENSE THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT AND RESPOND TO THESE

ENVIRONMENT STIMULI IS CALLED AS CONSCIOUSNESS. THIS IS THE MOST OBVIOUS
AND TECHNICALLY COMPLICATED FEATURES OF ALL LIVING ORGANISM.
WHEN HUMAN IS CONCERNED A VERY WELL DEVELOPED NERVOUS SYSTEM AND
SUPREME LEVEL OF SKILL OF COMMUNICATION WHICH IS CALLED AS SELF-

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CONSCIOUSNESS.

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DIVERSITY IN LIVING WORLD
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THE NUMBER OF SPECIES THAT ARE KNOWN AND RANGE BETWEEN 1.7-1.8 MILLION.
THIS REFERS TO BIODIVERSITY OR THE NUMBER AND TYPES OF ORGANISMS PRESENT
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ON EARTH.
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TAXONOMY
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→ THIS IS THE STUDY OF PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES OF CLASSIFICATION.

→ THERE IS A NEED TO STANDARDISE THE NAMING OF LIVING ORGANISMS SUCH

THAT A PARTICULAR ORGANISM IS KNOWN BY THE SAME NAME ALL OVER THE
WORLD. THIS PROCESS IS CALLED NOMENCLATURE.

→ NOMENCLATURE OR NAMING IS ONLY POSSIBLE WHEN THE ORGANISM IS

DESCRIBED CORRECTLY AND WE KNOW TO WHAT ORGANISM THE NAME IS ATTACHED
TO. THIS IS IDENTIFICATION.

• RULES FOR NOMENCLATURE ARE PROVIDED BY:

A) ICBN – INTERNATIONAL CODE FOR BOTANICAL NOMENCLATURE
B) ICZN – INTERNATIONAL CODE FOR ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE

• BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE

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→ CAROLOUS LINNAEUS – FATHER OF TAXONOMY

→ NAME WITH TWO PARTS: - GENERIC NAME (GENUS) & SPECIFIC EPITHET (SPECIES)

• GUIDELINES AND PRINCIPLES FOR NOMENCLATURE:

(A) IT SHOULD BE IN LATIN / DERIVED FROM LATIN.

(B) IF IT IS WRITTEN IN ITALICS WHEN TYPES AND UNDERLINED WHEN

HANDWRITTEN.

(C) IT CONTAINS TWO PARTS, FIRST WORD IS GENUS ; SECOND WORD IS SPECIES.

(D) GENUS NAME STARTS WITH CAPITAL WHILE SPECIES NAME STARTS WITH SMALL
LETTERS.

(E) NAME SHOULD BE SHORT, PRECISE & EASY TO PRONOUNCE.

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(F) NAME OF THE AUTHOR IS WRITTEN IS AN ABBREVIATED FORM AFTER THE SPECIES
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NAME. EX: MANGIFERA INDICA (MANGO), HOMO SAPIENS ( HUMAN)

→ CLASSIFICATION – GROUPING OF ORGANISMS IN TO CATEGORIES BASED ON

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OBSERVABLE CHARACTERS. (CATEGORY –TAXA)

→ TAXONOMY - CHARACTERIZATION, IDENTIFICATION , CLASSIFICATION AND

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NOMENCLATURE ARE THE PROCESS OF TAXONOMY.

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→ SYSTEMATICS - DIFFERENT KINDS OF ORGANISMS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

LINNAEUS – SYSTEMA NATURAE
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(EVAOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ORGANISMS).

→ TAXONOMICAL HIERARCHY – SIMILARITIES DECREASES/ DIFFERENCES INCREASES

(I) SPECIES -PANTHERA LEO, PANTHERA PARDUS, PANTHERA TIGRIS.

(II) GENUS- PANTHERA (LION, LEOPAD,TIGER )
(III) FAMILY- PANTHERA AND FELIS TOGETHER INTO FELIDAE
(IV) ORDER - FELIDAE (CAT FAMILY) , CANIDAE (DOG FAMILY) - CARNIVORA
(V) CLASS - CARNIVORA (TIGER, CAT, DOG), PRIMATES (MONKEYS )- MAMMALIAN
(VI) PHYLUM – PISCES, AMPHIBIAN, REPTILIAN, AVES & MAMMALS
(VII) KINGDOM – PLANTAE, ANIMALIA.

• SPECIES: TAXONOMIC STUDIES CONSIDER A GROUP OF INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS

WITH FUNDAMENTAL SIMILARITIES AS A SPECIES.

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• GENUS: GENUS COMPRISES A GROUP OF RELATED SPECIES WHICH HAS MORE
CHARACTERS IN COMMON IN COMPARISON TO SPECIES OF OTHER GENERA. WE CAN
SAY THAT GENERA ARE AGGREGATES OF CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES.

• FAMILY: FAMILY, HAS A GROUP OF RELATED GENERA WITH STILL LESS NUMBER OF
SIMILARITIES AS COMPARED TO GENUS AND SPECIES. FAMILIES ARE CHARACTERIZED
ON THE BASIS OF BOTH VEGETATIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE FEATURES OF PLANT
SPECIES.

• ORDER: ORDER BEING A HIGHER CATEGORY, IS THE ASSEMBLAGE OF FAMILIES

WHICH EXHIBIT A FEW SIMILAR CHARACTERS. THE SIMILAR CHARACTERS ARE LESS IN
NUMBER AS COMPARED TO DIFFERENT GENERA INCLUDED IN A FAMILY.

• CLASS: THIS CATEGORY INCLUDES RELATED ORDERS.

• DIVISION\ PHYLUM: IT INCLUDES ALL ORGANISMS BELONGNG TO DIFFERENT

CLASSES HAVING A FEW COMMON CHARACTERS.

• KINGDOM: ALL ANIMALS BELONGING TO VARIOUS PHYLA ARE ASSIGNED TO THE

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HIGHEST CATEGORY CALLED KINGDOM. ANIMALIA IN THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF

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ANIMALS.
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TAXONOMICAL AIDS:
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→ BIOLOGISTS HAVE ESTABLISHED CERTAIN PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES TO

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STORE AND PRESERVE THE INFORMATION AS WELL AS THE SPECIMENS.

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SOME OF THESE ARE:

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• HERBARIUM: IT IS THE STOREHOUSE OF COLLECTED PLANT SPECIMENS. COLLECTED

PLANT SPECIMENS ARE DRIED, PRESSED, AND PRESERVED ON SHEETS AND THEN
ARRANGED SYSTEMATICALLY ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED SYSTEM OF
CLASSIFICATION. HERBARIUM SHEET CONTAINS LABEL REGARDING DATE, PLACE OF
THE COLLECTION, SCIENTIFIC NAME, FAMILY, COLLECTOR’S NAME, ETC. OF THE
SPECIMEN.

• BOTANICAL GARDEN: NBRI (LUCKNOW ) & IBG (HOWRAH ): IT HAS THE COLLECTION
OF LIVING PLANT SPECIES THAT ARE GROWN FOR IDENTIFICATION AND REFERENCE.
EACH PLANT CONTAINS LABELS INDICATING THEIR SCIENTIFIC NAME AND FAMILY.
SOME FAMOUS BOTANICAL GARDENS ARE INDIAN BOTANICAL GARDEN, CALCUTTA
(LARGEST IN INDIA), ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, KEW (LARGEST IN WORLD TILL
DATE) AND NATIONAL BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

• MUSEUM: IT IS THE REPOSITORY THAT HAS A COLLECTION OF VARIOUS PLANT AND

ANIMAL SPECIMENS THAT ARE PRESERVED FOR STUDY AND REFERENCE.

• ZOOLOGICAL PARKS: ZOOLOGICAL PARKS WILD ANIMALS ARE KEPT IN PROTECTED

ENVIRONMENTS. PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDYING THE BEHAVIOUR AND FOOD
HABITS OF THE ANIMALS.

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• KEY (ANALYTICAL IN NATURE): KEYS ARE USED FOR IDENTIFICATION OF PLANTS AND
ANIMALS BASED ON SIMILARITIES AND DISSIMILARITIES.

→ MONOGRAPH (1 FAMILY / GENERA AT A TIME.)

→ MANUALS (PARTICULAR AREA , FAMILY/ GENUS/ SPECIES)

→ FLORA (HABITAT & DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS IN A GIVEN AREA)

→ MANUALS, MONOGRAPHS, AND CATALOGUES ARE OTHER MEANS OF RECORDING

DESCRIPTIONS.

→ MANUALS HELP IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF NAMES OF VARIOUS SPECIES OF

ORGANISMS IN A GIVEN AREA.

→ MONOGRAPH IS A DETAILED AND WELL-DOCUMENTED WORK ON ANY PARTICULAR

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TAXON.

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