It has been suggested that sexual reproduction became the dominant type of reproduction among

organisms because of its inherent advantage of variability, which is the mechanism that enables a
species to adjust to changing conditions. New variations are potentially present in genetic differences,
but how preponderant a variation becomes in a gene pool depends upon the number of offspring the
mutants or variants produce (differential reproduction). It is possible for a genetic novelty (new
variation) to spread in time to all members of a population, especially if the novelty enhances the
population’s chances for survival in the environment in which it exists. Thus, when a species is
introduced into a new habitat, it either adapts to the change by natural selection or by some other
evolutionary mechanism or eventually dies off. Because each new habitat means new adaptations,
habitat changes have been responsible for the millions of different kinds of species and for the
heterogeneity within each species.

The total number of extant animal and plant species is estimated at between roughly 5 million and 10
million; about 1.5 million of those species have been described by scientists. The use of classification as
a means of producing some kind of order out of the staggering number of different types of organisms
appeared as early as the book of Genesis—with references to cattle, beasts, fowl, creeping things, trees,
and so on. The first scientific attempt at classification, however, is attributed to the Greek philosopher
Aristotle, who tried to establish a system that would indicate the relationship of all things to each other.
He arranged everything along a scale, or “ladder of nature,” with nonliving things at the bottom; plants
were placed below animals, and humankind was at the top. Other schemes that have been used for
grouping species include large anatomical similarities, such as wings or fins, which indicate a natural
relationship, and also similarities in reproductive structures.

Taxonomy has been based on two major assumptions: one is that similar body construction can be used
as a criterion for a classification grouping; the other is that, in addition to structural similarities,
evolutionary and molecular relationships between organisms can be used as a means for determining
classification.

Behaviour and interrelationships

The study of the relationships of living things to each other and to their environment is known as
ecology. Because these interrelationships are so important to the welfare of Earth and because they can
be seriously disrupted by human activities, ecology has become an important branch of biology.

Continuity
Whether an organism is a human or a bacterium, its ability to reproduce is one of the most important
characteristics of life. Because life comes only from preexisting life, it is only through reproduction that
successive generations can carry on the properties of a species.

The study of structure

Living things are defined in terms of the activities or functions that are missing in nonliving things. The
life processes of every organism are carried out by specific materials assembled in definite structures.
Thus, a living thing can be defined as a system, or structure, that reproduces, changes with its
environment over a period of time, and maintains its individuality by constant and continuous
metabolism.