THE LIVING WORLD:
CHAPTER AT A GLANCE
PROPERTIES OF LIVING ORGANISMS
1
Growth: Increase in number & mass of cells by cell division.
2
Reproduction: Production of progeny having features similar to those of parents.
3
Metabolism: All biochemical reactions taking place inside a living system.
4
Cellular organization: Organisms are made up of one or more cells.
5
Consciousness: Ability of organisms to sense their environment and respond to environmental stimuli.
DIVERSITY IN THE LIVING WORLD
Taxonomy: Study of identification, classification & nomenclature of organisms.
Basic processes of taxonomy:
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Characterization
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Identification
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Classification
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Nomenclature (naming).
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Botanical names are based on International Code for Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN).
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Zoological names are based on International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).
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Scientific names are in Latin or Latinised and written in italics. When handwritten, they are underlined.
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The first word is genus name (Generic name) and second word is the species name (specific epithet).
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The Genus name starts with capital letter and the species name starts with small letter. E.g. Homo sapiens- Homo is the genus name and sapiens is the species name.
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Name of the author (in abbreviated form) appears at the end of the biological name. E.g., Mangifera indica Linn. (Linn. = Linnaeus).
TAXONOMIC CATEGORIES
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Each category or taxon represents a unit of classification.
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Kingdom: Highest category.
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Species: Lowest category.
Organisms with their taxonomic categories
TAXONOMICAL AIDS
1
Herbarium: Store house of dried plants on sheets.
2
Botanical gardens: Collection of living plants.
3
Museum: Collection of dead plants and animals.
4
Zoological Parks (Zoos): Live wild animals.
5
Key: Analytical method of identification of organisms.
6
Flora: Account of plant species of a given area.
7
Manuals: Information for identification of names of species found in an area.
8
Monographs: Information on any one taxon.
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