Name: ___________________ Period:



Name: ___________________ Period: _______ Date: ___________

Honors/OnLevel Biology

Observing Living Organisms

Student Question Sheet

Purpose:

• To determine the basic characteristics common to living organisms

• To distinguish among plant, animal, and fungi characteristics

• To make accurate observations

Conclusion Questions:

1. What are some characteristics that all of the specimens that you observed shared?

a. Do all living organisms share these characteristics? Explain your answer.

2. Which characteristics differed from specimen to specimen?

3. a. List two characteristics of life that were not represented on your data chart?

b. Are each of these other characteristics (in question 3a) observable? Which ones can you not observe in our lab, and why can’t you?

4. Does an organism have to possess all of the characteristics of life at the same time in its life to be considered alive? Explain your reasoning for this response.

5. Responding to stimuli is a characteristic of all living organisms, though you probably did not detect any response from plants that you observed. Give an example of a stimulus that a plant would respond to, and how it might respond.

6. Why is it important for organisms to respond to stimuli (in general)?

Vocabulary:

Organism: A living thing

Unicellular: The organism is up of only one cell.

Multicellular: The organism is made up of many cells.

Differentiation: (Found in multicellular organisms)- The organism has parts that have different functions (ex: muscles, brain, flowers, stem)

Asexual Reproduction: The organism makes a new organism that is identical to the original. Only one parent is involved.

Sexual Reproduction: 2 organisms combine genetic information to make an offspring that is unique from both parents. 2 parents involved- male and female

Producer- The organism has the ability to make its own food in its cells ex: photosynthesis

Consumer- The organism gets its energy from another organism ex: eating

Adaptation: Something the animal has or does that allows it to be successful in its environment (gills in the water)

Stimuli- Something in the environment that an organism reacts to (ex: smell, light, sound, touch, taste)

Kingdom: How scientists group organism based on their characteristics.

Animals- ex: insects, mammals, fish, reptiles, etc

Plants: Trees, bushes, grasses, moss

Fungi: Mushrooms, mold, yeast

Protist: Mainly single celled organisms that have a nucleus. Found in water. Ex: Algae, paramecium, euglena, amoeba

Bacteria: single celled organisms that DO NOT have a nucleus ex: E.coli, Found everywhere!!

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