14 Questions
What is the fundamental property that characterizes living things and distinguishes them from nonliving matter?
Ability to create copies of themselves by growing and dividing
What marked a revolution in thinking more than 175 years ago?
The establishment of cells as the fundamental units of life
What distinguishes higher organisms from the simplest forms of life?
Being communities of cells derived from a single founder cell
What is the study of cells and their structure, function, and behavior referred to as in the text?
Cell biology
What is the extraordinary ability possessed by cells according to the text?
Creating copies of themselves by growing and then dividing in two
What distinguishes living things from nonliving matter, based on the text?
Being built from cells
What is the main focus of cell biology according to the text?
Historical problems of life on Earth
Why is the comparison between a bacterial cell and a frog egg significant?
To emphasize differences in cell size
What do all present-day cells appear to have evolved from, according to the text?
A common ancestor
What is the significance of the chemical machinery common to all cells?
It provides insights into the origins of life on Earth
Why do cells vary widely in their appearance and function?
As a result of their evolution from a common ancestor
What distinguishes a typical nerve cell in the brain from other types of cells?
Enormous extension and electrical signal transmission
How does the size of a frog egg compare to that of a Lactobacillus bacterial cell?
Frog egg is larger than Lactobacillus bacterial cell
What does the text suggest about the number of distinct species of living things on Earth?
~100 million
Study Notes
- All living things, or organisms, are built from cells: small, membrane-enclosed units filled with a concentrated aqueous solution of chemicals.
- Cells have the ability to create copies of themselves through growth and division.
- The simplest forms of life consist of solitary cells.
- Higher organisms, including humans, are communities of cells derived from a single founder cell.
- Every animal or plant is a colony of individual cells, each performing specialized functions integrated by cell-to-cell communication.
- Cells are the fundamental units of life.
- There are up to 100 million distinct species of living things on Earth, and cells vary enormously in appearance and function.
- Animal and plant cells differ, and even cells within a single organism can differ in appearance and activity.
- All cells share a fundamental chemistry and other common features, suggesting they all evolved from a common ancestor.
- Bacterial cells, such as Lactobacillus, are a few micrometers in length, while frog eggs are much larger, with diameters of about 1 millimeter.
- Cells vary greatly in shape, from the enormously extended nerve cells in the brain to the relatively simple bacterial cells.
Test your knowledge about the fundamental properties that characterize living things and distinguish them from nonliving matter. This quiz covers the basic facts about cells and their role in all living organisms.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
