Study Notes - Characteristics of Living Organisms

STUDY MATERIAL. Characteristics of Living Organisms Living organisms are identified by seven main features, summarized as MRS GREN: 1. Movement: Ability to move (e.g., animals walk, plants grow toward light). 2. Respiration: Release of energy from food (aerobic or anaerobic). 3. Sensitivity: R...

STUDY MATERIAL. Characteristics of Living Organisms Living organisms are identified by seven main features, summarized as MRS GREN: 1. Movement: Ability to move (e.g., animals walk, plants grow toward light). 2. Respiration: Release of energy from food (aerobic or anaerobic). 3. Sensitivity: Response to stimuli (e.g., animals react to danger, plants bend toward sunlight). 4. Growth: Increase in size or cell number (e.g., a seed grows into a tree). 5. Reproduction: Producing offspring (sexual or asexual). 6. Excretion: Removal of waste (e.g., carbon dioxide, urine). 7. Nutrition: Obtaining food (plants make it; animals consume it). Classification of Living Organisms Organisms are grouped by similarities into five kingdoms: 1. Prokaryotes (Monera): Single-celled, no nucleus (e.g., bacteria). 2. Protoctists: Single-celled, with a nucleus (e.g., amoeba, algae). 3. Fungi: Absorb nutrients from decay (e.g., mushrooms, yeast). 4. Plants: Photosynthetic, multicellular (e.g., trees, flowers). 5. Animals: Consume other organisms, multicellular (e.g., humans, fish). Hierarchy of Classification (Largest to Smallest): Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species. Hint: King Philip Came Over For Good Soup.