Foundations of Biology - Summary of Terminologies
i. Biology: The scientific study of life and living organisms.
ii. Bioelements: Fundamental chemical elements in living organisms, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
iii. Biomolecules: Organic molecules essential to life, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.
iv. Micromolecules: Small molecules like water, vitamins, and glucose; serve as building blocks and function in energy transfer.
v. Macromolecules: Large complex molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids, formed by polymerization of monomers.
vi. Organelles: Specialized structures within cells that perform specific functions, like mitochondria and chloroplasts.
vii. Tissues: Groups of similar cells working together to perform a common function, such as muscle or nervous tissue.
viii. Organs: Body structures composed of different tissues working together to perform specific functions, like the heart or liver.
ix. Organ Systems: Groups of organs that work together to carry out complex overall functions, like the digestive or circulatory system.
x. Organisms: Individual living entities that can carry out all basic life processes; can be unicellular or multicellular.
xi. Unicellular Organisms: Single-celled life forms, like bacteria and amoebae, where one cell performs all life functions.
xii. Colonial Organisms: Collections of similar cells living together, each capable of living individually, like Volvox.
xiii. Multicellular Organisms: Organisms composed of many specialized cells that are incapable of living independently, like humans, mustard plants, and frogs.
xiv. Division of Labor: The specialization of cells and tissues in multicellular organisms, contributing to overall functionality and efficiency.
xv. Cellular Organization: The level of complexity and specialization of cells within an organism; reflects the organism's type (unicellular, colonial, or multicellular).
