CHAPTER - 1

THE LIVING WORLD

 • All living organisms grow.
• Increase in Mass and Increase in Number of Individuals are the twin
characteristics of growth.
• in multicellulars,growth is done by cell division.
→ Plants grow throughout their life.
→ Animals grow only upto a certain age.
(However, cell division is done in certain tissue to replace lost cells)
• UNICELLULAR organisms grow by cell division.
(GROWTH is synonymous to REPRODUCTION in these org)
This can be observed in vitro culture (by counting no. of cells)
• vitro [LATIN] “IN GLASS” includes medical procedures, tests etc done to
support growth and development of cell outside of their living environment i.e. in
laboratories.
• PROPERTIES,CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES:-
→ Properties are measurable aspects
→ Characteristics refers to inherent traits/quality of a thing.
→ Features are distinctive attributes.
"characterstics define, Properties quantify and features
distinguish”
• Growth is done in living organisms by accumulation of mass from
inside.
 • The defining features of living beings:-
1 CELLULAR ORGANISATION
2 METABOLISM
3 CONSCIOUSNESS
4 HOMEOSTASIS
5 REPAIR AND REGENERATION G ADAPTATION
7 EVOLUTION AND DEATH
• Reproduction is characterstic of living one, not all inclusive as many don't
reproduce (MULE,STERILE WORKER BEE,INFERTILE HUMAN COUPLES).
• Fungi multiply and spread easily by millions of asexual spores they produce.
• Yeast AND HYDRA show budding.
• Planaria show true regeneration.
• FUNGI,FILAMENTOUS ALGA,PROTOMEMA OF MOSSES, multiply by FRAGMENTATION.
• Unicellular like BACTERIA, AMOEBA ONUNICELLULAR ALGAE,reproduction synonymous with growth (increase
in no. of cells)
• ALL LIVING organisms are made of CHEMICALS.

• There are thousands of metabolic reactions occurring constantly

inside ALL living organism; be it unicellular or multicellular
all plants, animals, fungi, and microbes show it.and the sum total of all
metabolic signs is METABOLISM.
• Metabolic reactions can be demonstrated outside the body
in cell
free systems. (ISOLATED METABOLIC REACTION)
• These in vitro aren't living things but are surely living
reactions.
• Plants respond to external factors like:
→ LIGHT
→ WATER
→ TEMPERATURE
→ OTHER ORGANISMS
→ POLLUTANTS
• environmental stimuli could be PHYSICAL on CHEMICAL ON
BIOLOGICAL
• most obvious and technically complicated feature of all
living organisms is
the ability to sense their surrounding.
• all organisms can sense and respond to environmental
crew.
• all organisms handle chemicals entering their bodies, all
one
are therefore aware of their surroundings.
• HUMAN is the only organism aware of himself i.e. has
SELF CONSCIOUSNESS.
 • PATIENT in COMA has no SELF counciousness, are supported by
virtual heart can tings and are Other wise BRAIN DEAD.
• All living phenomena are due to underlying interactions.(smaller
levels meet(interact/come together) to produce higher level)
This phenomena is true at all levels in hierarchy of
organisation.
• Living organisms are see replicating, see regulating interacting
and evolving systems capable of: responding to external stimulus
living organisms {present,past,future} are linked to one another by
sharing of:
COMMON GENETIC MATERIAL, but TO VARYING DEGREES.
The living organisms can be unexceptionally distinguished from non living things on the basis of their
ability for: [NEET-2007]
(a)-REPRODUCTION
(b)-GROWTH AND MOVEMENT
(c)-RESPONSIVENESS TO TOUCH
(d)-INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT AND PROGRESSIVE EVOLUTION ✓
• The number of species that are known between 1.7 to 1.8 million.
This refers to BIODIVERSITY or number of types of organisms
present on earth.
 The naming of an organism, such that the particular organism is
known by same and unique name all over world is known as
NOMENCLATURE.
• The presenting of correct description of what the organism is for
nomenclature,is known as identification.
• For plants,ICBN {international code for botanical nomenclature}
• For animals,ICZN {international code for zoological nomenclature}
• For bacterias,ICNB {international code for nomenclature of bacteria}
• For viruses,ICVCN {international code for virus classification and
-nomenclature}
• Binomial nomenclature {introduced by carolus linnaeus} has two
components,
first is Genus and second is Specific Epithet.
• Other universal rules for nomenclature:-
→ Biological names are generally in Latin,if not,they are latinised or

derived from latin irrespective of their origin.

→ First word represents genus and the second represents specific
epithet.
→ Both words,when handwritten are seperately underlined,or in italics
when
printed to represent their latin origin.
→ First word starts with capital letter while the second word with
small one.
 • Name of the author written after the specific epithet:-
{ex.- Mangifera indica Linn.}
• Classification is the process by which anything is grouped into
convinient
categories based on some easily observable characters.
• Alsatians - German Shepherd
• convinient category at any level of taxonomical hierarchy is
known as taxon.
{taxa can indicate categories at very different levels}
• all living organisms can be classified into different taxa,this
process of
classification is known as taxonomy:-
{the following form the basis of modern taxonomy}:-
→ external and internal structure
→ structure of cell
→ development process
→ ecological information
{the following are the processes basic to taxonomy}:-
→ characterisation [↑]
→ identification
→ classification
→ nomenclature [↓]
• Systematics is the study of diversity and evolutionary relationships of organisms
through time.
systema [latin] {“systematic arrangement of organisms”}
• Linnaeus wrote Systema Naturae,containing descriptions of 4326 species of
animals in it.
• Scope of systematics was enlarged to include identification,nomenclature and
classification.
• since category is part of overall taxonomic arrangement,it is called as
taxonomic category and the categories together constitute the
taxonomical hierarchy.
• each category refers to a single unit of classification,i.e.,represents a
rank and is commonly termed as taxon {pl.taxa}.
• groups represent category.category further denotes rank.each rank or taxon
represents a unit of classification.{these groups/categories are distinct
biological entities and not merely morphological aggregates.

Kingdom [↑]
Phylum/Division [↑]
Class [↑]
Order [↑]
Family [↑]
Genus [↑]
Species [↑]
 • some terms:-
→ AUTONYMS ✱ ICBN ✓
✱ ICZN ✓
{ex.} ⇢ Gorilla gorilla gorilla
⇢ Acacia nilotica nilotica
⇢ Homo sapiens sapiens
⇢ Corvus splendens splendens
→ TAUTONYMS ✱ ICBN ×
✱ ICZN ✓

{ex.} ⇢ Naja naja

⇢ Catla catla
⇢ Rattus rattus
→ HOMONYMS ✱ ICBN ×
✱ ICZN ×

{ex.} ⇢ Bat [sounds like cric.bat]

 • SPECIES:-
→ organisms with fundamental similarities.
→ species can be distinguished from others on basis of
morphological
differences and also on the basis of reproductivity.
→ Freely interbreed within one.
{ex. Panthera leo,Solanum tuberosum,Mangifera indica}
• GENUS:-
→ two or more species within the same genus likely share
common ancestery.
→ species put together in a genus on basis that they have more
characters
in common in comparison to species of another genera.
→ genera are aggregates of closely related species.
{ex. Panthera leo,Panthera tigris,Panthera pradus lie in genus
panthera}
[these are different from genus Felis which contains cats]
→ potato and brinjal lie in same genus [Solanum]
• FAMILY:-
→ genera are put together in a family on the basis of both
vegetative and
reproductive features of plant species.
{ex.1. generas Solanum,Datura,Petunia put together in family
Solanaceae}
{ex.2. generas Panthera,Felis put together in family Felidae}
 • ORDER:-
→ order and higher taxonomical categories are identified on the based on
aggregates of characters.
{ex.1. families Convolvulaceae,Solanaceae are in order Polymoniales based on
floral characters}
{ex.2. families Canidae,Felidae are included in order Carnivora}
{ex.3. Order Primata includes monkeys,gorillas,humans[x-ncert],gibbons[apes]}
• CLASS:-
→ a class contains related orders
{ex.1. orders Primata,Carnivora are included in class Mammalia [has other-orders
too]
• PHYLUM:-
→ in plants,classes with few similarities are assigned to a division.
→ for animals:-
{ex.1. classes comprising of fishes,amphibians,reptiles,birds,mammals are
all under the phylum Chordata based on presence of notochord and
dorsal hollow neural system}
• KINGDOM:-
→ all animals belonging to various phyla are assigned to highest category
called kingdom Animalia.
→ all plants of various divisions are included under kingdom Plantae.
 • All the above mentioned are broad
categories.HOWEVER,taxonomists have
developed sub-categories to facilitate more sound and scientific
placement
of various taxa.
• Lower the taxa,more are the characteristics that the members
within taxon
share.
 • identification of an organism requires intensive laboratory and field
studies.
• collection of actual specimens of plant and animal species is essential
and
is the prime source of taxonomic studies.[these are also fundamental
to
studies]
• herbarium is storehouse of collected plant specimens that are
dired,pressed and preserved on sheets.
→ sheets of size [41 × 29 cm] / [16.14 × 11.41 inch]
→ [it is the place where dried and pressed plant specimens mounted
on sheets
-are kept]
→ these sheets are arranged according to universally accepted system
of
classification.
→ herbarium acts as a storehouse/repository/quick referral system for
Future use.
→ herbarium sheet has a label [11 × 7 cm/7 × 11 cm] which contains
information including {date and place of collection,english,local and
-botanical names,family,collector’s name} and there is no discussion
of
the dimensions of plant.
• botanical gardens have collctions of living plants for reference:-
→ plants here are grown for identification purposes.
→ each plant is labelled indicating its scientific name and its family.
→ largest botanical garden is Royal Botanical Garden,Kew[England].
→ largest in india is Indian Botanical Garden,Howrah,Kolkata,W.B.
 • museums have collections of preserved plant and animal specimens
for study
and reference:-
→ specimens are preserved in jars or containers in preservative
solution.
→ insects are preserved in insect boxes after
collecting,killing,pinning.
→ larger animals [birds & mammals] are usually stuffed and pinned.
→ museums have collections of skeletons of animals too.
• zoological parks is where animals are kept in protected environments
under
human care, enabling us to understand their food habits and
behaviour:-
→ all animals in a zoo are provided the conditions similar to their
natural habitats.
→ commonly known as zoos.
• key is a taxonomical aid used for identification of plants and animals
based on similarities and dissimilarities:-
→ these are based on contrasting characters generally in pair
[couplet].
{it represents choice made between two opposite options}
→ each statement in a key is called lead.
→ seperate keys are required for each taxa category such as
family,genus
and species for identification purposes.
→ keys are generally analytical in nature.
• a booklet containing a list of characters & their alternates which are
helpful in identification of various taxa.
 • a catalogue is a list that enumerates methodically all the species found
in an area with brief description aiding identification.
• flora,manuals,monographs,catalogues,keys are means of recording descriptions.
• flora contains actual account of habitat and distribution of plants of a
given area.{these provide an index to plant species found in an area}
• manuals provide information for identification of names of species found
in an area.
• monographs contain information on any one taxon.