Organisms
Characteristics
| Characteristic | Definition |
|---|---|
| Movement | An action by an organism or a part of an organism that causes a change in position or place |
| Respiration | The breakdown of nutrient molecules to release energy for metabolism |
| Sensitivity | The ability to detect changes or stimuli in the environment and respond appropriately |
| Growth | A permanent increase in size or dry mass by an increase in cell number or size |
| Reproduction | The process of producing new offspring of the same kind of organism |
| Excretion | The process of removing waste products of metabolism and toxic material |
| Nutrition | The intake of food for the absorption of nutrients |
Classification
Species
A species is a group of organisms that can reproduce to give birth to fertile offspring. This means that sterile animals like mules are not a species.