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Carson Zweck-Bronner
Gavy Santovena
Investigation 4 Organisms
11/5/10 P4
Investigation 4: Organisms
Organisms fill everyday life with differences and excitement. Every organism functions
differently and is made up of different cells. Organisms are complex, beautiful figures that dwell
on the planet we call earth. This paper will describe the functions, interactions, and other things
that go on inside the body.
Each organ has a specific function such as circulating blood but organs function in groups called
an organ system. The organ system is very a organizational unit. All of these organ systems
come together to form and bring life to every living thing form bacteria to a blue whale.
As we discovered in our last investigation cells are what starts the whole process. They
combine together to create tissues and the organs themselves. The cell also controls the organ in
a way by using its DNA to command where it needs to go and “help”. So in a way the cell will
control the whole organism because the organs control the organism and the cell controls the
organ.
There are different organisms ran by their own individual organ system, some of these
organisms are animal, plant, fungus, and micro-organisms. These can be unicellular or they can
be made up of many cells such as humans are.
These organisms can be split into two main groups the prokaryotic and eukaryotic
groups. The prokaryotes group has Bacteria and Achaea. Eukaryotic organisms, with a
membrane wrapped nucleus, they also contains organelles , mitochondria and (in plants)
plastids, generally from end symbiotic bacteria Fungi , animals and plants are some of the
species that are eukaryotes.
All organisms are grouped by the “science of alpha taxonomy”(describes and names
species) into either taxa or clades. They run from general groupings like organisms or life to
specific names like species. This is how the human is named homo-sapiens.
Organisms are chemical systems, organized in types that are based off of their
reproduction or sometimes on their survival. It is the phenomena of the organisms that
determines their fitness to an environment that they can live in which comes from their DNA and
there genetics such as genes.
Animals belong to the
Kingdom Animalia. Animals
were probably in the first
kingdom with multicellular
creatures. This kingdom has
several characteristics that make
them seem different than from
other categories. Basically, it is
why they are put in those categories. The animal is eukaryotic and is multicellular like the
human. They are made of many cells that all have a specific task to do. Their cells do not have a
cell structure like plants do they have to cell wall. They also do not have chloroplast. They also
do not have starch grains. Animal organs are made up of different types of cells for example
their stomachs have 4 types of tissue that line it this is necessary because the animal has to eat
grass etc. which is harder to digest it. These cells that make up these multicellular creatures
depend on one another to survive. They clump together to create the organs such as the skeletal
system, nervous system etc. Other animals can be made up of a very few amount of cells such as
some invertibreas that have <100 cells.
There are four types of animal tissues which are the muscle, nerve, connective, and
epithelial tissues. The muscle tissues contract so that an animal can move. The nerve tissues
carry electrical pulses of energy from one part of the animal’s body to the other. The epithelial
tissue protects any structures beneath the skin of the animal. Lastly the connective tissue joins
all parts of the organism together. They all form a cycle that allows and animal to live.
Another type of organism is a human organism. A human originates from a single cell,
formed by an egg cell and a sperm cell; each gives the human half of the cell's genetic
information. Like other complex organisms, people vary in size and shape, skin color, hair, facial
features, ex cetera. But these differences are tiny compared to the internal similarity of all
humans. An example of this is shown by the fact that people from anywhere in the world can
physically merge genetic traits into a new being, on the basis of reproduction. The human body is
a complex system of cells, organs, and other aspects to help it survive. Most of these are grouped
into specified systems that have certain jobs. These systems can serve these purposes: taking
energy from food, fighting against diseases or an injury, internal coordination, and/or
reproduction. There’s much more to the human body than meets the eye.
As human organisms, we have a need for many energy sources. We use our senses (taste,
smell, touch, sight…) and even our skeletal muscles to get food. We use the digestive system to
break food down and dispose of it when needed. Our lungs bring us oxygen so we can digest
food, and dispose of the carbon dioxide we produce in our bodies. The urinary system gets rid of
all the other waste products of cell activity. The skin and lungs also rid our bodies of excess heat
(which most of the energy from food eventually turns into), and the circulatory system transports
all these substances to or from cells where they are needed or produced.
Like all organisms, humans have ways that their body protects them. Self-protection is using
the senses to first detect the danger, the hormone system to create an adrenaline rush, and the
muscles to act in defense. The skin is also a main protector for our bodies. It provides a shield
against harmful substances and organisms, such as bacteria and parasites. The immune system is
the main
protection system
that our bodies
absolutely need
to survive. It
provides
protection
against
dangerous
substances that
enter the body
and others that
are created inside of it. The nervous system is the last bodily-defender we have, and it plays an
especially important role in survival; it gives humans the ability to adapt to their surroundings
and endure in the ever changing environment that we live in every day.
Of course, human organisms could not function without the proper internal control required
for managing and coordinating these complex systems of a human body. This complicated task is
carried out by the brain and nervous systems. The “electrical” and chemical signals given out by
nerves and hormones communicate certain messages about what’s going on inside the body. The
interactions between the hormones and nerves create a system of coordinated cycles for almost
all of the functions in the body. Such as when the nerves excite certain glands and excrete
hormones. Hormones are involved in transmitting signals back to nerve cells as well. Some of
these hormones can affect brain cells. Actually, the brain itself releases its own hormones that
can influence human behavior. The human organism is so complex, because it is doing many of
these things at one time. It’s a good thing cells know what to do in order to keep us going.
The next type of organism is plants. They are much less complex than humans. Even still, it
is estimated that there are at least 260,000 species of plants in the world. They all vary in size
and complexity. Plants are the basis for the Earth's ecosystem and food web, and without them,
more complicated life forms would not be able to survive. Living organisms are dependent either
directly or indirectly on the energy produced by photosynthesis and the oxygen it helps produce.
Mitochondria are organelles found in eukaryotic plant cells that help break down the “sugar”
molecules a plant produces from photosynthesis, into energy, so they can feed themselves. Plants
also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, delay soil erosion, and
influence water levels and quality. As you can see, plants are not only successful single cell
organisms, but they also give life to others.
Some organisms have to consume protein in order to get nitrogen, but plants are able to take
in many different forms of the element, and do not need other sources of protein. They use their
chloroplasts to perform this complicated feat. Plants require significant amounts of water, which
is necessary in order to go through photosynthesis. They also use water to maintain cell structure
and grow, and to help bring nutrients to its plant cells.
Plants have many parts, and these parts have many different functions. The “body” of a plant
consists of several “organs” known as
the roots, stems, and leaves. All of these
play an important role in the
photosynthetic process. Leaves take in
the energy from the sunlight and convert
into chemical energy, then use
photosynthesis to convert their water
and sun energy into food; Chlorophyll,
which gives plants their green color,
enables them to do this. A leaf has three tissue systems called the dermal, vascular, and ground
tissues. The dermal tissue system or epidermis system is a signal layer of tightly packed cells that
protect newer parts of the plant. The vascular tissue system transports food water and other
substances throughout the plant. The ground tissue system is made up of the cells in the leafs
stem, roots and storage organs of the plant. Sometimes the tissues jobs depend on where they are
located in the plant organisms, which varies significantly. Plant cells also have a wall
surrounding their plasma membranes. This wall does a lot, from protecting the cell to regulating
the life of the plant itself. A plant is also equipped with an endoplasmic reticulum, which is a
network of sacs that creates and transports chemical compounds for the use of the cell. It is
connected to the nuclear envelope, providing a pipeline between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
In plants, the endoplasmic reticulum also connects to cells using the plasmodesmata. The
plasmodesmata are a set of small tubes connecting all the cells in a plant to each other. A plant also has a
plasma membrane just like all other living cells. The purpose of the plasma membrane is to both protect the
cell and regulate the passage of molecules throughout it. The Golgi apparatus distributes and transports the
cell's chemical products, too. It takes proteins and fats built in the endoplasmic reticulum, and it gets them
ready for transportation outside of the cell. Ribosomes, which are made up of 40% protein and 60% plant
RNA, are tiny, very important organelles to a cell. Plants also have vacuoles, which are very large, and store
compounds such as sugar, metal, and cell sap. Cell sap is the sugar found in metal and many other substances a
cell dissolves to get energy. Plants have a thing called microfilaments, which are rods made of proteins known
as actin. These have a mainly structural function and are an important component of a plant’s cytoskeleton.
Microtubules are another very important plant component. They are found throughout the
cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and are used for anything from protein transportation devices to
structure assistance. Micro-bodies (specifically peroxisomes) are organelles also found in the
cytoplasm, they do a lot for the cell’s survival as well. Plants are a very successful life form; they
have as much to offer us as we have to offer to them. Maybe they aren’t so simple after all.