Human Social Biology

• The seven characteristics of a living organism are growth, respiration, irritability, movement, nutrition, excretion, and reproduction.
• Growth is the ability to increase in size.
• Respiration is the ability to gain or create energy from food.
• Irritability is the ability to respond to a stimulus.
• Movement is the ability to move. (Locomotion, growth movement)
• Nutrition is the ability to gain nutrients. (Ingestion, photosynthesis, saprophytically)
• Excretion is the ability to remove metabolic waste.
• Reproduction is the ability to produce offspring with similar or identical properties.
• All living organisms are made up of cells.
• Animal cells have a cell membrane, ribosome, cytoplasm, mitochondria, nucleus, vacuole, glyeogen granule, and endoplasmic reticulum.
• A plant cell has a cell membrane, a cell wall, ribosomes, a cytoplasm, a mitochondrion, a nucleus, a large vacuole, and a chloroplast.
• The structures in a cell are called organelles.
• The nucleus contains chromosomes which are made up of DNA molecules.
• The cell membrane is a selectively permeable barrier that controls the movement of substances in and out of the cell.
• Cytoplasm is the site of chemical reactions and is where most of the cell's chemical reactions take place.
• Mitochondria is the site of aerobic respiration and is the site of ATP synthesis.
• The nucleus contains the genetic information of the cell and controls the activities of the cell.
• The vacuole in the animal cell is small, numerous and only made to store food or waste.
• The vacuole in the plant cell is large and permanent, contains water, dissolved substances, and cell sap.
• The ribosome is the site of protein synthesis in the cell.
• Glyeogen granules are food stored in animal cells.
• The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of membranes that is involved in the synthesis and transport of lipids and carbohydrates.
• The cell wall is made of cellulose and is found in plant cells.
• Chloroplast contains chlorophyll which is a green pigment in plants which absorbs light from the sun to carry out photosynthesis.
• Starch grains are food stored in plants.
• Cell specialization is the process of cells becoming specialized for a particular function.
• Cell specialization enables multicellular organisms to carry out all essential life processes as efficiently as possible.
• There are 11 organ systems in the human body.
• Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
• Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from a region of high water concentration to a region of low water concentration.
• Active transport is the movement of molecules from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration against a concentration gradient.
• Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants use sunlight absorbed by the chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
• The two stages of photosynthesis are light reaction and dark reaction.
• Factors which affect the rate of photosynthesis include light, water, carbon dioxide, chlorophyll, and temperature.
• Nutrition: the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth.
• Macronutrients are needed in large amounts and are broken down into smaller molecules by enzymes. (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids)
• Micronutrients are essential nutrients that are needed in small amounts. (vitamins, minerals, water, and fibre)
• Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
• Types of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides.
• Proteins are of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sometimes sulfur and phosphorus.