The Living World - First Chapter of NCERT

Introduction

• Living and Non-living Things: Living things are alive, while non-living things are not.
• Diversity: Living things exhibit biodiversity.

Characteristics of Living Organisms

Definition

• Living Organism: One that possesses life.
• Characteristics of Life: Metabolism, Cellular Organization, Consciousness, etc.

Defining and Characteristic Features

Defining Features

• Are essential
• Present in all living organisms
• Example: Metabolism, Cellular Organization, Consciousness

Characteristic Features

• Can be found in both living and non-living things
• Example: Growth, Reproduction

Important Details

Metabolism

• The sum of all reactions that occur in cells
• Anabolism: Synthesis
• Catabolism: Breakdown
• A defining feature because it occurs in all living organisms

Consciousness

• Awareness of surroundings
• Present in all living organisms

Growth

• Internal and external increase
• Can occur in both living and non-living things
• Internal growth: Irreversible, occurs in living organisms
• External growth: Reversible, occurs in non-living things

Reproduction

• The ability to produce new offspring
• Two types: Asexual, Sexual
• In asexual reproduction, clones are produced that show no variation
• In sexual reproduction, variation occurs

Related Examples

• Properties of cells and interactions between cells to form tissue properties
• Mitochondria and ATP synthesis

Emergent Properties

• Characteristics visible in a group but not individually

Important Excerpts

Mention in NCERT:

• Tissue and their properties
• Population and individual properties

Conclusion

• Understanding the difference between living and non-living organisms
• Importance of emergent properties
• Consideration and detailed discussion on emerging questions