Living Organisms: Definition, Characteristics, Types

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Living Organisms are living being surviving on the planet. Living organisms are made up of biomolecules such as carbohydrate lipid, protein etc. Living organisms follow physical and chemical laws like gravitation, magnetism, action and reaction.

Definition of a living Organism

A living Organism Is an Individual Entity That Propagates the Properties of life. It Can Produce Its Progeny. Living Organisms have a Definite organization. Living organisms always have cellular nature either unicellular or multicellular.

Characteristics Features of living Organisms

Living Organisms: Definition, Characteristics, Types and Examples

Living organisms show great biodiversity so that they are classified into different kingdoms such as Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia
A living organism always has a definite organisation
A living organism is cellular in nature whether they are unicellular or multicellular. Examples of unicellular organisms are amoeba Paramecium euglena etc and examples of multicellular organisms are hydra, man, mango, cat, horse etc
A Living organism shows coordination between different parts of their body to maintain homeostasis inside the body. Homeostasis is a condition of the constant internal environment
A living organism has the ability of movements and locomotion
A living organism shows metabolic functions inside the body in the presence of energy.
A living organism has the ability of internal growth and development
A living organism has specific receptors such as sense organs to receive external and internal stimuli and specific effectors such as muscles and glands to give specific response.
The living organism has regulatory mechanisms such as nervous and hormonal in plants and only hormone in plants to maintain homeostasis or constant internal environment inside the body.
The living organism also has the ability of adaptations to adjust according to the environment. Ability of adaptations increases their chances of Survival on the planet.
A living organism also has the ability of speciation and evolution with the help of variations.
A living organism continues their races with the help of reproduction. Reproduction may be vegetative, sexual, Asexual etc
A living organism has a definite life span. Life span is a period from birth to death

Types of living Organisms

There are so many types of living organisms surviving on the planet. Here we are going to discuss the types of living organisms on a different basis. You can easily understand how many types of living organisms available on earth.

Types of living Organisms on the basis of cellular Structure

Unicellular– organisms that made up of a single cell. Unicellular organisms don’t have specific organs inside the body. Example Amoeba, Paramecium euglena etc.

Multicellular- organisms that made up of multiple cells. Multicellular organisms have a different type of organs to perform a different type of functions. Example- human, cow, trees etc

Types of living organisms on the basis of Nutrition

Autotrophic organisms– autotrophic organisms are those living organisms which are capable to produce its own food from inorganic substances using light or chemical energy. Plants, certain bacteria, algae are examples of autotrophic organisms.

Heterotrophic organisms– heterotrophic organisms are not capable to produce its own food from inorganic substances. They depend on autotrophic organisms.

Heterotrophic organisms are further divided into four categories

Saprophytic organisms
Parasitic organisms
Symbiotic organisms
Insectivorous organisms

1. Saprophytic organisms

Saprophytic organisms get their nutrition from dead organic matters. Some fungi, plants and bacteria are saprophyte organisms.

2. Parasitic organisms

A parasitic organism is an organism that lives on other organisms. The organism on which parasitic organism is depend called the host. It gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasitic organisms are responsible for a different type of diseases in animals and human.

Examples of parasitic organisms are protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites

3. Symbiotic organisms

Symbiotic organisms also depend upon another organism but they do not harm to another organism, unlike parasitic organisms. In Symbiosis, both organisms are benefited from each other. Some bacteria are symbiotic in nature. example, Zoamastogopera.

4. Insectivorous organisms

Insectivorous organisms are capable to produce their food from inorganic substances with the help of solar energy. But they get nitrogen from small insects. drosera, Utricularia are some examples of insectivorous organisms.

Classification of living organisms

Two kingdom classification

Two kingdom classification was proposed by Carolus Linnaeus in 1735. He published two-kingdom classification in his book Systema Naturae. He divided all living things into major categories called kingdoms.

Animalia for animals
Plantae (Vegetabilia) for plants.

Two kingdom classification was based on the basis of nutrition and locomotion (mobility).

Three Kingdom Classification

Three Kingdom classification was proposed by Ernst Haeckel in 1860. Ernst Haeckel divided all living things into three categories called kingdoms

Animalia
Plantae
Protista

Ernst Haeckel placed protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms into the kingdom Protista.

Four kingdom classification

Four kingdom classification was proposed by Copeland in 1956. He creates a new category of fungi and named as monera. Bacterias are different from other living organisms in respect of nuclear material. Bacteria cell is prokaryotic cell.

Animalia
Plantae
Protista
Monera

Five kingdom classification

Five kingdom classification is widely used classification to categorise all the living organisms. Whittaker proposed five kingdom classification in 1969. He added in new Kingdom in four kingdom classification.

At present five kingdom classification of living organisms is widely accepted and used to classify an organism. According to Whittaker, all Living things can be classified into five major kingdoms:

Kingdom Animalia
Kingdom Plantae
Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Protista
Kingdom Monera

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Living Organisms: Definition, Characteristics, Types and Examples