Levels of
Organisation in
Living Things
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Levels of Organisation
Can you unscramble the following words to reveal
some key terminology for this topic?
• scell
• suites
• groans
• argon stemsy
• minorgas
Levels of Organisation
Identify the following as levels of organization in
living things:
• cells
• tissues
• organs
• organ systems
• organisms
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Cells
The basic unit of structure and function in organisms
◦ Some organisms, like bacteria and protists, are unicellular
(made entirely of one cell).
◦ Some organisms, like fungi, plants, and animals, are
multicellular (made of many cells).
◦ Bacteria have prokaryotic cells (no nuclei)
◦ Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals have eukaryotic cells (have
nuclei).
◦ In multicellular organisms, cells exhibit cell specialisation. They
take on specific jobs and look different from each other.
◦ The cells also exhibit division of labour. They split up the work
of the organism.
Prokaryotic Cells
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Eukaryotic Cells
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Tissues
Groups of similar cells that work together to perform a specific function
◦ 3 major tissue types in plants
◦ Transport tissue (e.g. in the trunk of a tree)
◦ Protective tissue (e.g. the bark of a tree)
◦ Ground tissue (e.g. roots)
◦ 4 major tissue types in animals
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Epithelial tissue (e.g. skin)
Connective tissue (e.g. tendons)
Muscle tissue (e.g. biceps)
Nervous tissue (e.g. nerves, brain)
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Organs
Structures of different types of tissues that work together to perform a
specific function
PLANTS
◦ Plant Roots
◦ Plant Stems
◦ Plant Leaves
ANIMALS
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Heart
Bone
Lungs
Stomach
Small intestine
Liver
Large Intestine
Gall Bladder
Organ Systems
Groups of organs that work together to perform a specific function
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Organ Systems
Groups of organs that work together to perform a specific function
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Digestive system
Circulatory system
Excretory system
Respiratory system
Nervous system
Muscular system
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Skeletal system
Integumentary system (skin)
Endocrine system
Immune system
Reproductive system
Vascular system in plants
Organism
A complete individual living thing
Examples:
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A single person
A single plant
A single bacterium
A single protist
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Worksheet
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