Basic Concepts and Terminologies of Biology


Biology

Biology is derived from two Greek words, that is, bios which means life and logos or logia which means study or knowledge.

So biology can be defined as a branch of science which deals with the study of life. The term biology can also be defined as a branch of science which deals with the study of living things or organisms.

Biologist

A person specialized in the study of biology

Life

Life means being alive or existing. Something is alive or existing if it possesses life processes. The life processes are growth, movement or locomotion, respiration, excretion, reproduction, sensitivity and nutrition.

Organism

Organism is anything which has life. It is the other name of a living thing. Organisms are made up of cells.

Cell

A cell is a basic unit of living things. The cell has three main parts, cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus. Cells which make up plants are called plant cells and those which make up animals are called animal cells.

 Some organisms are made up of one cell. They are called unicellular or single-celled organisms e.g. amoeba, euglena and yeast. Some organisms are made up of many cells, they are called multi cellular organisms e.g. animals, plants, and most fungi.