🌍 Introduction :
Biology is the study of life and living organisms. The first chapter, “The Living World”, introduces the basic characteristics of living organisms, the need for classification, and the principles of taxonomy and nomenclature.
✨ Key Notes
🔹 Characteristics of Living Organisms
1. Growth – Increase in mass/number.
2. Reproduction – Ability to produce offspring (asexual/sexual).
3. Metabolism – All biochemical reactions in cells.
4. Cellular Organization – Cell is the structural & functional unit of life.
5. Consciousness – Response to stimuli (plants & animals).
👉 Living organisms are self-replicating, evolving, self-regulating, and interactive systems.
🔹 Biodiversity and Need for Classification
Millions of species exist → study requires systematic classification.
Three Domains of Life (Woese): Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya.
🔹 Taxonomy and Systematics
Taxonomy → Identification, classification, nomenclature.
Systematics → Taxonomy + evolutionary relationships.
🔹 Concept of Species & Taxonomical Hierarchy
Species → Group of organisms capable of interbreeding.
Hierarchy: Kingdom → Phylum/Division → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
🔹 Binomial Nomenclature (by Carolus Linnaeus)
Two words: Genus + species.
Genus → First letter capital; Species → small.
Examples: Homo sapiens, Mangifera indica.
📑 Important Board Questions (Class 11)
Q1. Define taxonomy. How is it different from systematics?
Q2. List the five major taxonomical categories above genus.
Q3. Who introduced binomial nomenclature? Explain with example.
Q4. Mention any three unique characteristics of living organisms.
Q5. What are taxonomical aids? Give examples.
🧾 NEET Previous Year MCQs
Q1. The scientific name of Mango is:
a) Mangifera indica
b) Rosa indica
c) Solanum tuberosum
d) Homo sapiens
👉 Answer: (a) Mangifera indica
Q2. Who gave the system of binomial nomenclature?
a) Aristotle
b) Darwin
c) Linnaeus
d) Haeckel
👉 Answer: (c) Linnaeus
Q3. The basic unit of classification is:
a) Genus
b) Family
c) Species
d) Order
👉 Answer: (c) Species
📌 Summary for Students
Living organisms show growth, reproduction, metabolism & consciousness.
Classification is essential to study biodiversity.
Taxonomy + systematics help in naming and understanding evolutionary relationships.
Binomial nomenclature gives universal scientific names.
🔑 Keywords:
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