Properties to Sustain Life - Essay Example

Properties of Life Properties of Life All living things, plant, and animals require different properties to sustain life. The properties are instrumental to the growth, development and survival of a particular species. The seven properties that all living things possess are; cellular organization, homeostasis, metabolism, responsiveness and reproduction, heredity and growth. All living things have to exhibit these properties to quality as having life. The properties of life not only sustain life but also define life. Looking at the different properties of life gives a deeper understanding of the scientific perspective of life. The cellular organization of organisms defines their physical form. All organisms and plants are made up of millions of cells. The basic structure of a cell is the same in all organisms. It is the smallest unit of life. It comprises of a nucleus and a membrane surrounding the nucleus. Homeostasis is a mechanism that is present in living organisms. It is the course by which plants and animals maintain their internal environment as the external environment changes. In humans, the production of Insulin and Glucagon hormones is a mechanism that looks to ensure that the sugar levels in the organism are under control. Metabolism refers to the chemical reaction within the body that handles the maintenance of energy. Different animal’s burn, fats and carbohydrates to produce energy for their activities. The metabolic rate of an organism is dependent on the activities that the animal performs. Responsiveness refers to the ability of organisms to react to the external changes. For example, during the cold, birds fluff their feathers. The feathers trap air in between them and the layer of air acts as an insulator from the cold. Different animals and plants have means by which they respond to the external environment. By doing this, the plants and animals can protect themselves from harsh conditions. Reproduction is the epitome of life. Organisms are not immortal. For this reason, once, mature, animals reproduce and give birth to offsprings that continue their line (Macagno, 2012). Reproduction is one of the most important qualities as no animals can sustain their life forever. When living things, die, they do not fade away into oblivion. Heredity is another property of life that allow organisms and pants to pass their traits to the offspring (Macagno, 2012). Growth is the final property of life. All organisms, have to grow. Growth allows the organisms to develop different functions that allow it to sustain itself (Macagno, 2012). Cell organization is the beginning of life. All organisms are made up of one or more cells. The cell structure and organization are, however, different in each organism. The difference in the cell structure is the key reason plants and animals have different structures and even within these plant, or animal, there are distinct differences in both. The structure of the cell has several components within all cells across the board (Farabee, 2007). All cells have the DNA and RNA strands in their nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane and ribosomes. There is, however, two distinct classifications of cells; these are Prokaryotic cells and Eukaryotic cells. For all these processes to take place, there is an acute need for energy. One of the processes that allow the production of energy is cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is the breakdown of foods to produce energy (Hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu, 2015). The mitochondria are organelles that are responsible for the production of energy. Energy is either produced in the presence of oxygen or without any oxygen. Respiration in the incidence of oxygen is called Aerobic respiration, respiration without the presence of oxygen is called anaerobic respiration. Both processes occur in the mitochondria of all animals and plants. Aerobic respiration occurs as a result of the Krebs cycle while anaerobic respiration occurs under Glycolysis (Users.rcn.com, 2015). Reproduction is a gift. Through heredity, the offspring’s of an animal can gain their parents traits. The traits are usually very distinct. For example, in humans, the parents and their children resemble each other. The same occurrence happens in plant life. Monocotyledons can only reproduce monocotyledons. Mendel’s law of segregation seeks to explain the differences in the way a person or animal looks. In fact, Mendel’s law goes deeper to define the differences in the offspring of one family. The laws explain the chromosomal heredity of traits (Phschool.com, 2015). The gene composition is the reason there are differences in animals, even those in the same class. The first law of segregation states that ‘The alleles of a gene pair half to form separate gametes (Mclean, 2000).’ The segregation occurs during meiosis. The second law states that the separation of the chromosomes in each pair is independent of the rest. Redistribution of the alleles once segregation is complete is also random. With these two laws, the determination of the traits that pass from parents to offspring’s is dependent on the composition of the gametes. The law explains that different organisms have different traits because of their genetic composition. The genetic composition is due to the process of segregation and random assortment. Once these chromosomes are assorted, they offer different from the DNA strand. All genetic traits of the parent organism are in the DNA. The DNA is the basic structure that defines all life. Gametes in the Mendelian law form the DNA. All genetic matter is therefore found in the DNA. It is a Double Helix within the nucleus of a cell. The basic unit in the DNA is the Nucleotide. A nucleotide comprises of a sugar molecule, a phosphate molecule and one of four bases. The composition of the DNA is very significant to the structure of a cell. The DNA is responsible for functions like the coding of proteins. Coding of proteins crucial to the body as it determines the amount of activities that can be carried out by an organism. It is also important to add that the DNA is responsible for carrying all genetic information. Inheritance of character traits is, therefore, possible through the information within the DNA Cancer is one such complications cells reproduce exponentially, the composition of the cells is dependent on the structure of the DNA. There are genes in the DNA that control the reproduction of cells. They are responsible for scheduling the point at which different cells make and when the older cells die(Cancer.Net, 2012). These genes are also responsible for the repair of the DNA. In the event, the genes responsible for control of cell reproduction and DNA repair from mutations, cancer becomes a complication for the organism. Mutation, when it happens over a long period, can cause a person to have cancer. In fact, most cancers develop as a result of the aggregation of mutated genes. There are instances where the offspring inherits a cancer gene from the parent of an organism (Macmillan.org.uk, 2015) References Cancer.Net, (2012). The Genetics of Cancer. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/cancer-basics/genetics/genetics-cancer Cs.boisestate.edu, (2015). The Structure of the DNA. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://cs.boisestate.edu/~amit/teaching/342/lab/structure.html Elgin, S. (1982). Chromatin structure, DNA structure. Nature, 300(5891), 402-403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/300402a0 Farabee, M. (2007). CELLS II: CELLULAR ORGANIZATION.Www2.estrellamountain.edu. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookCELL2.html Hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu, (2015). Cellular Respiration. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/celres.html Macagno, F. (2012). Classifying the Properties of Life (1st ed., pp. 627- 629). Adenine Press. Macmillan.org.uk, (2015). Cancer and genes - Information and support - Macmillan Cancer Support. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/diagnosing/causes-and-risk-factors/family-history/cancer-and-genes.html Mclean, P. (2000). Mendelian Genetics. Ndsu.edu. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/mendel/mendel1.htm Phschool.com, (2015). Pearson - The Biology Place. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/inheritance/laws.html Users.rcn.com, (2015). Cellular Respiration. Retrieved 5 October 2015, from http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CellularRespiration.html Read More