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chapter 1 lesson 1
what is life?
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| cell | the basic unit of structure and function in living things |
| organism | a living thing |
| unicellular | made of a single cell |
| multicelluar | consisting of many cells |
| metabolism | the combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials. |
| stimulus | Any change or signal in the environment that can make an organism react in some way. |
| response | An action or change in behavior that occurs as a resultof a stimulus. |
| development | the process of change that occurs during an organism |
| asexual reproduction | a reproductive process that involves only one parent and produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. |
| sexual reproduction | A reproductive process that involves two parents that combine their genetic material to produce a new organism which differs from both parents. |
| spontaneous generation | The mistaken idea that living things arise from nonliving sources. |
| controlled experiment | an experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time. |
| autotroph | an organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals use it to produce its own food. |
| heterotroph | An organism that cannot make its own food and gets food by consuming other living things. |
| homeostasis | The condition in which an organism's internal environment is kept stable in spite of of changes in the external environment. |