User talk:Peggyndi/Sandbox

Discuss the structural levels of organization from the simplest atom to the organism. Give examples where applicable.

Our environment is a bag full of components which are different from each other, yet are mutually dependent on each other. The components are both living and non-living and they play vital roles in their own domain. With anyone of the components being absent, the biological organization will suffer in more than one way. In all the levels of this organization, the individual components are responsible for everything which makes life possible. It would be unfair to establish a distinction between each of these components, regarding their level of importance. As said, each component holds its own importance in its own place and it is equally dependent on the other components, which again are important to the biological organization. All living things have a structure that is based on specific organization of materials. While science discovers new levels all of the time, the life sciences tend to draw some distinctive lines of demarkation. There are nine levels of organization which includes; atom, molecule, macromolecule, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems and organisms. Atoms are the smallest particle that maintains its physical and chemical properties. Atoms are defined as the smallest unit or the basic building blocks of matter which make up all objects. Atoms are made up of equal number of protons and electrons. However, there might be a difference in the number of neutrons between two atoms of the same element. The center of the atom is occupied by what is known as the nucleus; consisting of the protons and neutrons. Electrons, as mentioned above, keep orbiting around the nucleus. Particles smaller than the atoms have been discovered, but they do not maintain these properties. Examples of atoms include, oxygen, nitrogen, gold Molecules are when two or more atoms are bonded together. Examples of molecules include water and carbon dioxide. Macromolecules are when two or more molecules are bonded together to form large (gigantic) molecules. Examples of this include proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Organelles are several macromolecules bonded together form these building blocks of a cell. The term 'organelle' means little organs and it is a specialized part of a cell. Just like the human body which has organs such as heart, liver, etc., a cell also has them in the form of organelle. Examples are the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria. Examples include mitochondria, nucleus, Golgi apparatus. The levels that come below this are what scientists call living or alive. The next level in the organization is the cell. The cell is the smallest unit of life; a cell is a collection of organelles functioning together and it can be said to have a life of its own. Cells vary according to their various functions. An example of a cell is bacteria, animal, plant. Added to that we have the tissue which is a collections of cells working together to perform a specific job. A group of cells which may or may not have similar characteristics is termed as a tissue. Each tissue is attributed with a particular set of functions in the body of the living organism. Connective tissue, muscle tissue, nervous tissue and epithelial tissue are the tissues in animals, while meristematic tissues and permanent tissues are those of the plants. Examples of tissues are epithelial and connective tissues. Furthermore, there is the organ now when the different types of tissues are organized or grouped together; they form what is known as an organ. Organs are two or more types of tissues that work together to complete a specific task. These tissues enable a particular organ to carry out its own specific task.An example of an organ is the heart and also the stomach and brain. We also have the organ systems which are several organs working in unison to achieve a common goal. For example we have the digestive system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system and urinal systems found in the human body. Finally, we have the organism which is several organ systems functioning together. Examples include humans, dogs and plants like trees and grass. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Peggyndi (talk • contribs) 21:01, 30 May 2012 (UTC)