organism
A single living thing, like an animal, plant, or tiny germ, seen as one whole body.
An individual living thing, such as an animal, plant, fungus, or microorganism, considered as a complete, self-functioning unit.
A complex system, like a society or company, that people talk about as if it were one living thing.
A complex, structured system, such as a society, organization, or text, viewed and described as if it were a living, unified whole.
- Base: organism
- Plural: organisms
aquatic organism
1organism that lives in water
A living thing that lives in water, such as a fish or water plant.
- Pollution threatens many aquatic organisms in the river.
- The wetland is home to a wide range of aquatic organisms.
complex organism
1organism with many specialized parts
A living thing with many different parts that do special jobs, like organs and tissues.
- The human body is a highly complex organism.
- Complex organisms often have longer lifespans than simple ones.
free-living organism
1organism that lives independently
A living thing that lives on its own and is not inside or on another living thing.
- Some bacteria can be either parasites or free-living organisms.
- The soil is home to many free-living organisms.
higher organism
1relatively complex organism
A living thing that is more complex than very simple forms like many bacteria or single-celled life.
- The nervous systems of higher organisms are much more advanced.
- Higher organisms often have specialized organs and tissues.
host organism
1organism that supports another organism
A living thing that another living thing, such as a parasite, lives on or inside.
- The mosquito serves as a host organism for the malaria parasite.
- Identifying the host organism is key to controlling the spread of the virus.
living organism
1an organism that is alive now
A living thing that is not dead.
- Every living organism needs some form of energy to survive.
- The drug can damage any living organism it comes into contact with.
lower organism
1relatively simple organism
A living thing that is thought of as less complex than many animals or plants, such as many microbes or simple animals.
- The study focused on lower organisms like algae and protozoa.
- Many basic cellular processes were first discovered in lower organisms.
microscopic organism
1organism visible only with microscope
A living thing so small that you need a microscope to see it.
- The pond water is full of microscopic organisms.
- Many microscopic organisms play important roles in the soil.
model organism
1standard organism used in research
A type of living thing that scientists often use in experiments to learn general rules about life.
- The fruit fly is a classic model organism in genetics.
- Zebrafish have become an important model organism for studying development.
multicellular organism
1organism made of many cells
A living thing that has many cells, like a human, a tree, or a fish.
- Humans are complex multicellular organisms.
- The evolution of multicellular organisms was a major step in the history of life.
parasitic organism
1organism that lives as a parasite
A living thing that lives on or inside another living thing and harms it.
- The disease is caused by a parasitic organism that infects the liver.
- Many parasitic organisms have complex life cycles with multiple hosts.
pathogenic organism
1organism that causes disease
A living thing, such as a germ, that can make other living things sick.
- The water was contaminated with pathogenic organisms.
- Hospitals must control pathogenic organisms to prevent infections.
simple organism
1organism with simple structure
A living thing that does not have many different parts or organs.
- Many simple organisms can survive in extreme environments.
- Some simple organisms reproduce by splitting into two copies of themselves.
single-celled organism
1organism made of one cell
A living thing that has only one cell, like many bacteria.
- Yeast is a single-celled organism used in baking and brewing.
- Many single-celled organisms can only be seen with a microscope.
terrestrial organism
1organism that lives on land
A living thing that lives mostly on land, not in water or air.
- Most terrestrial organisms would not survive long underwater.
- The desert hosts many specialized terrestrial organisms.
whole organism
1organism seen as a complete unit
The complete living thing, not just one part of its body.
- The treatment must be tested on the whole organism, not only on isolated cells.
- Biology courses move from molecules and cells to the whole organism.
genetically modified organism
1Organism with lab-changed DNA
A plant, animal, or other living thing whose DNA has been changed by scientists in a lab. This is often shortened to GMO.
- The use of genetically modified organisms in farming is highly controversial.
- Many crops are now genetically modified organisms designed to resist pests.
- Scientists created a genetically modified organism that can clean polluted water.
- The labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms is widely debated.