Big+Idea+5-7+Organisms

The cell is the basic unit of structure and function for all living things.

 * There are similarities and differences that characterize diverse living things.
 * All living things are made up of smaller units called cells.
 * Cells carry out the many functions needed to sustain life.
 * Cells take in nutrients that they use to provide energy to carry out their life functions.
 * Cells grow and divide thereby producing more cells.
 * There are defining structures of cells for both plants and animals.
 * Some organisms are made up of only one cell.
 * Specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular organisms.
 * Different body tissues and organs are made up of different kinds of cells.
 * There is a relationship between structure and function at all levels of biological levels of organization.
 * All multicellular organisms have systems that interact with one another to perform specific functions and enable the organism to function as a whole.
 * Disease affects the structures and/or functions of an organism.
 * Every organism has a set of genetic instructions that determines its inherited traits.
 * The gene is the basic unit of inheritance.

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