Skip to content

What is organism in biology

GeneralClass 12AllAnswered 27 Mar 2026
Answer

An organism or a living organism has been challenging to define. Most popular definitions group several characteristics as definitions. A comprehensive definition states that a living organism is a self-maintained chemical entity capable of response, reproduction and evolution. All living organisms- a bacterium or a dinosaur had perfect organised structures ranging from that of the plasma membrane’s bilayer nature to the chambers of the heart (in higher organisms). But these structures tend to break given the effects of the environment. An organism must be able to maintain or repair the wear and tear. For this, it needs to obtain energy and matter from the surroundings, including nutrition and respiration. He uses metabolism (molecular movement) to convert the acquired material into all that he needs. An organism should be able to respond to changes in its environment. Even a bacterium is able to detect the presence of food in the environment. If the organism doesn’t copy itself it is bound for death. While it reproduces, it will make errors while copying the genetic information. This will create altered designs which MIGHT or MIGHT NOT bear an advantage to the organism. Hence the population is bound to change. This is evolution. NASA’s committee compiled the above list in 1990.

FAQ

What is an organism easy definition?

A living organism is a chemical entity (made up of atoms and molecules) capable of self-maintenance, response, reproduction and evolution.

General · Class 12