Student Unit L6
Cells Teaming Up
Unit L6 Focus Words
organism
noun — organism (noun) a separate, complete living thing, such as animal, plant, fungus or microorganism
Numbering less than 10 billion, humans are a small proportion of the many octillions of organisms living on Earth.
tissue
noun — a group of similar cells working together to do a specific job
Tissue transplants are much more common than organ transplants.
organ
noun — a group of tissues that does a specific job within an organism
The skin is the largest organ in the human body.
system
noun — a group of parts that depend on each other to function
Each part of a system is a critical piece that relates to the other parts of the system.
strategy
noun — a defined group of goals and the functions to achieve them
I may be biased, but multicellularity is a better strategy than being single-celled.
specialize
verb — to focus on a particular area; to distinguish oneself by form or function
Cells specialize to perform different functions in our bodies.
cooperate
verb — to work or function together in order to achieve a common goal
Cells cooperate with other cells to form tissues.
hierarchy
noun — a way of ranking or organizing things
Taxonomy uses a hierarchy to organize all living things into a metaphorical tree of life.