Patterns in naturePatterns in nature are visible regularities of form found in the natural world. These patterns recur in different contexts and can sometimes be modelled mathematically. Natural patterns include symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes. Early Greek philosophers studied pattern, with Plato, Pythagoras and Empedocles attempting to explain order in nature. The modern understanding of visible patterns developed gradually over time.
Multicellular organismA multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell, and more than one cell type, unlike unicellular organisms. All species of animals, land plants and most fungi are multicellular, as are many algae, whereas a few organisms are partially uni- and partially multicellular, like slime molds and social amoebae such as the genus Dictyostelium.
Body planA body plan, Bauplan (pl.German: Baupläne), or ground plan is a set of morphologicalfeatures common to many members of a phylum of animals. The vertebrates share one body plan, while invertebrates have many. This term, usually applied to animals, envisages a "blueprint" encompassing aspects such as symmetry, layers, segmentation, nerve, limb, and gut disposition. Evolutionary developmental biology seeks to explain the origins of diverse body plans.
Reflection symmetryIn mathematics, reflection symmetry, line symmetry, mirror symmetry, or mirror-image symmetry is symmetry with respect to a reflection. That is, a figure which does not change upon undergoing a reflection has reflectional symmetry. In two-dimensional space, there is a line/axis of symmetry, in three-dimensional space, there is a plane of symmetry. An object or figure which is indistinguishable from its transformed image is called mirror symmetric.
OrganismAn organism is any living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Several criteria, few of which are widely accepted, have been proposed to define what constitutes an organism. Among the most common is that an organism has autonomous reproduction, growth, and metabolism. This would exclude viruses, even though they evolve like organisms.
Rotational symmetryRotational symmetry, also known as radial symmetry in geometry, is the property a shape has when it looks the same after some rotation by a partial turn. An object's degree of rotational symmetry is the number of distinct orientations in which it looks exactly the same for each rotation.
BacteriaDomain of microorganismsSynonyms"Bacteria" (Cohn 1872) Cavalier-Smith 1983"Bacteria" Haeckel 1894"Bacteria" Cavalier-Smith 2002"Bacteriaceae" Cohn 1872a"Bacteriobionta" Möhn 1984"Bacteriophyta" Schussnig 1925"Eubacteria" Woese and Fox 1977"Neobacteria" Möhn 1984"Schizomycetaceae" de Toni and Trevisan 1889"Schizomycetes" Nägeli 1857Bacteria are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell.
Circular symmetryIn geometry, circular symmetry is a type of continuous symmetry for a planar object that can be rotated by any arbitrary angle and map onto itself. Rotational circular symmetry is isomorphic with the circle group in the complex plane, or the special orthogonal group SO(2), and unitary group U(1). Reflective circular symmetry is isomorphic with the orthogonal group O(2).NutrientA nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excreted by cells to create non-cellular structures such as hair, scales, feathers, or exoskeletons.
SpongeAnimals of the phylum PoriferaSponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animalphylumPorifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'). They are filter feeders that are typically bound to the seabed, being sessile. Sponges are one of the most ancient members of living seabed community (macrobenthos), with many species being important reef-builders. Some sponge species inhabit freshwater.
PlacozoaPlacozoa ( ; lit.'flat animals') is a phylum of free-living (non-parasitic) marine invertebrates. They are blob-like animals composed of aggregations of cells. Moving in water by ciliary motion, eating food by engulfment, and reproducing by fission or budding, placozoans are described as "the simplest animals on Earth". Structural and molecular analyses have supported them as among the most basal animals, thus constituting a primitive metazoan phylum.
GasSuspended particulates indicate the movement of the surrounding gas.Gas is a state of matter with neither fixed volume nor fixed shape. It is a compressible form of fluid, in contrast to a liquid. A pure gas consists of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), or molecules (e.g. oxygen (O2) or carbon dioxide). Pure gases can also be mixed together such as in the air. What distinguishes gases from liquids and solids is the vast separation of the individual gas particles.
FungusOrganism belonging to kingdom FungiA fungus (pl.: fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. These organisms are classified in the biological kingdomFungi. A characteristic that places fungus in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is having chitin in their cell walls.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.