Unicellular cells must carry out ___ of life.
To determine what functions unicellular cells must carry out, we can start by understanding the basic characteristics of unicellular organisms. Unicellular organisms are composed of a single cell that performs all essential functions of life. Therefore, they must carry out all life processes necessary for survival.
The seven basic functions of life are:
1. Nutrition: Unicellular organisms need to obtain energy and nutrients to sustain their life processes. They can do this through various processes, such as photosynthesis (in organisms like algae) or by actively ingesting and digesting organic matter (in organisms like bacteria).
2. Metabolism: Unicellular cells must perform metabolic reactions to break down nutrients and generate energy. These reactions include processes like glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.
3. Growth: Unicellular organisms undergo cell division and replicate their genetic material to grow in size or increase their population.
4. Response to stimuli: Unicellular organisms can respond to external stimuli in their environment, allowing them to detect and react to changes to enhance their survival.
5. Homeostasis: Unicellular organisms maintain a stable internal environment, adapting to external changes to keep their cellular conditions within a narrow range that supports their biological processes.
6. Reproduction: Unicellular organisms reproduce asexually, generating offspring that are genetically identical to the parent cell. They can also undergo sexual reproduction in some instances.
7. Adaptation: Unicellular organisms can evolve and develop adaptive features over time to ensure their survival in changing environments.
In summary, unicellular cells need to carry out the functions of nutrition, metabolism, growth, response to stimuli, homeostasis, reproduction, and adaptation to support their survival and growth.