Eukaryotic Organism
A Eukaryotic Organism is a living organism composed of Eukaryote cells, which are characterized by having a defined nucleus enclosed within a membrane, along with various other membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum.
- Context:
- It can (typically) have a more complex cellular structure compared to Prokaryotic Organisms, which lack a defined nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
- It can (typically) engage in complex metabolic processes, including aerobic respiration, which occurs in the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell.
- It can (often) possess specialized cells that perform distinct functions, particularly in multicellular eukaryotes, where cells differentiate to form tissues and organs.
- It can (often) be classified into one of the four kingdoms of the domain Eukarya: Protista, Fungi, Plantae, or Animalia.
- ...
- It can range from being a Single-celled Eukaryotic Organism like certain Protists to being a Multi-celled Eukaryotic Organism such as Plants, Animals, and Fungi.
- It can range from being a Photosynthetic Eukaryotic Organism like Green Algae and Land Plants to being a Heterotrophic Eukaryotic Organism like Fungi and Animals.
- It can range from being a Motile Eukaryotic Organism like Dinoflagellates and Animalia to being a Sessile Eukaryotic Organism like most Plants and certain Fungi.
- ...
- It can include a wide diversity of life forms, from microscopic organisms like Amoeba and Paramecium to complex multicellular organisms like Humans, Oak Trees, and Mushrooms.
- It can undergo various types of reproduction, including sexual reproduction involving the fusion of gametes, as well as asexual reproduction methods like budding, binary fission, or spore formation.
- It can have cells that possess a cytoskeleton, which provides structural support and facilitates cell movement and division.
- It can play a crucial role in ecosystems, with some eukaryotic organisms acting as producers (e.g., plants), consumers (e.g., animals), and decomposers (e.g., fungi).
- It can exhibit a wide range of symbiotic relationships, such as mutualism between plants and fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) or parasitism between certain protists and their hosts (e.g., Plasmodium in malaria).
- It can be studied across various biological disciplines, including cell biology, genetics, ecology, and evolution.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Single-celled Eukaryotic Organisms:
- Protists:
- Euglena: Exhibits both plant-like (photosynthetic) and animal-like (motile) characteristics
- Paramecium: A ciliated protozoan often used as a model organism in biological studies
- Amoeba: A type of protozoan known for its ability to change shape
- Dinoflagellates: Marine planktonic organisms known for bioluminescence and causing red tides
- Fungi:
- Yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae): Used in baking, brewing, and scientific research
- Protozoa: Diverse group of unicellular eukaryotes, some pathogenic (e.g., Plasmodium causing malaria)
- Protists:
- Multi-celled Eukaryotic Organisms:
- Plants:
- Embryophyte (Land) Plants:
- Oak Tree: Large woody plant forming part of forest canopies
- Other examples: Mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants
- Embryophyte (Land) Plants:
- Fungi:
- Mushrooms: Fruiting bodies of certain fungi, important in decomposition
- Animalia:
- Human: Complex multicellular organism with highly specialized cells
- Non-Human Animals: Insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals
- Plants:
- Classified by Energy Acquisition:
- Classified by Motility:
- Evolutionary Significance:
- Asgard Archaea: Group of archaea hypothesized to be closely related to the ancestor of eukaryotes
- Cyanobacteria: While not eukaryotic, crucial in the evolution of eukaryotes by giving rise to chloroplasts through endosymbiosis
- Model Organisms:
- Saccharomyces Cerevisiae: Yeast species used in molecular and cellular biology studies
- Human Organisms: Used in various biological and medical studies
- ...
- Single-celled Eukaryotic Organisms:
- Counter-Example(s):
- Prokaryotic Organisms, such as bacteria and archaea, which lack a defined nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
- Viruses, which are not considered living organisms and do not have a cellular structure, relying instead on infecting host cells to replicate.
- See: Prokaryote, Cell, Organism, Eukaryote Cell, Nucleus, Mitochondrion
References
2023a
- (ChatGPT-OpenAi, 2023) ⇒ https://chat.openai.com Retrieved:2023-4-16.
- Q: What is an Eukaryotic Organism?
- A: An eukaryotic organism is a type of organism whose cells have a nucleus enclosed by a membrane and other membrane-bound organelles. Eukaryotes are characterized by their larger and more complex cells compared to prokaryotic organisms, which do not have a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles.
Eukaryotic organisms include animals, plants, fungi, and protists. These organisms are distinguished by their cellular structure and organization, as well as their ability to perform more complex functions such as mitosis, meiosis, and sexual reproduction.
In eukaryotic cells, the nucleus contains the organism's genetic material, which is organized into chromosomes. The cytoplasm surrounds the nucleus and contains various organelles, including mitochondria for energy production, ribosomes for protein synthesis, and the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus for the processing and transport of proteins.
Eukaryotic organisms have evolved over billions of years and exhibit a wide range of adaptations and complexities, from the simplest unicellular organisms to the largest multicellular organisms.
2023b
- (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukaryote Retrieved:2023-4-16.
- Eukaryota, whose members are known as eukaryotes, is a diverse domain of organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms are eukaryotes. They constitute a major group of living things, along with the two groups of prokaryotes, the Bacteria and the Archaea.
The eukaryotes emerged in the Archaea, possibly as a sister of the Asgard archaea. This implies that there are only two domains of life, Bacteria and Archaea, with eukaryotes incorporated among the Archaea. Eukaryotes represent a small minority of the number of organisms, but, due to their generally much larger size, their collective global biomass is about equal to that of prokaryotes. Eukaryotes emerged approximately 2.2 billion years ago, during the Proterozoic eon, likely as flagellated cells. These were created by symbiogenesis between an anaerobic Asgard archaean and an aerobic proteobacterium, which formed the mitochondria. A second episode of symbiogenesis with a cyanobacterium created the plants, with chloroplasts.
Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound organelles such as the nucleus, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi apparatus. Eukaryotes may be either unicellular or multicellular. In comparison, prokaryotes are typically unicellular. Unicellular eukaryotes are sometimes called protists. Eukaryotes can reproduce both asexually through mitosis and sexually through meiosis and gamete fusion.
- Eukaryota, whose members are known as eukaryotes, is a diverse domain of organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms are eukaryotes. They constitute a major group of living things, along with the two groups of prokaryotes, the Bacteria and the Archaea.
1994
- (Courties, 1994) ⇒ Claude Courties, André Vaquer, Marc Troussellier, Jacques Lautier, Marie J. Chrétiennot-Dinet, Jacques Neveux, Cordelia Machado, and Hervé Claustre. (1994). “Smallest eukaryotic organism.".