Multicellular Organsims
Understandings: Multicellular organisms have properties that emerge from the interaction of their cellular components.
Multicellular organisms show emergent properties. For example: cells form tissues, tissues form organs, organs form organ systems and organ systems form multicellular organisms. The idea is that the whole is greater than the composition of its parts. For example your lungs are made up of many cells. However, the cells by themselves aren’t much use. It is the many cells working as a unit that allow the lungs to perform their function. Therefore even though one cell can function on its own, many cells can form tissues and organs which are able to perform a wider range of functions, i.e. the whole is greater than the composition of its parts.
Figure 1.1.7 - Emergent properties of multicellular organisms
Figure 1.1.7 - "Anatomy and physiology of animals forming digestive systems" by Original uploader was Sunshineconnelly at en.wikibooks - Transferred from en.wikibooks; transferred to Commons by User:Adrignola using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomy_and_physiology_of_animals_forming_digestive_systems.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Anatomy_and_physiology_of_animals_forming_digestive_systems.jpg
