Chapter One Characteristics of living organisms Consist of one or more cells Unicellular organisms (1) A single cell carries out all the functions of life Multicellular organisms Made of many specialized cells Consist of genetic information DNA Info molecule Passed on during cell division Composed of nucleotides Genetic code Gene Specific segment of DNA molecule Contains info to make proteins Proteins Control chemical reactions Cell/organism structure and function Use genetic information to reproduce Use genetic information for growth and development Can extract energy from the environment and use it to do biological work Can convert molecules obtained from their environment into new biological molecules Can respond to environmental changes