Question

1. How does a virus differ from living organism? How can a virus affect a living organism? Give at least one specific example of a virus-caused disease of humans, other animals, or plant.
2. Why is taxonomy (the scheme of naming living organisms) so important in Biology?

Answer 1

viruses differ from living organisms in that they do not use their own energy to grow. they depend on some other cell's machinery to replicate and grow. the virus injects its genetic material into a cell, where the genetic material is replicated using host cell's machinery and then undergo translation to form all the viral proteins. they assemble as mature virions and leave the cells by exocytosis. the released virions infect the neighbouring cells.

virus caused disease in humans, common cold, influenza, AIDS.

virus caused disease in animals- baculovirus

virus caused disease in plants- tobacco-mosaic virus, cauliflower mosaic virus, Barley yellow dwarf.

2. taxonomy is important in the fundamental understanding of biodiversity. the features of an organism can be studied using taxonomic principles.