Which term best describes organisms that consist of multiple cells?

Prepare for your Ontario Grade 11 University Biology Exam. Enhance your understanding with flashcards and multiple choice questions designed with explanations. Ace your exam!

The term that best describes organisms made up of multiple cells is "multicellular." Multicellular organisms are characterized by having specialized groups of cells that work together to perform different functions, allowing them to develop a higher level of complexity and organization. This structural complexity enables multicellular organisms to carry out a variety of life processes more efficiently than unicellular organisms, which consist of only a single cell.

In contrast, unicellular organisms are defined by their single-cell structure and operate independently without the specialization seen in multicellular organisms. The terms prokaryotic and eukaryotic refer to the type of cells present in organisms rather than the number of cells. Prokaryotic organisms, like bacteria, are typically unicellular and do not have a nucleus, whereas eukaryotic organisms can be either unicellular or multicellular, possessing a distinct nucleus and organelles. Therefore, while eukaryotic reaffirms the complexity of the cell structure, multicellular specifically denotes the presence of multiple cells, making it the most accurate descriptor in this context.

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