Why is studying organisms difficult?

Answer 1

In simple terms the answer is that organisms are complex. This very complexity means you have to study many aspects of a thing in order to understand it.

First, organisms are alive and consequently react to stimuli which can cause changes in them, from simple homeostasis (keeping its circulatory and/or respiratory system functioning, regulating its body temperature, maintaining cellular relationships and integrity), to digesting food and supplying itself with energy.

Second, they may be fungus, animal, plants or something even simpler...

YOU are an organism -- and a very complex one, too! Something like an amoeba is far simpler, being a single-cell organism, but it's still complex in its own way.

We humans have individuals cells assigned to very specific tasks, like the platelets in your blood (red blood cells) that transport oxygen to all your other cells. The poor little amoeba has to do EVERYTHING it needs to do to survive within only ONE cell.

There is an old Vulcan expression that says "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" that speaks to the whole concept of your question. Life has existed for billions of years, in many variegated forms, and each life form, even if from the same species, in fact even between members of the same family group, differ. You may possess different coloured hair from your parents; you may be taller than your mother or shorter than your father; the length of your two middle fingers may be the same, or one may be substantially longer than the other; and it may differ between brothers and sisters.

So the short answer is: Organisms are complex.

Answer 2

Studying organisms can be difficult due to their complexity, diversity, and constantly changing interactions with their environment. In addition, ethical considerations, regulatory constraints, and limitations in technology and funding can also pose challenges to conducting research on organisms.