Needs of Living Organisms

Organism

• A living thing

• Can be – Unicellular– Multicellular

Organism needs

• Every organism has different needs

• Consider the needs of a shark compared with a polar bear, compared to you.

• Common needs:– Water– Energy– Living space– Suitable climate

Water

• Need liquid fresh water (only 1% of total water on Earth)

• Organisms in the ocean depend on water quality to support life– Temperature– Nutrients– Dissolved Oxygen (can relate to water

temperature)– Lack of Pollution

Food and Energy

Food:

Energy• Sun -> Producers -> Consumers -> Decomposers• Sun -> Plants -> Animals -> Fungi/ Bacteria

Nutrients• Minerals, Vitamins, other chemicals

Pollutants or poisons can enter an organism through these means (biological magnification)

Food Poisoning through Food Chain- Mercury (Hg)

Living Space

• Area to collect needed food and for mating

• Space must provide all required Sunlight, Water, and Shelter to support organisms living there

• Some animals require and protect a territory: a claimed living space by an individual animal or group of animals

Territorial Animals

Suitable Climate

• All living organisms have a range of temperatures that they can live in

• Some survive cold seasons by going dormant.

• Birds and Mammals maintain the same internal body temperature (warm-blooded) – requires 10x more food to maintain this homeostasis.

Dormancy

• Life processes slow down

• In animals it is called hibernation– Heart rate drops, breathing slows, body

temperature drops, sleep like state– Low food requirements – can live off of fat

reserves

Review

• Organisms have common needs– Water– Energy– Living space– Suitable climate

Why is Earth the only planet that supports life?

What factors allow the Earth to support life?

• Liquid Water (Hydrosphere)– Insulator, chemical reactions

• Proper temperature – Due to distance from sun and atmosphere

• Atmosphere – Protection from space– Right materials (Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen,

Nitrogen, etc.)

Hydrosphere

(from Greek ὕδωρ - hydor, "water" and σφαῖρα - sphaira, "sphere")

• 71% of the Earth Surface is covered in Water

• 97% is salt water

• 2/3 of fresh water is locked up in glaciers

Sources of Fresh Water

• Lakes

• Streams (rivers)

• Ground water– Must build a well to get to this

• Glaciers (or glacier melt)

Aquifers and Artesian Wells

Review

• Why does Earth Support Life?

• How much of the Earth is water?

• How much of that water can be used for drinking water?