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Characteristics of Living Things
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Defining a living thing is a difficult task.
• How would you define “living”?
• What is life?• What do you need
to survive?• What does a plant
need?• What does a fish
need?
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A living thing possesses certain properties that help define what life is.
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1. Cells
• All living things are made up of one or more cells.
• The cell is the smallest functioning unit of all living things.
• A living thing can be composed of one cell or many cells.
Amoeba - single celled organism Snail - multi-celled organism
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Cells• Cells are usually too small to be
seen with the naked eye.• Cells are organized into tissues -
a group of cells that perform the same function.
• Tissues form organs such as the stomach and kidney.
• A number of organs compose an organ system such as the digestive system.
• An organism is a complex structure of organ systems.
Human Heart
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2. Metabolism
• All living things are capable of taking materials from the surroundings and using them for energy to survive.
• Organisms acquire nutrition by absorption, photosynthesis or ingestion.
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3. Response to Stimuli
• All living things are able to respond to stimuli in the environment.
• Living things respond to light, heat, sound and contact with chemicals or other objects.
• Organisms can detect stimuli with eyes, ears, taste buds etc.
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4. Growth
• All organisms grow or mature over time.
• During growth a living thing transforms material that is unlike itself into materials that are like it.
• A human digests a meal of meat and vegetables and transforms the material into more of him/herself.
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5. Reproduction
• All living things contain the universal genetic code and have the ability to produce copies of itself by a process called reproduction.
• Bacteria grow quickly and split into two organisms by a process called asexual reproduction.
• More complex organisms, like animals, engage in sexual reproduction which requires two parents that contribute genes to their offspring.
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6. Respiration
• All living things exchange gas with the environment.
• Animals inhale oxygen gas and exhale carbon dioxide gas
• Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the environment and release oxygen.
• Organisms perform chemical reactions during respiration.
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7. Homeostasis
• All living things must maintain a stable internal condition no matter the environment.
• Animals regulate body temperature by sweating or shivering.
• Organisms perform chemical reactions and have physical properties that help to maintain homeostasis.
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8. Evolution
• Populations of organisms have the ability to adapt to their environment through the process called evolution.
• During evolution changes occur in populations, and the organisms in the population become better able to metabolize, respond and reproduce.
• Organisms develop abilities to cope with their environment that their ancestors did not.