CharacteristicsofLiving Things

Living Things Have Cells

Every living this is made of one or more cells (Cell Theory)

Living things can be unicellular or multicellular

Multicellular organisms have specialized cells

Living Things Sense and Respond to Change

Stimuli are the changes in the environment that affect an organism

Stimuli can be chemicals, gravity, darkness, light, sound etc

The organism’s response can be voluntary or involuntary

Organisms need a balanced internal environment. In humans, temperature and chemicals need to be stable. This state of balance is called homeostasis

Living Things Reproduce

There are two ways organisms make more organisms

- Asexual Reproduction is where one parent produces identical offspring. Most single cell organism reproduce this way

- Sexual Reproduction requires two parents who produce offspring with the characteristics of both parents. Plants and animals reproduce this way.

Living Things Have DNA

The cells of all living things have DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid

DNA provides instructions for making proteins

Proteins are important to almost all of a cell’s activities and determines characteristics.

Heredity

When organisms reproduce they pass copies of their DNA to their offspring

Heredity is why offspring resemble their parents

Living Things Use Energy

Living things use energy to carry out life’s activities

These activities include making food, breaking down food, moving materials in and out of cells, and building and repairing cells

Metabolism is the total chemical activities that the cell performs

Living Things Grow & Develop All living things grow - Single celled organisms grow larger cells until

they get too big and divide - Multicellular organisms increase their number

of cells Many living things change as they grow

Can you identify the characteristics of life?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/students/Characteristics_Student.doc

We’ll look at some videos of microscopic cells and organisms.

Write the characteristics of life you see on your handout!