What characteristics do living creatures have in common?

PROPERTIES OF LIFE

Characteristics of Living Things

1. Organization

2. Energy

3. Reproduce

4. Respond

5. Grow and Repair

6. Evolve

7. Interdependence

7 unifying themes in living organisms…

carbohydrates Proteins

Living Creatures are ORGANIZED

All made of the same collection of chemicals, but we are organized as 4 types of specific molecules

○ proteins, fats, carbohydrates, nucleic acids

DNAFats

Living Creatures are ORGANIZED

Made up of cells: Can be unicellular or multi-cellular

UNICELLULAR MULTI-CELLULAR

Living Creatures are ORGANIZED

Structural Organization for Multi-Cellular Organisms

- organelles – functional units of a cell- cell - smallest unit of life- tissue - group of cells that perform a common function- organ - group of tissue that perform a common function- organ system - a group of organs that perform a common function- organism - any complete living thing

Living Creatures use ENERGY Metabolism - all the reactions your body

performs to make & use energy ○ eating & digestion & elimination of waste○ synthesis = building materials the body needs○ cellular respiration = making energy the body

needs

mitochondria

H2OCO2

ATP

Living Creatures REPRODUCE Make the next generation

Living Creatures REPRODUCE 2 Types of Reproduction:

asexual: 1 parent: offspring identical to parent

sexual: 2 parents:offspring not identical to parents

DID YOU KNOW:A species is a group of

organisms that can interbreed and produce

fertile offspring in nature

Living Creatures RESPOND Respond to internal and external changes

to keep homeostasisThis means maintaining balanced conditions

in the body

Living Creatures RESPOND

Anything in an organism’s environment that causes the organism to react is a stimulus.A reaction to a stimulus is a

response.

Living Creatures GROW Growth results in an increase in the

amount of living material and the formation of new structures.DNA has to replicate and protein

synthesis needs to occur in order for growth to happen

Living Creatures GROW All of the changes that take place during the life

of an organism are known as its development.

Living Creatures EVOLVE Any structure, behavior, or

internal process that enables an organism to respond to environmental factors and live to produce offspring is called an adaptation

Adaptations are inherited from previous generations.

Living Creatures EVOLVE

The gradual change in a species through adaptations over time is evolution.

Living Creatures Practice INTERDEPENDENCE

Living organisms interact with each other through symbiotic relationships, or predator-prey relationship in various ecosystems.

Living Creatures Practice INTERDEPENDENCE

The environment will determine what organisms will live there and how they will interact.