Characteristics of Living Things

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Characteristics of Living Things

• Chapter 1-Book A

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Initial Questions

• What do plants have in common with dogs?
• What do bacteria have in common with fish
• What people have in common with SLIME MOLD?

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Living things have cells
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Cells

• A cell is the smallest unit that can perform all
  life processes
• Cells are covered by a membrane and have DNA and
  cytoplasm
• Most cells cannot be seen with the naked eye

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Cell functions

• Some organisms are made up of TRILLIONS of cells
• Different types of cells have different functions
• For instance.nerve cells transport signals and
  muscle cells are specialized for movement!
• In organisms with one cell, different parts of
  the cell performs different functions (in a
  paramecium, part of the cell will eat, for
  example)

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STIMULUS

• Stimulus anything that causes a reaction or
  change in an organism or any part of an organism
• ALL organisms have the ability to sense change in
  their environment, and to respond to that change
• How do pupils respond to light?
• Stimuli (plural) can be light, chemicals,
  gravity, sounds, hunger, or ANYTHING that causes
  an organism to respond in some way

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Example of Stimulus in Nature

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Brainpop Video on the Venus Fly Trap

• http//www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/ca
  rnivorousplants/

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Homeostasis

• Organisms must maintain a stable internal
  environment..
• For instance, what is the average human body
  temperature?
• Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant
  internal state in a changing environment

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Brainpop video on homeostasis

• http//www.brainpop.com/health/endocrinesystem/hom
  eostasis/

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Responding to External Changes

• What happens when you get hot? Why?
• What happens when you get cold? Why?
• Whether youre sweating or shivering, your body
  is trying to return itself to normal temperature
• Animals control their temperature by moving from
  one environment to the other

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Living things reproduce

• Organisms make other organisms similar to
  themselves
• Sexual reproduction-reproduction in which the sex
  cells from two parents unite, producing offspring
  that share traits from both parents

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Asexual Reproduction

• Asexual reproduction reproduction that does not
  involve the union of sex cells and in which on
  parent produces offspring identical to itself
• Many invertebrates are asexual, as do single
  celled organisms

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Brainpop Video on Asexual Reproduction

• http//www.brainpop.com/science/reproductionandher
  edity/asexualreproduction/

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Living Things have DNA

• DNA-stands for deoxyribonucleic acid
• Controls the structure and function of the cell
• When organisms reproduce, they pass copies of
  their DNA to their offspring (therefore
  offsprings DNA resembles their parents DNA)
• Passing of traits from one generation to the next
  is call HEREDITY

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Living things use energy

• Organisms use energy to carry out all life
  activities (making food, breathing, walking)
• METABOLISM the sum of all chemical processes
  that occur in an organism

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Living things grow and develop

• ALL living things grow
• Single-celled organisms the cell gets larger and
  divides, making other organisms
• In other organisms, the number of cells grow, and
  the organism gets bigger
• Animals/humans also develop as they go through
  different life stages