characteristics of life

ORGANIZATION

• Living things organize protoplasm into cells(the basic building blocks of life)

• Cells makeup organisms which are unicellular or multicellular

GROW AND DEVELOP

• Growth: increase in the organism’s number of cells.

• Development - series of orderly changes that occur in an organism throughout its life cycle from beginning to maturity. (changes in cells)

• Metamorphosis: complete or incomplete

ENERGYEnergy required for maintenance, growth, reproduction etc.Energy – 1. the ability to do work 2. comes from the sun 3. energy converted to

food by green plants 4. plants and animals

obtain energy from food

Metabolism refers to all chemical

reactions occurring in an organism

REPRODUCTION• Produces offspring leading to survival of

the species not an individual organism.

• Asexual reproduction; 1 parent, offspring genetically identical. Examples: budding, fission

• Sexual reproduction: 2 parents, offspring genetically different

EVOLUTION

• Things change over time.• This allows organisms to

adapt to new environments allowing survival

ADAPTATION

Adaptations – allows organisms to live in their environment.

Inherited – the best suited organisms survive, reproduce and pass on their beneficial traits.

Plants and animals survive because changes have taken place.

RESPONSE TO STIMULUS

A reaction to an environmental stimulus is the response

a. Stimuli such as light, food, temperature, water cause a response b. Responses are the reactions to the stimuli: moving towards food or away from harmful chemicals.

Responses improve chances of survivalHomeostasis maintenance of a steady internalenvironment (regulation)

OGER EAR7 characteristics of living organisms1. O organization2. G growth and development3. E energy4. R reproduction5. E evolution6. A adaptation7. R response to stimulus

• Besides the basic characteristics of life there are also certain activities that living organisms carry on that are called life processes.

• If any of these activities except reproduction stops for any length of time, the organism dies. If reproduction does not occur, that type of organism (species) may die out or become extinct.

LIFE PROCESSES

1. Nutrition• Activities by which an organism obtains

food from the environment (ingestion) and breaks it down into a form that can be absorbed and used by its cells (digestion)

2. Transport• The absorption and distribution

(circulation) of essential materials throughout the organism

3. Excretion• Process by which

wastes of metabolism are removed from the organism.

Black Bear Feces

4. Synthesis• The process by which simple

molecules are combined chemically to form more complex molecules.

5. Regulation• Number of coordinated activities

that serve to maintain internal stability(homeostasis) in a constantly changing environment by enabling the organism to respond to the environmental changes (sensitivity)

6. Respiration• The releasing of energy from food

by a complex series of chemical reactions.

• Respiration generally requires the presence of oxygen. (aerobic vs. anaerobic)

mitochondria

7. Movement• Ability of entire organism or a part of

the organism to move

8. Reproduction• The process by which an organism gives

rise to offspring - new individuals of the same kind.– a. sexual - exchange of hereditary material

between two different organisms and offspring are not identical to either parent.

– b. asexual - new individual is identical to the parent among even closely related organisms there are always some differences, this is what makes each of us individuals, these differences are called variation.

9. Growth• The increase in the size of the

organism resulting from the synthesis of food substances into new materials and new structures.