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Characteristics of Life

Characteristics of Life. Biology 9. Characteristics of all Living Things. Living Things: Are made up of units called cells Reproduce Are based on a universal genetic code Grow and develop Obtain and use of materials and energy Respond to their environment

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Characteristics of Life

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  1. Characteristics of Life Biology 9

  2. Characteristics of all Living Things • Living Things: • Are made up of units called cells • Reproduce • Are based on a universal genetic code • Grow and develop • Obtain and use of materials and energy • Respond to their environment • Maintain a stable internal environment • Change over time

  3. Life Defined • Living things exhibit ALL of these characteristics. • Dead things USED to exhibit all of these characteristics • Non-living things do not exhibit ALL of the characteristics. • Anything that exhibits all the characteristics is called an organism and is classified/categorized in the biological system by taxonomy. (scientific name, place in taxonomy comes from its attributes.

  4. 1. Made up of Cells • Small self contained units. • A collection of living matter enclosed by a membrane (barrier) that separates the inside of the cell from the surroundings. • Cells are alive they exhibit all characteristics of life. • Unicellular Organism- basic organism consisting of one cell. (bacteria, protists) • Multicellular Organism- complex oragnism consisting of many cells, those cell will usually have specialized functions. More diverse. (animals, plants) • Multicellular organisms can have thousands or even trillions of cells. Humans have over 85 different cell types!

  5. 2. Reproduction • All organisms produce new organisms through reproduction • Sexual- cells from two different parents combine to create a new organism. • Asexual- new organism arises from a single parent. • Two ways- Selfing and Binary fission. • Selfing occurs when an adult grows the new organism off of its self (ex. Hydra) • Binary fission- the organism copies all of its parts and splits into two organisms.

  6. 3. Based on Genetic Code • The genetic code carries instructions for producing and maintaining an organism. • It allows for continuity of life. Parents and offspring share the same or similar traits. • Dogs produce dogs not cats! • Traits are inherited from the parents to offspring. • The universal genetic code is carried in a molecule called a nucleic acid for all known life. • DNA- deoxyribonucleic acid • RNA viruses?? alive?

  7. 4. Growth and Development • All living things grow for at least a portion of their lives. • Growth- size increase • All Multicellular organisms go through a process of development in addition of growth. • Development- increase in cell number, size, differentiations, changes in structure, • Ex. Butterfly, humans, plants. • Differentiation- cells specialize in their structure and function (ex. Muscle cells, brain cells, etc.)

  8. 5. Need for materials and Energy • Organisms must get energy and the building blocks of life for growth and development. • Organisms need building blocks of life and energy to maintain life. • All organisms take in selected materials from their surroundings. • They must be broken down into their basic building blocks and used to build molecules for the organism. • This process is called metabolism. • Producers use the sun as an energy source. • Consumers use other organisms as an energy source.

  9. 6. Response to Environment • Stimulus Response- response to immediate changes • Examples : Plants bending toward sunlight, animals moving away from perceived danger • Adaptation Response- response to long-term changes • Change in fur color to match environment, switching to a new food source

  10. 7. Maintaining Internal Balance • All living organisms, unicellular and multicellular are able to maintain an internal balance because they cell separates in internal from the external. • This balance is called Homeostasis. • Conditions in the internal environment remain stable even with the changing outside environment. • Often involves internal feedback mechanisms and external feedback mechanisms • Example: Need for water and thirst, increase in temperature and sweating.

  11. 8. Change over time • All living organisms as a whole population change over time based on their environment. • This process is called evolution. • It does not involve and organism changing from one to another. • It does involve an organism population changing in types, number, and ability of traits in the organism. • Example: Cave organisms • Every known organism has been observed to evolve over time.

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