Is It Living or Nonliving?

1. Is It Living or Nonliving? Life Processes

2. Getting Energy • Plants get energy from sunlight. • Animals get energy and nutrients by eating other living things. • Bird vs. Plane • A bird gets energy from eating fruits, seeds, insects, fish, or other living things. • The engine burns fuel to release energy. A plane cannot get sources of energy on its own.

3. Using Energy • Living things use energy to do work. • They break down food material and release the stored energy. • Bird vs. Plane • A bird uses energy to fly, to stay warm, and to carry out other life processes. • A plane uses energy to fly and to run the air conditioner and lights.

4. Getting Rid of Wastes • Living things produce wastes when they use energy. • These wastes can be poisonous. • Bird vs. Plane • Wastes leave a bird’s body after food is broken down and energy is released. • Waste products are released as exhaust gas.

5. Reproducing • Living things make more of their own kind to keep groups of organisms alive. • For example, not all lions reproduce, but some must or lions will become extinct. • Bird vs. Plane • A bird lays eggs that hatch into baby birds. • A plane cannot reproduce.

6. Growing • Growing is a job that takes energy and nutrients. • Bird vs. Plane • A baby bird grows larger and develops into an adult. • A plane cannot grow.

7. Reacting to Change • Living things respond to changes around them. • For example, while you put on a coat when it gets cold, dogs grow a thicker coat of hair as the weather gets colder. • Bird vs. Plane • A bird responds to what is around it. A bird will fly away if it hears a loud noise. • Instruments identify changes and direct the plane or its pilot to respond to them.

8. Bird vs. Plane • What are the life processes that a bird can carry out, but a plane cannot? • A plane cannot get sources of energy on its own. • A plane cannot reproduce. • A plane cannot grow.